Sustenance: Water & Food

Water

A survivor can live a month or longer without food but will perish in only three to five days without water. Under normal conditions the body needs between two and three quarts per day but in extremely hot/cold conditions orduring excessive activity four to six quarts are necessary.

Water can be procured from any of the following sources

• Surface
• Precipitation
• Subsurface
• Vegetation
• Solar stills
• Filtering - Filtering does not purify water but will make it more appealing to the taste buds.

Purifying
Purifying water is important in the process of destroying parasites which might be in your water.

Storage
Once the water has been procured and prepared it needs to be stored. Be sure to protect it from evaporation or freezing.

Liquids to avoid
Blood, Sea water and urine.

Food

Most backcountry travelers place a high priority on food but in reality it plays a very small role for a survivor. Other priorities such as personal protection, health, signaling, etc. take on a much greater importance. Food does, however, provide the body with valuable nutrients which are lost throughout each day. In addition, its effect on a survivors morale and attitude cannot be understated.

Various available food sources

• Vegetation
• Insects
• Mollusks (snails and mussels)
• Snakes
• Fish
• Birds
• Mammals

All meats should be preserved for later use by either smoking, freezing, cooking and re-cooking, refrigerated, etc. This is best when the meat is separated into meal sized portions so that only the amount to be used needs to be removed from the storage unit.