A rope is an essential item that everyone should have from the moment they leave the house for hiking, camping, or even when doing the groceries. There will be situations when you will need a rope, which is why many people make sure to carry one in their car’s trunk. However, what about times when you don’t have access to a rope or simply don’t have one?

Well, this calls for a survival lesson: making rope out of plastic bags. Plastic bags are, unfortunately, something you might often find lurking in your vicinity. But, did you know that they can easily be turned into a rope? Probably not. This is why this article will give you a basic rundown on making your rope out of plastic bags.

Sai Abhinivesh/Pexels | This is going to be a fun activity

1. Getting Ready

When it actually comes to it, the only thing you’ll need is several plastic bags and a lot of time on your hands. The first step would be straightening out all the bags that you have and then cutting them from the middle so that you have long pieces of plastic. Once you’ve cut all the plastic bags in half, you have to sort them in terms of color. This step is not necessary but recommended.

2. Starting The Work

Once you have everything set and ready to go, you are going to take a piece of a plastic bag and make a hole on one end. Once this is done, you are going to pass another piece of plastic bag (preferably the same color) through the hole and tie a knot at the meeting point of the two pieces of plastic bag. Continue doing the same steps for the other colored pieces of the plastic bag before you begin the braiding process.

Anna Shvets/Pexels | You can add a maximum of 5 bags to help the braiding process

3. Begin The Braiding

Once you’ve got all the strands ready to go, tie all the ends of the plastic bag strands together and place the makeshift rope around a handle or a fixed anchor. By now, you’ll have one big plastic bag rope with 4 to 5 strands. This is the part where you start braiding the strands–tightly braid them together and keep adding more plastic bags as you go. It won’t be long until you’ve got yourself a proper, sturdy rope.

Noelle Otto/Pexels | It’s not going to be perfect but it’ll get the job done

Did you know? While you make rope out of plastic bags, you’re also helping the environment.