Survival, Water

My first pillar of survival that I cover is water. Without it, we will die, and quickly!

I suggest starting any venture into the wilderness with some water, at least one day’s worth. If you are on a planned trip, make sure to have a water source nearby at all times. If you are in a survival scenario, water should be the absolute first thing to source.

Now, just because the water appears clean, does not mean it isn’t contaminated. Animals poop in water sources which can contaminate the water with bacteria, cysts, protozoa, fungus, and viruses.

The primary microbes of concern are:

E. Coli (coliform) – nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, bloody diarrhea, fever, dehydration.

Giardia (protazoan) – intestinal symptoms include diarrhea, gas, nausea, cramps, dehydration.

Salmonella (bacteria) – cramps, bloody stools, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain.

Candida (fungus) – oral thrush, persistent UTIs, fatigue, skin and nail fungal infection, joint pain.

Norovirus (virus) – fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle aches, and pains.

My case in point – do NOT drink untreated wild water, no matter how clear it appears! Tips for collecting water in the wilderness

Not all wild water is created equally! The less movement the water has, the more careful your collection needs to be. Moving water

Always try to collect water that is moving. Moving water is less likely to carry sediments, debris, and less likely to harbor bacteria and protozoa.

Spring water

It is improbable that bacteria and viruses are in spring water – but NOT impossible. I have drank from several mountain springs and have never had an issue. In fact, the water is so delicious and invigorating! But, it was uneducated risks that I took that I will never take again.

If you find a natural spring gushing cool water from the earth, think about the journey that water has taken. Snowmelt fed springs are due to snow seeping through the ground, running downhill, and then emerging as a spring. That snow could have easily been contaminated.

Animal fecal matter has seeped into the soils are everywhere. Even if your water comes from an underground aquaphor, the journey to the top of the soil could have contaminated the water.

It takes very few microbes to contaminate water and make you sick, it’s just not worth the risk, especially when there are very easy ways to purify water in the wild. Stagnant water

Be especially careful if you must source water that is not moving. Bacteria and viruses can proliferate in stagnant water, let alone all the algae and fungi that can grow.

Try to collect the water from the middle of the pool instead of the edges and avoid scooping any microbial mats and film that forms on the top. Primitive survival water filtration and purification methods

Please note that filtration and purification are two different methods. Filtration removes sediments and debris but does NOT kill bacteria, viruses, and other microbes. If your water is clear, you can just purify it. If it’s murky and debris filled, you need to filter and purify it. 1. Use the sun to purify water

Yes, sunlight actually kills ALL microbes in water, including bacteria, cysts, fungus, protozoa, and viruses!

Place water in a clear container (preferably glass) and let sit in full sunlight for five hours.

The downside to this method is if you do not have enough sun for the purification to be complete, so have a backup method handy. 2. Boil water for a complete purification method

Boiling water for 2 minutes will undoubtedly destroy all water pathogens including viruses. This is the most thorough, surefire way to know that your water is purified. 3. Run water through activated carbon for filtration

You can make your own activated carbon! Place wood chunks into an airtight container, such as a tin coffee can (with a metal lid, not plastic). Place onto a slow burning fire.

The wood chunks turn into coal but are oxygen starved, which makes activated carbon.

Note that activated carbon does not remove bacteria and viruses. 4. Dig a hole a few feet from the water source for filtration

If your water source is murky, you can get filtered water by digging a hole a few feet away from the water source. It will still be murky, but should be an improvement. 5. Build a survival solar still for pure water

If you have a tarp, you can use it to make a solar still.

Dig a hole in the ground, place some moist vegetation in the hole, place a water catching container in the middle of the hole, cover the hole with a tarp, and let it sit for 24-48 hours. The evaporated water caught in the container will be pure to drink. 6. Filter water through a ceramic container

There probably won’t be any ceramic pots laying around in the wild, but running water through ceramic containers for water filtration has been a method utilized by man for thousands of years and it is extremely effective for providing very clean water. It’s worth a good mention.

The pores of the ceramic take out tons of contaminants, but typical ceramic pores are too large to catch many bacteria and viruses. Modern survival water filtration and purification methods

There are many modern water filtration systems that are portable and require no power or plumbing.

The primary concern when using a portable water filter is its capability to purify both bacteria and viruses. Although viruses are not as much of a concern in first world countries, if you are traveling abroad or want to be extra thorough, you will need a water filter that removes both kinds of microbes.

Purification Tablets – these tablets will purify your water of both bacteria and viruses. These should be carried at all times for an emergency backup method for water purification. Potable Aqua water purification tablets

Special note about eating snow for survival hydration If you are in a winter wilderness survival situation, do not eat snow for hydration.

First off, the snow can be contaminated, just like water.

Secondly, the amount of energy the body spends to melt the snow in the stomach will actually make you more dehydrated as the moisture the snow provides is not enough to cover the digestive cost.

Third, snow doesn’t actually contain that much moisture, especially in colder temps. The amount of snow you would have to eat is not a 1:1 ratio to water.

Fourth, the cold snow can lower your body temp putting you at risk for hypothermia.

Melt your snow first, and bring it to a boil to kill microbes. Drinking hot water will help prevent hypothermia as well.

https://maximumoffgrid.com/survival-skills/wilderness-survival-basics/-source