1 – Tell someone where you’re going
The majority of times someone dies in the desert is due to them getting lost and not having anyone looking for them. Make a planned out route before you leave and tell people exactly where you’ll be travelling and when you’ll get there, this will help the alarm be raised sooner should you not make a checkpoint.
2 – Don’t skimp on the water
If you have a vehicle make sure you carry at least an extra 3 days supply per person along with your normal amount. When a missing person is being searched for in the desert, they are normally found very quickly as aircraft have an excellent view of the flat, tree-less terrain. 3 days water should be sufficient in the event of an emergency, but if capacity allows you can never have to much.
3 – Don’t remove clothing to stay cool
If you strip down to a thin t-shirt the sun will break through it to an extent and directly heat your skin. Even if you feel better without it on, clothing covering your skin from the sun will be a much better scenario than direct contact. Also make sure that your head is covered as direct sunlight on your head will warm you up faster than anywhere else, there’s a very good reason that desert tribes often wear large hoods or thick turban type headgear.
4 – Don’t touch the ground
As with cold weather, the floor can soak up the temperature and make it considerably hotter or colder than the air around it. The floor of a desert that’s been in direct sunlight all day will feel much hotter than the air. Should you need to lay down during the day and you have the energy to do so, scoop the hot top layer of sand aside and create a shallow dip for yourself.
5 – Be careful what food you bring
Avoid anything salty and dry, such as biscuits or crackers. If you eat something with no moisture in it, your body will have to provide the liquid to swallow and digest it, making you crave more, and in a situation where water may be limited its sometimes best to leave that last pack of salted peanuts alone.
6 – Don’t annoy the wildlife
In the event your starving, don’t get desperate enough to try and catch something dangerous, like a snake or scorpion. Even though many of these creatures are edible and provide a good meal, the desert is home to some of the most poisonous snakes and spiders in the world.
7 – Do NOT rely on a cell phone
If your going into any large desert you’ll find that reception towers are some what limited. You will lose reception for your cell phone in any large desert, and even areas in developed countries like the United States still have huge amounts of desert with no coverage.
8 – Bring satellite equipment
Since your cell phone will lose reception, guaranteed, its a good idea to buy or rent a satellite phone or some kind of GPS equipment. There’s also a number of different satellite emergency beacons available, which send up a signal to the nearest emergency services when activated, some of which are very small and easily fit into a backpack.
9 – Watch the weather
Keep an eye on the sky and especially on the winds, as sand storms can be devastating if you’re caught out in the open. In the event of a sand storm, bunker down somewhere and try to take the best cover you can. Also make a note of your surroundings and try to find something you can use as a reference when the storm is over, the floor of the desert can look different each time a sand storm occurs. The other thing people often don’t realise about the desert is that at night time it can get very cold, so keep that in mind when making camp for the night.
10 – If all else fails, pee on something and wrap it round your head
No this isn’t the desert equivalent of a crazy persons tin foil hat, but rather a way to keep you cool. If you have some kind of spare clothing, pee on it and wrap it round your head like a makeshift turban, this actually keeps the heat off your head much better than just a simple covering, and even though it may not be the most pleasant thing to do, it can make the difference between life and death in the right situation.