# running out of water in the middle of no where, what would you do?



## searchthisworld (Dec 2, 2013)

Hi guys not sure if this is in the right section of the forum so forgive me if its not and forgive me if its a stupid question. I have a scenario for you, you are walking along a long stretch of road miles and miles from any towns or truck stops its a warm day so you have been drinking plenty of water, you go to take another sip out of your water bottle and realize its only got a few more decent sips left in it, that's all the water you have on you. What are you going to do????

I am new to the whole hitchhiking scene and this is one thing that worries me, don't get me wrong I will fill up my water bottles and try and carry as much water as I can but if for some reason I did run short while i'm out on the road far away from towns, shops and truck stops what should I do, what would you do.

In away I guess i'm asking how 2 find water when in a situation like this?

Cheers Tom.


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## DoctorApocalypse (Dec 2, 2013)

So I'm going to infer you're talking about a scenario where you're hitching and get stranded in the middle of the desert on a hot summer day. This segways into the broader topic of desert survival which includes things like building solar stills, finding cacti that aren't toxic to humans to consume water from, drinking your own piss, finding underground water, finding/building shade, limiting your movements during the daytime, etc... but the likelihood of having to go into all out desert survival mode while hitching if you get stranded in the middle of the desert is extremely low. 

If you're hitching on any traveled road and get stranded, you will get picked up before you have to go into survival mode. And just be smart about shit, like carry extra water especially if you know you're going to be heading thru desert climates, ration your water, and overall plan for/expect the worse with the reality being it will most likely never come to that.


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## wizehop (Dec 2, 2013)

Ya man I wouldn't worry about hitching and not finding water. Dying of dehydration while hitching is pretty much a non issue. Fuck it may even be a good idea to make a "I have no water" sign, may actually get you more rides  You will definitely have days where you want to die, but that's actually the best part of it all. Any worries you have about hitching can be sorted by having a decent head on your shoulder, so try not to worry to much. Going out on your own is all about coming up against the odds. Trains on the other hand you need to watch.
Last summer I was with a few buddies drinking trackside waiting on a train. We ended up getting trashed by the time our train rolled in. Seeing a DPU pull up I used the last bit of our water to put out the fire, assuming that there was a fridge full of cold water for us on the unit, WRONG!
36 hour ride ahead of us and we wake up hung over, and thirsty as fuck, it was really shity. Any time we stopped there was no stream or anything close by, long story short we eventually had to get of the train and get our shit sorted.


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## searchthisworld (Dec 2, 2013)

cheers guys for the replies, I guess i'm a bit of a stress head when it comes to things like this, I tend to over think things to much.


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## benjysirois (Dec 2, 2013)

I ran into this issue often going through north Ontario. But yeah, if you're stuck in the middle of nowhere and haven't gotten a ride by nightfall you're gonna be campin' so you'll be able to search for a nearby stream or pond. Having some aqua-tabs are a great idea, especially if the water is stagnant...you don't want your existing predicament turning into a health hazard. You can also boil it too if you've got the time.

Chia seeds can really stretch out your water supply. It makes your water a bit goopy but the fibre helps your body take the water in efficiently and over a longer period of time helping you stay hydrated and waste less water. Though not as effective as chia seeds, Apples have the same effect and hold up to travel nicely. They're also relatively easy to find and widespread. Not to mention, who doesn't love crunching into a good fresh apple during or after a hot day. 

If you're stuck in the desert, yeah...as @boyofmetal said. You're gonna need to rely on more tactical survival methods. But you'll get picked up  always seems to happen right when you can't take it anymore.


