Most days are pretty mundane. They don't throw any curveballs. You just get by. So when life does pull a trick on you, it comes as a surprise. Especially if it's a life-threatening one.
To give us an idea on how to prepare for the unexpected, a former royal marine and TikTok user Robin (aka DutchInTheUSA) has been creating a video series, sharing survival tips for all sorts of (extra) ordinary situations.
Truth be told, you probably won't need them. But if there's one time you will...
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Suviving While Lost At Sea
This trick can save your life. Build your own floating device using your pants. Once you get your pants off, you're gonna tie the two ends of your pants together like this, zip up or button up your pants, and this is the hardest part, you're gonna grab it by the sides, you're gonna slam it down and get as much air in there as possible. Now all you gotta do is put your head through it. And this is how you stay afloat.
We did this in school with pyjama bottoms, which is great if you're ever shipwrecked in your jimjams. More usefully, most clothing will hold air if you wet it first, then knot off part of it to form a balloon and inflate it as described above. Also losing heavy clothing makes it easier to stay afloat.
Robin came up with the idea for this series when he reenacted a movie scene and did a video on zip ties. "After that, I got a lot of people who didn't know how to do that [asking me about it in the comments]," he told Bored Panda. "So I showed it to them."
"But then some of them began asking 'Well, what about thicker zip ties? Or duct tape?' And it kind of just went from there and eventually ended up with handcuffs. And once I kind of was done with the handcuffs, and ropes and whatever, I felt that a lot of people just wanted daily safety tips. You know, how to keep yourself safe or be aware of your surroundings."
Being Followed At Night By A Stranger
Here's what you do if you're being followed. First thing you're gonna do is change your pattern and cross the street. Next thing you're gonna do is change your pace, but not too obvious. Next step is to look for houses with lights or TVs on, and call 911.
Stay Safe In A School Shooting
Robin doesn't just google these tips. He tests them himself. "Most of my research is done by actually trying [what works and what doesn't]. Plus, once I do the videos, people give me feedback and whether or not it is positive, even if someone says they don't believe that particular method works, I try a different approach for them," he explained.
When people tell Robin they can't do something themselves or simply ask him about alternative ways to handle a situation, he keeps researching and experimenting. "I just try it out," the former royal marine said. "I put myself in a scenario [suggested by the viewers], and I just give it a go, and keep trying it until I find the best solution for it."
Surviving While Lost At Sea
Okay, so you don't wanna eat fish eyes. Let me show you how one guy survived for 72 days by himself making his own water. So you need two bowls and plastic, and if you don't have a bowl, I'm gonna show you how to make it out of duct tape. First bowl, fill it with sea water. So here's my duct tape bowl. Put your smaller bowl in the bigger bowl with sea water. Cover it with plastic or tarp. And we wait. So we left it in the sun for quite a while. You see all the condensation? Let's see what we've got in our bowl.
Holy crap, I'm lost at sea! Thank goodness I have two bowls and a roll of Saran Wrap.
Right And Wrong Way Of Getting Into Uber/Lyft/Cab
Here's the right and the wrong way to get into an Uber, Lyft, or a cab. So the wrong way of doing it, car is here, I get in, pay no attention to any signal, just get in and hope it's my driver. Here's the right way to do it. Number one, I have my app open, I'm gonna verify that the license plate matches what I have on file. I walk over to the driver to ensure the information on the app resembles the driver. So next I'm gonna check the child safety lock and I'm gonna check if the windows work, and I'm gonna show you why that's a good idea to check this. If I didn't check any of that, number one, I'm stuck, I can't get it open and I can't even access my windows to try to reach from the outside. If you didn't pay attention to the child safety lock, but you verified your windows, at least you can do the following. Roll down my window, go from the outside, open the door if I feel uncomfortable.
You can only check if the child lock is active from the inside, after you enter the car and close the door. Also, most modern cars can be locked electronically, from the inside, by the driver.
The humble man said that his time with the Royal Marines was "nothing too fancy."
"I was there from 2009 to 2014. Before that, I kind of did something in the Royal Army, which is similar to the ROTC program if we were to compare it to the US; you learn a trade and you enlist after that. It was an easier path into the military with higher success rates."
"I was kind of bored in the army. So when my instructor for the courses I was taking asked me if I wanted to try that, and I was very intrigued. I spent most of my time in training, like Arctic warfare, mountain warfare, and that's how I learned a lot of these survival skills. I'm a paratrooper. So I can shoot pretty much any weapon again you point me to."
