Surviving the desert can be extremely tasking, for it is, after all, one of the most treacherous plains to be stranded in. To conquer the arid, unforgiving lands, you must be thorough as ever. I doubt that anyone would willingly go for camping, hunting, or hiking trip to the desert, for there’s hardly very little to appreciate in the barren, sandy landscape.
5 Tips For Surviving The Desert
My best guess for you ever being in the desert, therefore, is that you find yourself lost in the desert due to one or two uncontrollable circumstances or that you have to travel across the desert to get somewhere. Whichever it is, be rest assured that you can survive these ‘cursed’ lands.
However, while your commitment and thoroughness to every step geared towards survival must be unnegotiable, you should know that you can survive even as an amateur prepper. You don’t necessarily need to have spent years and years bugging out to journey the desert successfully.
Below, we’ll look at just five trusted hacks to help you survive the desert like a pro. Stick strictly to these five simple tips, and you can finally get to tick “conquering the Sahara” off your checklist.
Keep A Wrap On It
A huge challenge to desert survival is the direct vulnerability to the immense heat of the sun during the day & the murderous nature of the cold at night. Both have always been the foremost cause of death in the desert, so they are indeed not to be treated lightly. The solution is obviously to keep a wrap over things. That means keep your head covered 24/7 and beseech every shelter that you come across. Canvassing the desert without a wrap on your head is a fireproof way to lose every drop of bodily fluids — the same as refusing to rest when you come across shadows. Remember, we are talking of the desert: the smell of water may be the most precious thing to you when things get tough. You must do well to conserve the use of water.
Cope With Thirst
The depth and severity of thirst that one feels in the desert are undeniably extreme; yet one must learn to cope with this searing, burning pain from the bottom of hell. You must master thirst for you to survive the desert. Conserve water as best as you can, starting with this decree: avoid drinking water the moment you start feeling thirsty.
This can be very difficult to do, but water conservation has never been more important than it is in the desert. The best strategy to achieve this is by rationing your water consumption, restricting your throat to the soothing feel of water to short, small portions throughout the day. To help keep things in check, the urine color test is a good call. If your urine looks dark, you may have to take a little extra sip because it shows dehydration, but if otherwise, you’re good to go.
By the way, avoid rushing to drink uncontrollably should you come across an oasis. There are high chances of some water sources in the desert being contaminated. Should you take such water, you’ll lose bodily fluids through continuous retching and diarrhea.
Limit Your Eating (If You Have Foods)
According to various scientific evidence, thirst grows according to your food intake. This means that the more you eat, the thirstier you’re likely to become. This isn’t speculation.
As a result of this, your best shot is to eat solely to quench hunger pangs and have sufficient energy to carry on, but nothing more. Regardless of the food stock that you have, you should never overeat in the desert. Keep in mind that you can go for many more days without eating than not drinking water. Without a doubt, therefore, your chief focus must be avoiding the aggravation of your thirst.
And lest you’ve forgotten, you can still be alive after two weeks of not eating but living without water will take you just three days.
Keep Your Mouth Shut
It may be hard to believe, but some people are chatterboxes who’ll never stop talking even with a loaded gun pointed to their foreheads. Such people will continue talking in the desert, thus depriving him or herself of the greatest body weapon in the desert: water retention.
Yes, by talking without ceasing, you’re shedding every drop of water that your body has managed to retain out of the little you’ve fed it. Thus, you’ll have no choice but to drink more water. But what if there is no more water, and even if there is, do you have to drink unnecessarily?
You must keep your mouth zipped when in the desert, no mincing words, else you’ll be talking your way to death. Also, walk slowly to slow down the rate of dehydration caused by your breathing pattern, plus there’s also a reduction in how you sweat.
Keep Your Calm
Arguably, panic remains the most dangerous hindrance to survival in every survival situation. In countless cases, it’s proven that losing your cool results in losing your sense of survival. If you’re unable to keep calm, you’ll lose sight of all things necessary for survival. You’ll not only be unable to identify and plan routes to escape, but you’ll also discard the rules you’ve learned about survival. In the desert, panic may cause you to start running about or screaming out for help. I don’t have to mention the consequences, do I?
Takeaways From Surviving The Desert
Surviving the desert demands that you find a way to remain cool during the extreme hotness of the sun during the day, a method to keep warm during the unbelievably cold nights, a strategy to conserve water optimally yet ensuring that you drink just enough to stay alive. Obviously, desert survival isn’t a piece of cake, but you can do well above average. All I ask is that you keep to the simple tricks highlighted above.