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## Nanaki (Dec 2, 2013)

Something like this happened to me in Kansas. Long stretch of highway, nearest town being 20 miles away, barely any cars and all I had was a steel nalgene bottle to split between my friend and I. The lady back where we started at the one gas station from there to Nebraska said the nearest town was only 5 miles away.. well, 15 miles later and barely a sip left and maybe a handful of cars since passed us by, after we drank the last hot sip of water, we thought we were screwed. Finally, we see this car coming down the road and we just fell over, showing our bottle was empty and making hand gestures that we were thirsty and getting dehydrated they actually stopped. Gave us water, and dropped us off at a hardware store in the middle of fucking nowhere. In the hitchhiking scenerio, as long as you stick to the roads somebody will come along. You're not going to die. Only if you're out in the wilderness I think you might have to get into survival mode. 
Or, like Wizehop had mentioned, riding trains. We had got ran out of Nampa, ID pretty fast by the cops, so we ended up not having any time getting supplies together. Only to end up in Herminston, OR. No water. High desert. No sign of life other than the fat motherfucker bull and his shot gun. The only place with good cover is all the way down by this gnarly ass river behind some thin trees. We hadn't had the chance to fill up our water jug, hadn't drank any water in God knows how long, and its getting hot and we're out there forever waiting for the next train to Portland. So, we did what had to, luckily there was a water source, being gnarly as it was (neon fucking green. Just looked like toxic waste, and honestly, wouldn't be surprise if it had a little.) Filled up where there is a little waterfall and luckily had those water tablets and took our chances. In the end it worked out fine. None of us got sick. We made it out and didn't die from deyhration or shot or anything like that.  In that scenerio, I think its always very important to fill up on water before you try catching a train. It doesn't matter if you end up stuck in a place longer or whatever. Trains are dangerous enough as it is, to end up stuck on one for hours or worse, in the middle of fucking nowhere with no water or food makes the whole equation a hundred times more dangerous than it needs to be. Its really easy to avoid situations like that if you take the time to be smart about it.


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## ByronMc (Dec 2, 2013)

if you're stuck,and need help,stand in the middle of the road,someone will stop,or................


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## Joni (Dec 2, 2013)

searchthisworld said:


> Hi guys not sure if this is in the right section of the forum so forgive me if its not and forgive me if its a stupid question. I have a scenario for you, you are walking along a long stretch of road miles and miles from any towns or truck stops its a warm day so you have been drinking plenty of water, you go to take another sip out of your water bottle and realize its only got a few more decent sips left in it, that's all the water you have on you. What are you going to do????
> 
> I am new to the whole hitchhiking scene and this is one thing that worries me, don't get me wrong I will fill up my water bottles and try and carry as much water as I can but if for some reason I did run short while i'm out on the road far away from towns, shops and truck stops what should I do, what would you do.
> 
> ...




I carry a water filter like a lifestraw or better. Any puddle or water becomes drinkable at that point carries a water filter like a lifestraw or better. Any puddle or water becomes drinkable at that point. There is one exception though, chemicals, many filters don't get rid of them. Like oils and gasoline run off in a ditch yonder... you could prefilter through activated carbon that helps a lot especially with the taste and filter life.
I have heard people using filters in the desert but there are some tricks to it that i do not know. Maybe finding puddles in a rocky outcrop?? Cactus is handy for water????

Having a filter is dang handy for filtering decent water but looks kind of sketchy. Like rural areas where there is a high sulfur, chlorine, or iron content. Defiantly filter the high iron content or you'll be sick for days with flu like symptoms. Comes out of the faucet brown in color and has floaters usually.


Hope this helps....
-Joni


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## searchthisworld (Dec 3, 2013)

Thank you very much for all the helpful hints and tips guys, a water purifier is at the top of my list of things to get before I leave, can you guys suggest some good brands that are compact and that will last a long time?

what do you think about these guys, here is a link they are called life straw.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006QF3TW4/


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## Desert (Dec 3, 2013)

Also, just some food for thought:

When most people are found dead from dehydration in the middle of the desert or other hot dry places, they are usually found with water still in their bottles; people tend to try and save their water for as long as they can in those situations, but it's better to store water in your belly than in your bottle


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## Joni (Dec 3, 2013)

the only other that i have tried that last are the brand katadyn and msr. it really comes down to how much you plan on using your filter vs weight and cost. microfilters have a tendency to be field serviceable which is really handy if you run into some nasty water and have to scrub the filter clean. i have the msr miniworks. i have yet to test it out :/ the reviews on it are five stars everywhere and seems to be the best value for your money. i have owned the katadyn hiker pro microfilter but the handle has a tendency to break and it filters slow but worth the $60. it saved my butt in the woods many times and you'll be there a little while in order to get a 2L bottle of water. the hiker filters about 1100 liters before replacement filter is needed.

