You never know when you might find yourself in a pinch and need some kind of emergency lighting. Perhaps the power is out and the battery in your flashlight died, or you are camping and damaged your flashlight during a hike. Whatever the reason, here are two ways that you can create an emergency candle with just a few basic supplies that you probably have around the house or campsite.
1. Oil + Wick = Light
There are many types of oil that burn, some better than others, but if you keep the basic components in mind, it’s very likely that you can create your own oil lamp quickly. A bit of olive oil in a shallow dish, with some cotton string – from the end of a mop, a shoestring, or from a ball of string – will light and burn for a few hours. If you have a tin of sardines in your emergency rations, eat the fish and leave the oil. Lay a wick in the oil and you’ve got another DIY oil lamp.
2. Two Words: Bacon Candle
If your electricity has gone out and you need lighting fast, grab some bacon out of the fridge (it’s going bad in there anyway with no power). Rub the fatty part of the bacon all over a wick to grease it, and then wrap the bacon around the wick at the bottom and stuff the entire thing into a jar or cup. Light the wick, and the bacon will begin to melt just like oil or wax.
Once you’ve made it through one emergency situation, you’ll probably want to consider taking some precautions for next time. Solar yard lamps that can be dug up and carried around like a torch are a great way to have emergency lighting at night. A collection of glow sticks or extra batteries would be a good addition to your camping gear for occasions such as these.
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