Survivalists often speak about austere environments where problems must be solved creatively with minimal resources. If you need a tool, you make the most of the gear you have, and think outside the box to improvise anything you don't have access to. In this regard, few environments are more challenging than a prison. Those of us who aren't behind bars can learn quite a bit from convicts' problem-solving strategies, even though they may not always be advisable.

The video shows this blade used to split matches, but its primary purpose is more obvious.

Although we've often poked fun at lifehack videos for their absurd, impractical, or outright dangerous techniques, we occasionally come across one that includes some good food for thought. The following video from SlivkiShow demonstrates a few techniques for making weapons and tools that are allegedly used in Russian jails.

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As you might expect, some of these techniques are clearly dangerous, such as frying potatoes and meat in a mason jar using an exposed live wire — don't try that at home. Others probably wont last long, such as the improvised plastic screwdriver. However, as we said before, sometimes you've got to do the best you can with the tools you've got. We can certainly appreciate the level of ingenuity here, even though we're not forced to drink pruno or carry a melted toothbrush for self-defense.

Written by Patrick McCarthy