The desert is a formidable place that is notorious for claiming the lives of even the hardiest of explorers throughout history. It combines the lethal cocktail of blisteringly hot days, freezing cold nights, a lack of water and plenty of deadly animals to threaten the lives of anyone who travels through it. So, if you should ever find yourself in the desert, either by chance or by choice, what are the main things that you will need to remember in order to survive? Here are a few of them:
Protect yourself from the heat – The sun during the daytime gets incredibly hot. Most of the desert animals choose to stay under cover during the day – for good reason! Take a tip from the locals and do the same thing! If you have shelter from the sun use it, especially during midday when the sun is at its strongest. Anglo Forro a leading outdoor survival store can provide you with all you need for a desert refuge. It is best to travel early in the morning and last thing at night. If being out in the sun is unavoidable, make sure that you are wearing a hat. If you don’t have one, use any piece of clothing to cover the top of your head in particular.
Water – One of the deserts rarest treats, the human body can’t go long without it. Make sure that water is a priority and that you have plenty of clean fresh drinking water. Do not gulp the water in large amounts, instead drink it gradually throughout the day in smaller sips to stay well hydrated. Make sure you have water with you, as your chances of finding it in the desert are very slim, and with that sun beating down you will be dehydrated quicker. Also, don’t even think about drinking alcohol in the desert – it will dehydrate you even faster, and impair your ability to think rationally – essential for desert survival.
Be Calm – This is a very important rule to remember in any survival situation. Keeping a cool head and not panicking will make your chances of survival much higher than someone who is panicking as you are much more likely to make sensible decisions when calm, not to mention panicking will over exert you leading to you losing even more water!
