Sleeping in Public Toilets? Crazy but Effective Survival Tips in The Long Dark

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Let’s be honest—if someone told you a great survival trick was to sleep inside a frozen public toilet, you’d probably laugh. But in The Long Dark, that weird piece of advice might save your life. This game doesn’t reward the prettiest strategy—it rewards the smartest, even when that means curling up in a barely-standing outhouse while a blizzard rages outside.

Welcome to survival, the weird edition.

When Survival Gets Weird… and Works

The Long Dark is unforgiving. There are no zombies, no AI companions—just you, nature, and the cold. It's quiet. It's deadly. And sometimes, it's downright strange. The longer you play, the more you realize that winning means being creative. That includes using places, items, and strategies that feel absurd but are surprisingly effective.

So let’s talk about those oddball tactics. Let’s talk about the wild, unexpected ways players stay alive—and why sometimes, that includes sleeping in a toilet.

Public Toilets: Nature’s Underrated Shelter

You might think public toilets in The Long Dark are just scenery. Think again. These little outhouses are low-key lifesavers. Here’s why:

1. Wind Blocker Supreme

Windchill kills in this game. Most outdoor shelters still let wind seep in—but not toilets. Outhouses block wind completely, which means your warmth doesn’t drain as quickly.

2. Classified as “Indoors”

Strangely, the game considers some outhouses as indoor locations. That means better temperature retention and less fatigue loss while resting.

3. Just Big Enough for a Bedroll

They’re cramped, sure. But if you position your bedroll right, you can sleep the whole night inside. Add a cup of herbal tea, and it’s practically luxury.

4. Close to Key Locations

Many of these toilets are found near cabins, fishing huts, or trailers. If those are already occupied by wildlife or ruined, the toilet becomes a safe fallback.

In short: yes, they smell (probably). But when your warmth bar is draining and night is falling, that outhouse starts to look like a 5-star resort.

Other “Crazy” Survival Tips That Actually Work

1. Hoarding Cattails Like Gold

Forget steak and soup. Cattails are the MVP. They’re light, never rot, and give 150 calories. You can survive on cattails alone if you collect enough. It’s not glamorous, but neither is starvation.

2. Sleeping in Cars—With Strategy

Cars are another unconventional shelter. Sure, they’re cold, but they block wind and let you rest safely. If you keep a spare bedroll and a hot drink, you can make it through the worst nights in the backseat of a frozen sedan.

3. Dragging Rotten Meat to Lure Wolves (or Distract Them)

Want to bait a wolf? Carry some old, smelly meat. Want to avoid one? Drop that same meat and let them get distracted while you sneak away. Gross? Yes. Genius? Also yes.

4. Using Corpses as Landmarks

This one’s morbid but real. When mapping by memory, players often use frozen corpses as trail markers. If you see “Bob” by the rock, you know you’re 10 minutes from Mystery Lake.

5. Wearing Ruined Clothing as Decoys

Even 0% condition clothes offer a tiny bit of protection. You can wear them until you find something better. Plus, wolves seem to go for what’s visible—so a flashy ruined coat might work like a scarecrow.

The Hot Drink Hustle

Hot drinks give you more than warmth. A cup of coffee gives energy. Herbal tea helps you sleep. Rosehip tea cures pain. Keeping a stash of boiled water and some herbs can mean the difference between life and death.

Always cook up extra when you make a fire. You never know when you’ll need it.

Risky Business: Indoor Fires

You can’t light a fire in every building—but in certain ruins or partially collapsed structures, you can. If it’s too cold to survive inside but there’s no stove, try lighting a fire barrel or even a campfire near the door (if the wind allows). One risky fire can heat an entire shelter.

Snow Shelters: Ugly, But Warm

Don’t underestimate the snow shelter. If you’re far from civilization, they let you:

Sleep anywhere
Combine with a campfire for added warmth
Avoid freezing to death during long hikes

Downsides? They require cloth and sticks, and they degrade. Still, a pre-built snow shelter can be a game-changer.

Food Tricks from the Desperate

Desperate times, desperate meals. In The Long Dark, these weird food strategies save lives:

Eat ruined dog food: It might hurt your condition, but it beats starving.
Micro-manage starvation: You can let your hunger bar hit 0 during sleep, then eat right before an activity.
Cook everything, even wolf meat: It’s risky, but with high cooking skill, you’ll be fine.

Survival isn’t always safe—it’s about choosing the least dangerous option.

Final Trick: Embrace the Disgusting

The best players of The Long Dark know this truth: you survive not by being heroic, but by being resourceful—and sometimes, that means being gross. You’ll:

Sleep in a toilet
Eat roadkill
Squeeze into wrecked cars
Drink tea made from bark
Make shelter in a snowbank using your bare hands

And all of it might save your life.

So… Would You Sleep in a Toilet to Survive?

Next time you're deep in a storm, your limbs are frozen, and you're out of options—remember that little wooden outhouse you passed earlier. It might be your last hope.

Laugh all you want now, but once you’ve survived a night thanks to toilet sleep, you’ll never see those grimy shacks the same way again.

Stay strange. Stay smart. Stay alive.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve done to survive in The Long Dark? Drop it in the comments—we’re all scavengers here.

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