How long can you survive in the wilderness without water?

I'm an avid hiker and I want to know how long I might be able to survive without water. I tried twice to get along without water and the longest I lasted before giving in is 36 hours. If you were able to survive without water longer than than this, what do you do to keep your energy up?

 

I think it depends on the persons settings and what he or she is eating. If in dessert conditions the person might not last very long but if he is in a forest and has plenty of fruit from which he can replenish his water needs from and isn't directly exposed to the sun, he doesn't really need to drink that much water.

 

You have to consider you don't obtain hydration by only drinking liquid. Eating raw meat, fruit and vegetables can contribute to hydrate your body, not enough but it's certainly something.

 

You would be able survive for a few days without water, however, by the third day you should be really feeling the effects of the lack of this essential commodity. It will not be surprising that some persons would be able to survive without water for a longer period of time than many other persons would be able to.

 

3-4 days is what they usually say. However, your body will be showing signs and symptoms pretty damn fast, as soon as dehydration kicks in (which could be as soon as a couple of hours depending on the conditions) then you start getting weaker both mentally and physically. So while death might come at 3-4 days, your body will be more or less useless way before that.

I would advise against dehydrating yourself on purpose... all you are doing is damaging your body.

 

I fully concur that a human being can't last without water beyond 4 days though people are not similar physiologically. Some can go for a week or become vulnerable in less than 3 days especially those with medical conditions. Water is the medium for biochemical processes in the body as well as an essential component of blood. I once tried to go on an Esther fast but I gave up after 2 days due to the trauma of dehydration.

 

I agree with what was stated in a previous post, it depends on the surrounding conditions. But for the most part, no matter where you are, I would say 3 to 4 days. The water from food is not nearly enough to sustain you for a considerable amount of time.

 

A human without any supply of H2O in his body could last approximately 3 days depends on your body. It is a must in our body along with oxygen. If you don't have any supply of water, you will die.

 

Basic Survival can be estimated on the law of 3's
3 minutes without air
3 hours without shelter(extreme conditions)
3 days without water
3 weeks without food

 

if this scenario is during late spring to early fall in northern parts of the hemisphere (North America for example) there are ways of finding water - dig a hole, place a container in the middle and cover the hole with black plastic (a garbage bag), secure it in place with rocks and place a small rock in the center....the condensation that occurs during sundown and sunup will collect on the plastic and run down to the center before dripping off into your container.....collect rain in containers, there are plants that collect water in their root systems and core....in the winter all a person would have to do is melt snow for water. Never eat snow as it will increase your chances of developing hypothermia.

 

Lots of great posts here. We teach the Rule of 4, or the law of 3 as ShuswapViking mentioned: 4 minutes without air, 4 hours in extreme weather, 4 days without water, 4 weeks without food. Of course that depends on different factors, physical condition, exertion, will to live... the question is really, why would you want to go without water on a hiking trip? If you plan to go for a pleasant stroll in the back country, after a couple of days, it won't be so pleasant. If you had no access to water you want to exert as little energy as possible so you don't sweat and burn up precious calories until you can find some. Always carry a container. Preparation is key when hiking, try to learn as much about the area you are going to hike before going in.



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3, 4... just numbers really and mediocre in the big picture. Some will die within 2 minutes without air, some last longer than 5 weeks without food. Focusing on the number isn't the point, preparing for what you need to maintain your comfort zone is.

K.I.S - if you keep it simple, There is no stupid.

 

I am so glad I read the posts before responding as I share your opinion exactly. As LoneWolf said, you are simply prolonging the agony. Within 24 hours your brain is not functioning anywhere near normal and decision processes are flawed. In a shtf moment, I can't see how that could possibly end well. The human body is NOT able to condition itself to tolerate lower hydration levels, practicing this merely punishes the body and brain without any putpose. Other than air, water is the most basic of needs for survival. Optimizing methods to maintain your fluid levels is optomizing your ability to survive.
Prairie Dog

 

Well you know what they say when it comes to surviving... The specialists talk about the (Three Three's) Basically you can go 3 minutes without air (Which is not recommended to try in any circumstance if it can be avoided) In a snowy situation you can go 3 minutes without shelter and Finally you can go 3 days without water , but within those three days everything is going to be a lot more difficult to do and you're going to feel very weak and dehydrated, but it is doable.

