Condoms and Scouts

[SixImpossible]

13yo ds1 has a Scouting task to create a pocket-sized survival kit. Each Scout was given a little empty tin without any instructions. We had a dinner table discussion about this, (including dc2&3) during which I suggested condoms as water-carriers. Cue general embarrassment, disbelief and hilarity.

Yesterday ds and I bought a packet in Boots. The only thought that went through my head at the time was that modelling buying condoms without any embarrassment was a good thing to do. But now I'm having second thoughts. Is there going to be a thread next week where a MNer complains that condoms were brought to the Scout troop her 10yo attends?

Probably but who cares! I hope you got him to buy some tampons too for lighting fires

why not use latex gloves instead of condoms? - less embarrassing for him

hope you got spermicide free ones

Balloons..???

They'll definitely learn that in Explorers and tbh, some of my Scouts know about it from watching various adventure people on TV (and one or two of my Cubs! They even know what a condom is used for! Though I'm not quite sure they understand what sex actually is!). I wouldn't worry too much about it, it is one of those things that outdoorsy/Scouting people accept in a survival kit!

Latex gloves: too bulky and not as stretchy.
Balloon: too weak.
Tampon: considered it, but decided to go all Bear Gryls and make up a dried moss tampon bundle.
Spermicide: after adding the water purification tablet the water is going to taste rank anyway!

I've heard (and I'm not sure how true this is) if you boil a condom, it becomes stretchy enough to fit it over the top of a telephone box.
Perhaps condoms in the survival box for entertainment purposes?

Well Bear does it, & he's chief scout!

My mum sent my poor brothers off to Russia on a scout camp trip thing with two huge jiffy bags of condoms, as they are/were difficult to get for young Russians apparently. Goodness knows what they did with them. Anyway, no complaints from Russia or UK.

I really want someone to try that telephone box thing and report back.

The SAS recommend condoms (sans lube, naturally) as water carriers so you sound pretty sensible to me. If anyone has any difficulty, refer them to the SAS Survival Handbook, where they will find the uses for condoms in a survival situation clearly detailed...

Catsize - used them as currency, probably. My dad used to do business with USSR and East Block, and would pack masses of Bic razors and other similar disposable Western stuff (and, no doubt, condoms, too!) for 'gifts'.

You could buy strawberry flavoured condoms and the water would end up as squash!

Nothing to add - but there's two words I never thought I would see in a sentence together...

OP

you are too involved

Let the kid do it

Squash!

Is spermicide safe to eat/drink? I think the non latex ones are dry as fuck lubricant free.

Sanitary towels work as dressings apparently.

You can use sanitary towels as padding when your rucksack rubs on your shoulders.

'if you boil a condom, it becomes stretchy enough to fit it over the top of a telephone box.'

Wow if that's true then you could boil a condom, stretch it over some branches etc, and make yourself a waterproof tent. Excellent! Get him to tell them that as well.

Also pull them over your shoes for emergency wellies if you have to ford a stream?

Trying to think of more survival uses for condoms...

You can use a condom to make a catapult with.

Slice a condom and it can be used in place of an elastic band.

Floatation device or if its stretchy enough a canoe.

Rain cap.

Keeping your matches dry.

Chlorine-tasting purified water is a better taste than nonoxynol-9. You definitely need spermicide-free condoms for survival purposes. (But it is safe to eat/drink, as it's safe for oral sex.)

Not only can they carry water, you can keep your matches dry, too. Also sachets of salt/pepper/sugar. And I like the idea of emergency galoshes.

I'm sure I saw Bear Grylls and Steven Fry use a tampon (speaking of sentences I never thought I'd type ) as a fire lighter on a tv programme recently.

I've also heard that dental floss can be really useful as all sorts of string / fishing line / etc and not take up a lot of space. Can't remember if it's supposed to be waxed or unwaxed though! Also some micropore tape rolled onto itself rather than around a proper centre. Can be used to fashion butterfly plasters for cuts or as part of a bigger dressing or as general sticky repair tape.

I'm sure I remember seeing one of those cheap handy hints type programmes where an outdoorsy old lady said condoms were very useful in camping for keeping small items dry (!)

It has stuck in my mind because because she pronounced it condummms

I have certainly treated dental floss as emergency string in the past. I think it was waxed, on account of that being what I had with me.