What if one of the smallest pieces of gear in your range bag could have a much bigger purpose?
The Tactical Belle Survival Hacks Challenge with TargetTack® is putting that question to the test. Since launching on September 11, the challenge has generated a strong response on social media and is giving survivalists, outdoorsmen and gear enthusiasts an opportunity to share creative ways to put TargetTacks to work.
The challenge is open through October 1, 2026. Participants can comment with their best survival trick idea on Tactical Belle’s Instagram post and help build a Top 10 Survival Hacks List featuring TargetTacks.
Enter the Tactical Belle Survival Hacks Challenge on Instagram
There is more than bragging rights involved. Participants have an opportunity to win bushcraft and TargetTack gear, and selected ideas could earn a spot on the final Top 10 list, which will be made publicly available after Tactical Belle’s fellow survivalists vote on the finalists.
Small Gear, Big Potential
Survival gear has changed considerably. Today, a range bag can easily become a go bag. A hunting pack might double as an emergency kit. A vehicle bag can serve as a range bag one weekend and a preparedness pack the next.
That means every item has to earn its place.
Lightweight gear that serves multiple purposes can be especially valuable when space is limited. Instead of carrying a separate tool for every possible situation, many outdoorsmen are looking for simple pieces of equipment that can be used creatively when needed.
That is where something as simple as a target fastener becomes interesting.
TargetTacks are designed for securing targets, but the Tactical Belle challenge encourages people to think beyond their traditional application and consider how they might fit into a broader survival or bushcraft setup.
Thinking Beyond the Range
One of the most interesting aspects of multi-purpose gear is that its usefulness isn’t always obvious at first.
A piece of equipment designed for one job may have a completely different application when you’re away from the range. For someone building a survival or emergency bag, that kind of versatility can be valuable.
Tactical Belle has already demonstrated this concept with one of her own survival hacks, using TargetTacks as part of a method for determining a rough north-south and east-west bearing.
See Tactical Belle’s TargetTack navigation survival hack
It is a good example of the mindset behind the challenge: don’t necessarily look at a piece of gear for what it was originally designed to do. Look at what else it might be capable of doing.
The Evolution of the Range Bag
For many firearms enthusiasts, the range bag has become much more than a way to carry firearms and ammunition.
Today’s bags can contain everything from first-aid supplies and flashlights to tools, food, water, communication equipment and emergency supplies. Some are intentionally packed so they can transition from the range to a vehicle emergency kit or a weekend outdoors.
The same idea applies to survival packs.
When every ounce and every cubic inch matters, multi-purpose equipment becomes increasingly attractive. Gear that can perform more than one function can potentially reduce the number of individual items that need to be carried.
That doesn’t mean every piece of gear needs to have a dozen uses. Sometimes a small, simple item becomes valuable precisely because it can solve an unexpected problem when you need it.
What’s Your Survival Hack?
That’s ultimately what the TargetTack challenge is asking.
How would you use a target fastener in a survival, bushcraft or emergency situation?
The best ideas may come from people who spend time outdoors, work with their hands, practice bushcraft, spend weekends at the range or simply look at everyday equipment differently.
If you’ve got a creative idea, there’s still time to enter. Comment with your survival hack on Tactical Belle’s Instagram challenge post before October 1, 2026.
Your idea could help another survivalist discover a new use for a simple piece of gear. And it could even become one of the Top 10 Survival Hacks for TargetTacks.
Sometimes the most useful piece of gear in your pack isn’t the biggest or most expensive item. It might be the small, overlooked piece that turns out to have a purpose you never expected.
Maybe a target fastener really can be an unsung hero of survival gear.