 

I think it takes about one week until our body lose it's resistant and if you have plan to go in the wilderness make sure that you have enough water.
our body can resist without food for about one month but without water it won't last more than one week and in two weeks you may see the God lol...so make sure you have enough water in your hiking

 

Instead of wondering how long you can survive without water, figure out what ways you can get water when you don't have any. One way is if you're lucky enough or prepared and have a plastic bag or something similar handy. You can take leaves, still on the tree, that are facing the sun and wrap that plastic bag around them and the sun will evaporate the water in them, into the bag, and you'll have water, make a small hole and drink from.

 

I honestly think that yes, perhaps you can survive three to four days without water, but most humans will realistically not be able to tolerate that limit. If anyone lives in the Northern Hemisphere (above the equator), they are familiar with the summer weather that we often experience. On Sunday, I was sweating so much that I was this close to getting a heat stroke or passing out. Sitting in the heat and sweating for so long can only do so much. Even if you sit in the shade, if you're not drinking something, the wind might not be enough. I felt terrible at the end of the day. Maybe some humans would be able to get to the limit, but in a reasonable situation, unless you've somehow trained your body to survive on fewer resources, it won't happen for most because your body needs water for all its bodily processes.

 

I can survive without food and water for only 9 hours but I cannot survive in the wilderness without water. Our body consist of 60 percent water so we need to drink water to keep hydrated plus the fact that we sweat and urinate so we need water to replenish our body from the water we lost.

 

The context of the elements matters a lot here. If you're in a moderate humid climate you might be able to go 4-5 days if you really push it. Conversely, if you're in a desert or dry cold place you might not even make it a day.

Also consider the possibility of illness, specifically direah or dysentery. Stress itself can cause bowel issues leading to fluid loss. That will dehydrate you within a matter of HOURS.

 

There is this thing they call as the survival rule of three. It tells you how far you can survive without something.

Without air, you'll only survive for 3 minutes.

Without shelter, 3 hours.

Without water, 3 days. And,

Without food, 3 weeks.

Just a little something to have in case you are in a similar situation in the things above.

 

I agree that a human being can last 3 or 4 days without water I myself don't really like the taste of water and I drink it rarely and When I drink it I have to add some Orange juice or just anything like strowberries to add some smells, But can Someone really last three weeks without food??? This is because I never tried that And I don't think I can even last three days without eating something
But then I just remembered something there is Man from history " Mahatma Gandhi who spent 21 days without food I think this is really Amasing and I never thought someone can make it that far, May be I'll need to give it a try and see how longer I can go Without eating food.

 

Three weeks is a tough stretch unless you are totally sedentary. A week without food is no real problem for a healthy person. I've done it many times. A lot of it is mental. We are trained to think that we NEED to eat 3 times a day and so are unused to the feeling of an empty system. When they feel it they sort of panic. My poor old Mom was sure that by 12:15 she was going to faint if she didn't have lunch.

The fact is the human body is an amazing tool and massively adaptive. Your metabolism changes to match your intake to a large extent if you will let it. Most people have never actually felt true hunger. That comes when your body basically digesting itself to sustain the most important systems. It actually isn't all that bad.

If you are lost in the woods your best bet is "DON'T EAT ANYTHING!!!" People will find you after a few days and you will be fine missing a few meals. Find a bunch of berries and eat a bunch of them and they may turn you inside out. Diarrhea can kill you in a hurry if you don't have plenty of water. Eating anything that your system is unused to may upset your bowels.

If you are going to be lost for more than a day or two then you drink whatever you can find. There are ways to minimize the risk but getting a bug is less dangerous than the problems that come with dehydration. Even before it starts yo kill you it will dull your thinking and bad decisions can kill you quick in some situations.

The thing about the rule of three is that it is meant to help you prioritize and isn't a locked in stone set of rules. It is basically telling you how long it will take various things to kill you. Somewhere between the 3 minutes without air and the 3 days without water is the need for shelter. Depending on the temperature this can kill you a lot faster than dehydration.
The priorities are Air, shelter, water, food, security and company. they say that 3 months is about as long as the average human can stay totally sane if they are totally alone and isolated. If you aren't or at least feel safe you will break down. You must guard your mental state as thoroughly as you do your physical state or it will fail you and you will be just as dead as if you has smothered starved or died of thirst.

 

Back to the original question, 72 hours without water is an extreme. Beyond that you are risking kidney damage. By that time you will be weak, constipated, probably hallucinating and very far from being able to function rationally. If you've pushed yourself that far you will probably be in need of medical attention. Either warm (dry or humid, whatever) conditions or extreme cold will reduce the period that you can go without water.
Physical activity, eating anything, burning body fat to produce energy or illness will reduce the period still further.

 

Ah! That explains a great deal