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(empty) in the very bottom and brace it with a couple small rocks to prevent it falling over. Cover the pit with the plastic sheet and weight down the edges with dirt and rocks (making as tight a seal as possible to prevent evaporation to the outside air). The last step is to put just enough weight in the center of the bag to keep the center directly over the collection container; you do not want an airtight seal between the plastic sheet and the inside rim of the container, as this will just make the water condensation run down the outside of the container.

The solar still water, as with most survival water, would not taste good in normal situations, will taste fantastic if a person is thirsty enough. But the still does have problems-it requires about a day to gather enough water and would require the person to stay in that area to reap the reward.

Another more portable method of obtaining some water out of doors is dew collection. In many times, the dew can be annoying in the early morning, soaking a persons feet and lower legs until the sun climbs up high enough to evaporate it. But in a survival situation, it is a great source of water. It can be gathered by using a piece of clothing to soak it up from plants, rocks, dirt, or sand; it can then be used by wringing the cloth directly into the mouth.

Now, the above methods work in many environments, but what about more extreme situations? Perhaps you have gone without hydration for many days and know you can not survive much longer without it; you are still in an isolated area, have seen no people, have no emergency communications or basic tools usable in obtaining clean water; everything is against you, and then a seeming miracle-you come across a water source!

Should you drink it, knowing it may contain pollutants or disease? Under these circumstances, I would say yes. If possible, dig into the dirt or pebbles about a foot away from the stream, letting the water seep into the hole. The dirt and pebble act as a makeshift filter, lessening the chances of illness or poisoning.

Why drink the water if unsure of its purity? If it is a choice between dying or thirst or dying of complications like poisoning or sickness, I would choose the latter because it would give me some extra time to find help or make another plan. Also, it is a gamble to drink the water, but death is certain from thirst if no other option is available.

Not everyone who ventures into the wilderness will find extreme conditions. They will, however, feel thirst; that is a good thing because it enables a person to truly enjoy the satisfaction of sating that thirst, akin to the feeling of warming frozen toes by a blazing fireplace. The key is to research the trip well and travel safely with many contingency plans.

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