There are lots of website on the internet that teach you what to do should you fall out of a boat, crash through thin ice and get sucked under and out into some deep water while trying to cross a creek or river. And yea, it may not have looked very deep, but then all of a sudden. HEEEEEEELP! Well I'm not gonna cover or repeat what these other sites teach you. I'm just gonna show you what you can pack and carry in your pocket or survival kit that you can use as an emergency life preserver should you ever need one.

All you need is a plastic grocery bag, the type with the handles, and one of those kiddie blow-up punching balloons that you can find in almost any toy store. Then all you gotta do is place the punching balloon inside the plastic grocery bag, blow it up to about the same size as the bag, grab the handles of the bag and hit the water with it. Trust me, it works great and will keep you afloat longer than what you'll need it for. Try it.

WARNING: This flotation device should only be used by those who know how to swim and need to cross a short, narrow body of water when there's no other way to get around or across it. And when you use it in the water always keep a sharp eye out for any floating debri for obvious reasons.

OTHER IMPROVISED FLOTATION DEVICES - There are several military & commercial folding water containers that can also be used as improvised water flotation devices. Though the military has two different sizes, unless you tie several of them together they will not keep you afloat very well. And so the best type to buy are those commercial 8 liter/2 gal folding water containers that come with a carrying handle that will provide you plenty of flotation in helping you to keep your head well out of and above the water.

Check out some of these improvised boats!

Believe it or not, this boat (above) is made out of a military truck tarp, some tree branches and paracord.

And this kayak is made out of a plastic tarp, some tree branches and paracord. To learn how to make it log onto: www.instructables.com/id/Four-Hour-Kayak!/.