In other words, Robin is the guy to follow for survival tips!
Self Defence Against Knife Attack
Here's the best self-defense against a knife attack. Now, in my case, someone's trying to rob me, I have two different wallets. Good one, fake one. Someone tries to rob me, I'm gonna keep my hands up high, I'm gonna tell them what I'm doing. I'm gonna move very slowly. I'm gonna grab my wallet and give you my wallet, okay? The moment you do this, you're gonna drop it and run.
How To Escape Handcuffs Using Your Bra
Hotel Room Safety Tip
Here are some hotel room safety tips you should know about. Use your belt to go through the chain link for your hotel. This makes it harder to pick it or even remove the lock from the chain link. Use a glass to wake you up if someone tries to open the door. And my favorite of all - a self-made barrier. In this case, I'm using a shower curtain rod to barricade the door. I'm using a triangular method to put pressure on the door and you won't be able to open it.
If Your Arms Are Tied Behind Your Back
Zipties are extremely hard to break that way. You'd be better off chewing through them.
How To Escape A Sinking Car
Here's how to escape a sinking car. If your vehicle is taking on water, your first step is to get the seatbelt off. If you cannot unbuckle it, have a device like this that can cut the seatbelt. The second step is to get the window down. Now you can roll it down using your electrical panel right here, or you can break it with a little pin like this. Make sure it goes on the corner right here. Once you have done that, you're gonna get out of the car, stepping on this with your feet. Do not sit on it, there's gonna be glass all over the place that's gonna hurt you. Here's testing out how it works, place it, and you're just gonna push.
All of these are clever and helpful ideas, but this guy just doesn't get that most people panic during situations like this. True survival mode can turn people into blithering idiots.
If you memorise what to do, you are more likely to remember if ever in this situation.
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All of the side windows are toughened glass and difficult to break, but the windscreen is designed to break easily.
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This is why we hae window-breaking hammers with seatbelt cutters built in, taped to the dash of our vehicle. They cost less than $10, and if you have it in view, in easy reach, it's easy to get to.
My nieces husband just lost a friend this way. He actually drowned. The truck slid off the road and into the river. My nephew (in law), his friend and his friends wife were all upside down in the cab and seat belted in. It was dark because it was very early in the morning as they were going hunting. Travis, the friend, had a knife in his pocket and he cut his seat belt off and popped up out of the river as my nephew tells the story. He went back down for his wife who couldn't get out. He cut her out and pulled her to safety. My nephew had gotten to safety on the river bank and he saw Leah come up out of the water and they waited for Travis to come back up but he never did. They found his body three days later. I guess he got swept away by the current. If he hadn't been carrying a knife in his pocket they'd have both been killed.
So, you say don’t wait for the car to equalize pressure, but then you say it takes awhile for the car to equalize pressure, like that’s something you need to wait for? Mythbusters tested this, and the windows won’t roll down and the glass might not break until the pressure equalizes. Also, not all glass breakers work, and it’s hard to find one that does without testing it first, which sucks, because how do you test it?
I have this large device in my car that serves two purposes. At one end is a heavy, thick blade safely secured in this device handle to cut your seat belt. Its going to take a strong sharp blade to get through one. Remember, it's made strong enough to hold you in a crash. Its not going to be that easy to do. This WILL cut your seat belt. Seen in demo. The other end has a heavy solid steel punch with a dull point on the end. Using this to smash a window is easier than you think. I had accidentally locked myself out of the house on a bitterly cold night. I live in the country. Neighbors are not close. I got this out of my car and easily in 2 hard taps smashed through a window to get myself in. So I know that works. Keep it right beside me in the car.
Cut the seatbelt. With what ?? What I would do is grab the headrest from the front seat and smash the window open with its metal rods.
In my way of thinking, this is just another reason to NOT wear that seatbelt. Also, think, T-bone accident.
your odds of surviving a crash are *much better* with the seatbelt. The state of Illinois has an example of two cars that had similar roll-overs. In one case, the gal, a teacher, did not have her seatbelt on. She died. The other was two gals. One had a cut on her foot, and the other was not harmed. In both cases, the cars were thrashed.
