Watch: Three Ways to Open a Can Without a Can Opener

So you’re in a survival situation of some sort, and you’ve found a can of food. Or maybe a huge stash of cans. But your Swiss army knife and GI can opener were confiscated by that jackass at the last checkpoint. What to do?

Well, there are a number of ways to open a can without an opener, and here’s a video with two of them. The first one I hadn’t seen before. I mean, a spoon? But it works.

The second is a little more obvious, and could be done with a rock as well as concrete

This next video shows a way to open a can without any tools OR any concrete — using nothing but your bare hands.

It’s messy, but it is reminiscent of old Popeye cartoons, since the can is opened with brute strength–and it contains spinach.

Happy survival, my friends.

Russ Chastain

Editor & Contributing Writer Russ Chastain is a lifelong hunter and shooter who has spent his life learning about hunting, shooting, guns, ammunition, gunsmithing, reloading, and bullet casting. He started toting his own gun in the woods at age nine and he's pursued deer with rifles since 1982, so his hunting knowledge has been growing for more than three and a half decades. His desire and ability to share this knowledge with others has also grown, and Russ has been professionally writing and editing original hunting & shooting content since 1998. Russ Chastain has a passion for sharing accurate, honest, interesting hunting & shooting knowledge and stories with people of all skill levels.