If you’ve stored a lot of food in the way of can goods, you could be setting yourself up for a real issue–getting the food out. I hear looking at food while starving is unpleasant with a little extra something…

Recently my manual can open broke. It quit literally came apart in my hands. After a minute of staring at a can that was only 1/4 of the way opened, I remembered I had something in my Bug Out Bag for this.

The P-51 and P-38 are the militaries tried and true method for opening cans. They don’t look like much. But they get the job done surprisingly well.

After pulling a P-51 out of my BOB it made quick work of the rest of the can. I even ended up using it for a few days till my girlfriend picked up a new one from the store. It was not as comfortable to use as a consumer manual can opener, and certainly not as easy to use as an electric, but it didn’t prove to be a pain to use either.

Both the P-51 and P-38 (thanks for sending me one John) are extremely easy to use–although, I do find the P-51 easier on the hands. The best part is for something so lightweight and under $1, there’s just no reason to pass them up.

Oh, if you get really desparate to open a can. There is a neat video of Cody Lundin opening a can on a street curb in the video below at 5:15.