Load More Replies...Escape A Zip Tie On The Neck
Ways To Jump Out Of Moving Vehicle
College Door Safety Hacks
If you ever see this come under the door... In the video you just saw, you saw someone using a coat hanger to get into a dorm room. Most of the advice there is to use a deadbolt, but since you're at a campus, you're not authorized, usually, to manipulate the doors or put extra security measures. What I'm gonna show you is an easy, effective way that is cheap, that you can use to defend yourself against stuff like this. So this is the part in question, all you have to do is push both in...
If that comes under my door, I'm going to grab it, open the door, and whip the person on the other side.
Ways To Get Out Of Being Choked In A Car
Here are 3 ways to get out of this. First one: the cool one. You're gonna slide your hand behind your head, come to your throat, then you're gonna use your mechanical lever and get out. Number two: if you don't have enough force, you're gonna move your seatbelt through here, move it towards your feet, step it, push out with your foot, and you have enough leverage. And the most effective one is you're gonna turn to your side, allowing blood flow to go through one side, you're gonna move your hand in through the rope, and with your other hand you're gonna grab your hand right here and slide your elbow out. Like that. And then you can get out.
What To Do In A Carjacking
Here's what to do if someone tries to steal your car. Full disclosure: this only works if you're by yourself or the items that you're leaving behind are replaceable. "Get out of the car, now." Now they just want my car, so I'm gonna comply. I have a panic button that's called an Invisawear. I press it twice. The moment I get out of the car to give him the car, I'm gonna push my phone and the Invisawear and just drop it underneath the seat. What that does is it's gonna signal the police to come to this location of my car. I'm still fine, he just wants my car, and they will arrest them.
I'm going to get out of the car now! That kind of NOW means dont grab for anything at all because if you make one move to do that you're going to get shot because they'll think you're reaching for a gun.
If You Are Sleeping And Get Kidnapped
Much like the zipties, duct tape is extremely hard to break like that. You'd be better off chewing through it.
How To Escape A Chokehold
How to escape a chokehold. So your first step is to move up your shoulder, lift up your arm, and go over. So in this next technique you're gonna focus on this first hand, push this away, and with your shoulder, you're gonna push out.
Self Defense
Have you ever tried to use this to defend yourself at night? I've got a better option for you. People use this to defend themselves, but the problem with that is the moment you hit something, it cuts into your own skin. Now something like this is used to break windows in a car, but it's also very effective for self-defense. You're going to move your side sideways, and you stab. Now if you have none of that, the best thing you can do in these kinds of situations is go for the neck.
I bought a pack of these and gave them to my kids . These suckers are lethal. Way better than keys and way better than those cat keychains
Your Home's Weakest Entry
Here's how people break into your house using a coat hanger and what to do about it. So here are the four things you can do about it. Number one: place a tie rip over the part that they push/pull down, number two: unplug the garage opener, number three: install a lock, that's what these are here for, and last but not least: please take out your garage opener. Too many people leave their cars open and this is all they need to get in.
If You Need To Sleep In Your Car In Sketchy Areas
Now some of you might have seen the video where they use the seat belt to go through here and they click it in if you're trying to sleep in your car so they can't open the door. Now what if there's no opening here? This one really bugged me and I spent a lot of time trying to figure it out. The first step is roll the window all the way down, use this to pull it all the way out, and open your door, you're gonna go over right here, all the way to this side right here, and keep it shut. Now you've got this. Now repeat it on the same side. Now once you set up the other side, I use two carabiners, one goes in here, and you've got a little bit of slack to get it in, and then you're gonna readjust it right here. You're gonna open your door a little bit, close the window, and you're all set. No one's gonna come into your car.
And if you're ever chained by the ankles and being slowly lowered into a pit of lava, all you have to do is take off your parachute pants (this only works if you're wearing parachute pants) and hold them out to catch the hot air rising off the lava; you can float over to the edge of the pit. Keep your feet near the edge while the chain dips into the lava; it will then melt, and you'll be free! Easy-peasy.
A lot of these are unintelligible as still images with just the transcription of the words. Needs a full text description of what he is doing
He has a Tik Tok account. @dutchintheusa is his Tik Tok account
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He lives in a parallel universe. Nothing in this thread is something I worry about
I'm assuming you're a guy. Every woman I've ever known at the very least knows where all exit doors are and does a quick check of every room for potential harm.
