ReadyMade: Instructions for everyday life

TRAVEL TACTICS

PUMP UP THE VOLUME
When overnight guests come to stay, Mike Senese fills up his air mattress by turning on the cool function of a hair dryer and putting the nozzle on the mattress’s air valve. Within minutes, he’s got a firm spare bed.

SWEET DECEIT
On camping trips, Kristina Hoglund uses iodine tablets to purify water, then adds a teaspoon of Crystal Light to mask the chemical taste.

LIGHT MY TIRE
Steven Dodds suggests storing a miner’s light in an obvious, easy-to-reach place in your car. Hands-free illumination is awfully helpful when you get a flat at night or need to pitch a tent in the dark.

BORN IDENTITY
Tina Barseghian recommends scanning your passport’s first page and emailing it to yourself. That way, if you lose your passport, you can print out your identifying documents from any computer in the world.

FIGHTS CAVITIES, TOO!
In a pinch, dental floss doubles as sewing thread, hair ties, extra drawstrings, or shoelaces.

POST-IT NOTE
If you don’t want to bring your PDA or bulky address book along on a trip, pre-print or hand-write a set of labels for those lucky enough to receive postcards.

AIR SUPPLY
When fixing bike flats, says contributor Scott Boyle, inflate the tube slightly before you put the tire back on your frame. This helps prevent the tube from twisting—and ultimately popping—when you pump it up.

SNACK ATTACK
Use the plastic lid of a coffee can or container of peanuts as an impromptu cutting board. The lip will catch any spills and guarantee a mess-free picnic.

PAPER TRAIL
Stranded with a busted bicycle tire and no patch kit? James Waigand suggests stuffing the offending tire with grass or newspaper for a bumpy ride home.

MAPPED OUT
If leaving your car in a hot parking lot, prevent the sun from baking your seats by propping up a fold-out map with your sun visors.