Deserts, the other side of survival.

Discussion in 'Desert Survival' started by Charles R. Stevens, Feb 6, 2016.

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  1. Charles R. Stevens

    Charles R. Stevens Active Member
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    Growing up in the foothills north of Phoenix AZ, I have a different perspective on survival in the open. We see the "survival" shows, read the bush craft books and so on. Most of this is going on in temperate and aborial forests. Water is plentiful, fuel and building materials for shelters as well. Not saying one doesn't need to learn where to look and how to use these resorces but they are there in abundance. Where their is water their is also food, be it plants or animals (I will shy away from fungi).
    The deserts of the world are a very different place, water is rare and often hard to access. Often it is alkaline and their fire unfit to drink, fuel and building materials may or may it be at hand and where their is no water food is hard to come by.
    The first thing to remember is water is king. Often as not desert societies considerd it a capital offense to steal or cantaminate water supplies. We must carry, conserve and find water as first priorities.
    Finding or building shade and wheating long pants, sleeves and a hat are priorities of shelter.
    Sade seams obvious but be aware that a single fly is going to collect the energy from the sun and radiate it down on you, making you hotter, so your shade must be more substantial. A bush, a rock, a bank, or something contrived. Two or more layed with an air gap is a start. A poncho, with an inch or two of gap over a poncho liner works ok, adding a quality space blanket works wonders. Digging a trench covering it with your tarp and a blanket, or limbs, brush and dirt, even better.
    Be aware that 120f daylight temps and temps pushing 100f at night are not uncommon in the summer wile 80f days and 30f nights in winter can lead to poor choices in clothing.
    Further on conserving water, do not exert your self during the heat for the day, save heavy work for dawn and the first hour of sunrise, and for the last hour of sun up and last light. Morning sun coming in against the side of your body will beat you up quickly as more of you is exposed, as aposed to just your head and shoulders at noon (this is where your broad brimmed hat comes in to play) so don't push it.
    Water can be found, but you have to know where to look. Stream beds often hide water against the bank on an inside curve, tho you may have to dig for it, rocks often have hiden pockets as well as serface water (streams) and rare springs.
    Many mammals, insects and replies have evolved to exist on the moisture they consume with their food and rarely if ever drink, birds on the other hand, not so much. Birds tend to fly to water in the evening and away from it in the morning.
    Forget eating cacti for water, instead use them to dope a solar still, the same goes for urin (despite what you have heard, drinking your "first" urin is not a good idea. You may not be harmed but you will not be helped, use it to dope a solar still or to irrigate wounds (as fresh it is nearly sterile).
    Some deserts (near coasts) see little rain but substantial dew, that can be used to souplike the your water needs.
    As to alkily water (mineral laden water that has evaporated over time to consintrate the salts) some folks advocate adding acid to nutrilize it. Never tried it myself, and have my reservations as to safty. You certainly may ballance the PH, but what other minerals may be present? Don't think I what to drink a saturated solution of borax. Again use it to dope a solar still.
    A large solar still (1m/y can produce cup/250ml of water per day doped with plants, and up to a pint doped with alkili water/urin)
    Food sources range from scarce to plentiful, if one finds water your golden, otherwise your screwed anyway. In your search for water go down hill.
    Many deserts sport hairs, rodents, birds, reptiles, insects (and those that pray on them) and edible plants. My home range provided cottontail, jackrabbit, mice, rats, coyote, snakes, lizards, tortus, quail, doves, roadrunners, humming birds, Hawks, owls, scorpions, grasshoppers, cactus fruit (and immature parts) and seed pods. Then of corse everything that you found in and around water.
     
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  2. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    never seen a desert , we don't have them in the UK.
     
  3. Charles R. Stevens

    Charles R. Stevens Active Member
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    I imagine not, lol. Especially from the man who couldn't fathom drinking 6 litters of water or more a day. Lol.
    Image my shock, West Germany the winter of 85 (that's the year Big Ben froze up). Got a crash corse in cold.
     
  4. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    the worst kind of location in my area for most would be a treeless boggy moorland, we have two in my area, one is called Dartmoor and the other to the north is called Exmoor.
     
  5. Charles R. Stevens

    Charles R. Stevens Active Member
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    Boggs? Fun. Is the water tannin rich?
     
  6. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    very dangerous and very deep, have been known to swallow a Dartmoor pony, I got stuck in one many many years ago and I wouldn't care to repeat it, similar effect to quicksand only this one is peat not sand.
     
  7. Charles R. Stevens

    Charles R. Stevens Active Member
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    Well, finding oneself tanned and in a museum a thousand years from now could suck!
     
  8. lonewolf

    lonewolf Societal Collapse Survivalist. Staff Member
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    I don't know about tanned, ancient people have been found in British peat bogs, and their condition looks more like mummification.
     
  9. Charles R. Stevens

    Charles R. Stevens Active Member
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    Pickled in a tannic acid rich solution? Tanned, lol.
     
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