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These are laughably ridiculous. Thank goodness I know how to escape from being kidnapped while asleep. Oh, but he's a Royal Marine... like that he's been trained to handle these goofy situations.
Most people will never experience any of these situations, if so many will experience fight, flight or freeze and the mind will go blank especially without regular routine self defense training, The best defense is a good offense. Situational awareness is key. Don’t allow people you don’t know to come close to you, carry pepper spray if needed. Keep a window breaking device in your car if you are worried about car being submerged in the water. If someone enters your car, EXIT YOUR CAR ASAP AND RUN, let him have the car, it’s not worth your life
I understand bad things can and do happen, but I just don't choose to live as someone who is absolutely terrified of every single thing and expects horrors to happen wherever I go. Apart from the fact most of these "tips" are impossible to understand with just the stills from the video, I would say that most of his solutions only work for young, fit, slim men like himself. Not much use if you are a very small person or a very big person.
The only thing I can conclude after reading all of this is if you're of the senior set you're going to go unconscious from the choke hold, kidnapped from your hotel room, handcuffed behind your back, zip tied & duct taped for good measure, thrown into the trunk of a car. When you wake up in the trunk, your dam arthritis will prevent you from turning into a pretzel so as to move your cuffed wrists in front. Oops! you don't have your phone in your hand so you can't push the button on it to notify the service that does not exist in your country that you're in deep $**+. Your kidnapper happens to be a lousy driver & drives to a sketchy area he isn't familiar with & so drives off the edge of a deep canal that runs through this sketchy area thus plunging the car into deep water. He happens to have a device to get him out of the sinking car. But, there you are stuck in the trunk of the sinking car. Regreting your poor career choice of not becoming a Navy SEAL.
This bloke sounds like one of those clowns pretending to be some kind of martial arts expert, demonstrating his 'power' by defeating willing opponents with one finger...
And if you're ever chained by the ankles and being slowly lowered into a pit of lava, all you have to do is take off your parachute pants (this only works if you're wearing parachute pants) and hold them out to catch the hot air rising off the lava; you can float over to the edge of the pit. Keep your feet near the edge while the chain dips into the lava; it will then melt, and you'll be free! Easy-peasy.
A lot of these are unintelligible as still images with just the transcription of the words. Needs a full text description of what he is doing
He has a Tik Tok account. @dutchintheusa is his Tik Tok account
Load More Replies... He lives in a parallel universe. Nothing in this thread is something I worry about
I'm assuming you're a guy. Every woman I've ever known at the very least knows where all exit doors are and does a quick check of every room for potential harm.
Load More Replies... These are laughably ridiculous. Thank goodness I know how to escape from being kidnapped while asleep. Oh, but he's a Royal Marine... like that he's been trained to handle these goofy situations.
Most people will never experience any of these situations, if so many will experience fight, flight or freeze and the mind will go blank especially without regular routine self defense training, The best defense is a good offense. Situational awareness is key. Don’t allow people you don’t know to come close to you, carry pepper spray if needed. Keep a window breaking device in your car if you are worried about car being submerged in the water. If someone enters your car, EXIT YOUR CAR ASAP AND RUN, let him have the car, it’s not worth your life
I understand bad things can and do happen, but I just don't choose to live as someone who is absolutely terrified of every single thing and expects horrors to happen wherever I go. Apart from the fact most of these "tips" are impossible to understand with just the stills from the video, I would say that most of his solutions only work for young, fit, slim men like himself. Not much use if you are a very small person or a very big person.
The only thing I can conclude after reading all of this is if you're of the senior set you're going to go unconscious from the choke hold, kidnapped from your hotel room, handcuffed behind your back, zip tied & duct taped for good measure, thrown into the trunk of a car. When you wake up in the trunk, your dam arthritis will prevent you from turning into a pretzel so as to move your cuffed wrists in front. Oops! you don't have your phone in your hand so you can't push the button on it to notify the service that does not exist in your country that you're in deep $**+. Your kidnapper happens to be a lousy driver & drives to a sketchy area he isn't familiar with & so drives off the edge of a deep canal that runs through this sketchy area thus plunging the car into deep water. He happens to have a device to get him out of the sinking car. But, there you are stuck in the trunk of the sinking car. Regreting your poor career choice of not becoming a Navy SEAL.
This bloke sounds like one of those clowns pretending to be some kind of martial arts expert, demonstrating his 'power' by defeating willing opponents with one finger...
