Finding Water In The Wild
A few ways of finding water in the wild are:
Remember, water always flows downhill so look in rock crevices and other natural declivities where it may pool. Moving water can be heard from great distances, so listen.
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- Observe the flight path of birds at dawn and dusk. They will usually point you to water.
- Swarming insects indicate a nearby water source.
- Animals are adept at finding water in the wild. Pay close attention to the local wildlife. Converging wildlife trails will likely lead to water.
- Lush green vegetation is a sign that water is near.
- Crushing plant roots may provide water. Cut them into small pieces before crushing. (Stick with plants you know. Any part of an unfamiliar plant, from the flower to the root, may be poisonous.)
- If you have a space blanket, you could spread the blanket out in a depression to collect rainwater. (We offer the four-pack because of its versatility: i.e. shelter, ground cloth, blanket, water collector or signaling aid.)
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Water-born illness caused by toxins, poisons, or parasites in the water can range from mild aggravation to downright ugly and uncomfortable to say the least. Water purification should be performed on all water collected in the wild even if it is from a familar stream. (A rotting carcass might be upriver, just around the bend.) Boiling water for 15 minutes will render it potable. To get rid of the flat taste, put a few bits of charcoal from your fire into the water as it is boiling. After purifying, aerate by pouring the water back and forth between two containers. During the aeration process filter the water through a clean cloth to get rid of the floaties. |
Collection methods:
- Dip it from the obvious sources such as lakes, rivers, streams, natural springs, or even a puddle
- Build an aboveground water still using live foliage
- Build an underground water still to actually draw moisture from the earth
- Tie a cotton rag or piece of clothing around your ankle or leg and walk through the foliage in the early morning. The fabric will soak up the dew that has formed during the night. You can then wring it out into a container to be purified and repeat the process until you have enough water or the dew has gone for the day. (When assembling your survival kits, keep in mind that some of the modern fabrics do not absorb moisture.)
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- Compact size, fits into a shirt pocket
- Removes 99.9% of Cryptosporidium and Giardia
- Disposable single unit filters up to 20 gallons of water
- Carbon based filter
It is suggested that you draw a few cups of water to remove the carbon dust from the filter before you store it in your emergency kit.
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To stay healthy and hydrated, an adult needs three quarts of water per day. You can survive for quite a while on one quart a day but your strength and energy levels will radically drop along with your cognitive abilities.
As soon as you realize you are going to be away from civilization for awhile, you need to implement several ways of finding, collecting, and purifying water in the wild. Start this before your current supply runs out.
