Desert Survival

Desert survival depends on many things. You have to understand the environment and equip yourself with the tools you need to face the challenges the desert presents.

Your two greatest assets are:

There are many types of desert terrain including salt marshes, mountains, plateaus, sand dunes and broken terrain. Each terrain presents its own challenges. Mountains can spark flash floods and sometimes form lakes at the bottoms. These lakes usually have a high salt content. Plateaus are also dangerous because of flash floods and narrow passages that should be avoided. Sand dunes and flat deserts can have miles of sand with very little vegetation and very large dunes. These dunes can be hard to transverse depending on their size and direction of their slope.

Salt marshes form when large amounts of water have fallen and then evaporated leaving large deposits of alkali salt. The water is very salty and can form a crust of salt on the surface 2.5 to 3 centimeters thick. Not only is the water undrinkable, but these marshes are often home to insects that bite. Salt marshes should be avoided at all costs because they are highly corrosive to boots, skin and clothing.

In a desert situation you have two major things working against you:

Desert survival is compounded by the lack of rainfall making water difficult to find. The climate can range from intense heat during the day to very cold at night. Travel during the times of day where the sun is the least intense.

The intense heat makes extra water a necessity, but this is a problem because of the lack of water. If you know that you must cross a desert area, try to take enough water with you to make it all the way through. Each person will most likely need four to five gallons of water per day. You need water to sweat and when a person stops sweating heat stroke can quickly set in. Keep to the shade during the day and if you must go out keep your head and neck covered. If you do not have enough water, do not eat. Digestion requires water and eating can actually dehydrate you. Check out our page on survival water for more tips.

Almost equal to water in importance is salt. When you sweat you lose salt as well as water and it needs to be replenished. Adding a little salt to foods and snacking on light foods with some sodium content will help. Lack of salt can cause muscles to cramp and not function properly.

There are many dangers in desert survival beyond the heat and lack of water. Humans are made up of about 70% water and therefore attract insects and other animals in the desert. These insects can be a huge nuisance and carry diseases. All deserts are home to snakes. Snakes, scorpions and spiders all seek shelter in the same places humans do. You should never reach into or step into an area without checking it first and you should wear gloves whenever possible. Before you use a cave or rocky outcropping for shelter always search it for other wildlife. It is most imperative that you give any snakes a wide berth. Most snake bites occur from either stepping on a snake or handling it. You should avoid both.

Hopefully you will never find yourself in a survival situation in a desert, but if you do these tips will give you a fighting chance.

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