Troop 116

Wilderness Survival Priority 6: Drink water

Having safe drinking water is the sixth priority in any wilderness survival situation

Drink water. Lots of water. You can go days—even weeks—without food, but you will die within days without water.

Dehydration will also hasten many illnesses, and make it harder to function—and therefore to do what it takes to survive.

When doing strenuous activity, try to drink 6–8 liters (or quarts) of water per day, and a bare minimum of 4 liters (4 quarts) of water per day—much more if water supplies are plentiful.

If you are mostly sitting around, waiting to be rescued, 1–2 liters per day is sufficient—though more is always better.

 

How to drink water (seriously)

Ideally, don't wwait long stretches then guzzle and gulp; the water will just go right through you and you'll waste most of it by peeing.

Sip water continuously throughout the day so that you body has a chance to absorb it all.

If your urine is pale yellow, you're drinking enough. If it is dark yellow or gold and rather smelly, you are dehydrated.

Why do we treat water?

Untreated water can make you sick (think: explosive diarrhea). This is not a huge issue in the U.S. and Canada, but it can happen.

Here are the two water-borne illnesses you are most likely to catch (and before you think we are just being overly cautious, Reid has suffered both of them—admittedly the Crypto was from drinking untreated water in a small native village in Mexico, but there were extenuating circumstances that time):

There are three kinds of beasties that can make you sick: protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. You are most at risk from the protozoa (especially giardia), but luckily those are the largest and easiest to kill.

It is exceedingly rare to find viruses in U.S. water.

How to find water

Rule #1: Conserve sweat, not water. If you sweat 1/2-gallon obtaining 1 cup, you're worse off.

When looking for a good source of water in the wild:

Finding visible water:

Working for your water

How to treat water

Treat all water that doesn't come from a tap by filtering it (which takes care of larger beasties, like protozoa and bacteria) or by purifying it by using a sterlizier bottle, iodine or cholrine tablets, or a UV sterilizer like a SteriPen (all of which are chemical processes that also get tiny viruses).

There are actually four main methods of removing harmful microorganisms from water:

For backpacking in the U.S. with a group, the easiest method is to just use a filter. You don't need the extra protection of sterilization. (Old school tablets—iodine or cholrine—work great, but with the big drawback that you have to wait at least 30 minutes—and preferably 4 hours—before drinking.)

For solo travel and international travel, a sterlizier bottle or UV pen is easiest and best.

Here are the pros, cons, and details on each method of water treatment and what they kill.

  Protozoa
(1-300 microns) (cryptosporidia, giardia)
Bacteria (0.1–10 microns)
(e. coli, salmonella, cholera)
Viruses (0.05–0.1 microns)
(Hep A, Hep B, rotavirus, Norwalk, polio, HIV, Anthrax)
Pros Cons Cost (from REI)
Boiling YES YES YES
  • Cheap
  • No special equipment
  • Only takes 10 min. (once it is boiling)
  • Works on murky water
  • Time
  • Fuel
  • Wait 20–30 min. total (10–20 for it to boil, then 10 while boiling)
Free (well, fuel)
UV light (SteriPEN) YES YES YES
  • Works instantly
  • Gets everything
  • Looks cool
  • Pricey
  • Need batteries (solar avail. for $140)
  • Breakable
  • Need clear water
$90
Oxidant purifiers (MSR MIOYES salt tablets) YES (giardia in 30 min.; crypto in 4 hr) YES (15 min.) YES (15 min.)
  • Handy
  • Can replenish w/ rock salt
  • Wait min. 30 min. (4 hr pref.)
  • Need batteries
  • Not good w/cold water
  • Fussy like a science experiment
$140
Chlorine-dioxide tablets/drops YES (giardia in 30 min.; crypto in 4 hr) YES (15 min.) YES (15 min.)
  • Cheap
  • Simple to use
  • Gets everything
  • Wait min. 30 min. (4 hr. pref.)
  • Runs out (need 1 tab per bottle)
  • Water tastes faintly like a swimming pool
  • Expires
$10
Iodine tablets YES (no Crypto) YES YES
  • Cheap
  • Simple to use
  • Doesn’t do Crypto
  • Tastes awful (but can get neutralizing tabs)
  • Runs out (need 2 tabs per bottle)
$6.50 ($8.50 w/neutr. tabs)
Sterilizer bottle YES YES YES
  • Works instantly
  • Insanely simple
  • Triple filtration means it gets Crypto
  • Low yield
  • Slow flow
  • Slight iodine taste
  • More for personal drinking than obtaining cooking water
$50
Filter YES YES NO
  • Requires no tablets or supplies (just the filter itself)
  • Good for large quantities
  • Doesn't do viruses (not a concern in North America, but a problem elsewhere)
$50–$80

 

« Survival Step 5: Help

Survival Step 7: Food »

 

Related pages

 

Note: The first aid and survival tips provided on this site are informational only. Please seek advice from a medical professional or trained wilderness first aid expert for current best practices and techniques.