something is better than nothing, get what you can afford and upgrade as needed. a life straw is a good entry level water filter for 1000liters of water. many of the Ultralight backpackers use it because of weight/size but it is a throwaway filter. my filter is kinda heavy coming in at around a pound but it filters fast, goes on a nalgene/wide mouth bottle which makes for a great bed warmer.  although replacement msr filters are $40 after about 2000 liters of water. the msr is good for about 10 years of abuse with regular filter replacement/use according to the manual.

if worse comes to worse carry some coffee filters, bandanna, food service temp gauge and boil the crap out of your water. it prolly be nasty tasting and who knows what is in it but hey its water. that is my plan B for water in case my filter fails. also works as a good pre-filter to extend the life of your main filter in silted/debris water. temp gauge is handy for dumpster food to make sure it is properly cooked. food poisoning sucks! iodine tablets are good for backup too but everything tastes like it no matter how hard you try to cover it up in your food. down side...iodine tablets are only usable for your body for three days before you O.D. on iodine.

kinda scatter brained but...
i hope this helps...
-joni


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## iamwhatiam (Dec 3, 2013)

if you find yourself making camp for the night and there are plants/bushes around - and if you have plastic bags or any plastic for it - you can tie it around a bunching of the vegetation and by morning time, there will be condensation accumulated inside the bag. it won't be much, but it's something. i haven't personally tried this method yet


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## Joni (Dec 3, 2013)

searchthisworld said:


> Thank you very much for all the helpful hints and tips guys, a water purifier is at the top of my list of things to get before I leave, can you guys suggest some good brands that are compact and that will last a long time?




oh! if your haveing trouble figureing out what is what check out rei.
http://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/water-treatment-backcountry.html

hope this helps...
-joni


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## searchthisworld (Dec 3, 2013)

Thank you for the link Joni, great info. I'm left a little confused haha. So a water filter should be sufficiant for the back country of Australian? And a water purifier filters better than a water filter is this true? I'm unsure if to get a water filter or a water purifier.


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## Joni (Dec 3, 2013)

searchthisworld said:


> Thank you for the link Joni, great info. I'm left a little confused haha. So a water filter should be sufficiant for the back country of Australian? And a water purifier filters better than a water filter is this true? I'm unsure if to get a water filter or a water purifier.




i have never been outside of the USA so i do not know your environment. I give it a go for some ideas. I would do a bit of research locally where your going to be at then figure out what kinda of bad stuff is in the water in your region. some of the local back packers might have information. i would buy a unit that cleans the water according to whats in the water. if i remember right Aussies have alot of sheep and cattle in the back country. A ceramic water filter should do the job fine at a guess to filter all the livestock bad bugs. if your going to be in an more urban setting like your profile picture shows i would start looking into something that gets rid of chemicals and other bad human bugs.

Second i would figure out how to get water in a desert. take some survival classes or what ever you can do. the desert is pretty brutal having to carry a pack. I saw a national geographic on how aboriginal natives dig in the sand to find water. it might be worth a shot to talk to someone to learn this. just some ideas...

boy your brave to go into the back country of Australia... the poisonous snakes are pretty wicked i hear.
-joni


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## searchthisworld (Dec 3, 2013)

Hey guys, I found a water purifier on a Australian online Hiking store it is a little pricey but seems to do the job, ill put up a link, the web site that the link will send you to has a great little video at the bottom of the page on this purifier so make sure you check it out and let me know what you think.

http://www.hiking.com.au/p/lifesaver-water-purification-bottle-4000uf/LS001


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## Joni (Dec 4, 2013)

wow thats a pretty epic filtration system in a bottle! some of the you tube videos are like .....what are they doing?!?! no way!! ewww!!! lol :O

it works and appears to do the job quite well.. i would use it if it was available in the USA.

-joni


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## briancray (Dec 4, 2013)

If near farmland and cattle you can detach the spicket from those water bins for cattle and drink from that. The water is potable and while touring through desolate parts of Kansas many people told me the farmer's won't mind you on their land if it's an emergency.


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