Sharksbaja
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Simple survival seawater still
I was watching some rediculous reality show and I guess it was real. It was about two marooned (yes,marooned) sailors somewhere in SOC. They show
these idiots eating cardon gouged out with a knife. They showed them sitting in the water to keep cool as their skin blistered. Then they showed them
having hallucinations because they were dehydrating. They really wouldn't be alive had not a pangrero come to their rescue on the fourth day.
They made a shelter out of canvas and had fire and sleeping bags. But they were dying of thirst. They had no business on a tiny catamaran so far out
without basic survival know how.
So here is a basic survival tool. It would have kept them alive. It should work well in Baja
All that is needed really, is a piece of plastic(clear is best) and a container(or make one from plastic). Canvas and tarp material can work, it
needs to be watertight.
Simply dig a hole and stretch the plastic over the holen and place rocks around perimeter to anchor. Place another smooth rock in center and depress
downwards towards container allowing a space of a few inches between the two..
Water the trough thoroughly enough to permeate deeply into soil around pit. A tube or reed to suck out water as needed is handy and keeps the basic
integrity and humidity intact.
Hot weather preferrred
[Edited on 5-5-2006 by Sharksbaja]
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Barry A.
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Sharks------
----will that "still" really produce enough fresh water to make it worth the effort to build??
I have always wondered about this, and seen it discussed pro and con in several books, except that I don't think the previous discussions involved Sea
water being introduced to the ground around the still.
Interesting idea, and super if it really works.
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bajaguy
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if those guys were really smart, they would have loaded their catamaran with Pacifico
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Sharksbaja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Barry A.
----will that "still" really produce enough fresh water to make it worth the effort to build??
I have always wondered about this, and seen it discussed pro and con in several books, except that I don't think the previous discussions involved Sea
water being introduced to the ground around the still.
Interesting idea, and super if it really works. |
I've seen one in action but not in Baja and it did make water. I'm sure that many factors like RH and soil type and temp can bare upon this apparatus.
My brother(the expert ) sweared by it and some other ways..
I don't see the big deal in digging a hole 3ft X 2ft deep and stretching plastic over it and lining it w/rocks. Well maybe if the soil was rocky or hard.
Maybe a Nomad in Baja on the beach could fashion one and report back....yea right!
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oladulce
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Sharksbaja
I'm sure that many factors like RH and soil type ...
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Maybe PH Sharks ?
One's "RH Factor" is the positive or negative attached to your blood type. Those would be some delicate operating conditions
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Oso
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajaguy
if those guys were really smart, |
I think the point is that they weren't.
All my childhood I wanted to be older. Now I\'m older and this chitn sucks.
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Diver
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RH = relative humidity
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Sharksbaja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by oladulce
| Quote: | Originally posted by Sharksbaja
I'm sure that many factors like RH and soil type ...
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Maybe PH Sharks ?
One's "RH Factor" is the positive or negative attached to your blood type. Those would be some delicate operating conditions |
ph doesn't matter cause it's just simple condensation. In fact it's claimed you can use polluted water and extract clean water safely with this
method.
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bajalou
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What you end up with is "Distilled" water - It leaves all the salts etc. behind.
No Bad Days
\"Never argue with an idiot. People watching may not be able to tell the difference\"
\"The trouble with doing nothing is - how do I know when I\'m done?\"
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And in the San Felipe area - check out Valle Chico area |
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Sharksbaja
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajalou
What you end up with is "Distilled" water - It leaves all the salts etc. behind. |
Probably why it's called a still
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rob
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Back in the days when I was still rolling in cash I bought a PUR handheld desalinator (I think it was about $600 in the West Marine catalog in 2001).
I have used it twice (just to make sure it worked) and it works very well - it would keep a couple of people alive almost indefinitely if your hand
didn't get carpal tunnel syndrome . . .
One less thing to worry about while you wait for the coastguard.
ROb
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Bob and Susan
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$200 now....
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/PUR-SURVIVOR-06-LL-DESALINATO...
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bajarich
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What about those portable solar stills they have on life rafts? They are a round inflatable plastic device. I believe Ed Gillette used one when he
paddled his sea kayak to Hawaii back in the '90's, back before GPS. He was out 63 days.
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TMW
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The U.S. Army Survival Manual list three stills and how to build them. The above ground.
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TMW
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The below ground.
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TMW
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And below ground if you have polluted water or salt water like Sharks.
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Sharksbaja
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Hey the army stole my idea!
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wilderone
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I've been reading a book on biological Baja with a lot of history of the indigenous and their lifestyle. It's reported that light roasting of cardon
"leaves" maximizes the water processed out, and that on long hunts or foraging trips away from home (which was always near a water source), they would
use this method. Pitahaya fruit or tunas also hold a lot of water, and during pitahaya season, the indians would roam far and wide without concern
for water because the fruit contained enough to sustain them.
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