Surgical tubing is very lightweight and has a variety of uses. You should have at least 3′ of tubing in your hiking kit and at least 5′ to 6′ in your vehicle kit. Surgical tubing has many uses including:
- Straw to access water that is difficult to reach
- Create an improvised slingshot
- Siphon gas — NOT recommended unless you have run out of other options
- Tourniquet — NOT recommended unless you have run out of other options
The primary use for surgical tubing in your pack is to access water that is difficult to reach. If you create an improvised solar distiller then the tubing can give you access to the purified water without disturbing the distiller.