How do people survive in the Desert?

Tips from the Locals

The desert is one of the worst places you can get stranded, with little to no shelter from the sun and water being a luxury instead of a normal part of the landscape. The single most important thing to remember about surviving in the desert is that it’s all about water, it gets very cold at night and sand storms can be disorientating and sometimes painful, but nothing will kill you faster than a lack of water.

(The clothing of people native to the desert may look like it would make you hotter, but there’s a reason behind it)

When it comes to surviving in any terrain, no one knows how to do it better than the natives. People who have grown up and lived all their lives in a harsh environment know exactly how to survive there, so here are a few things to keep in mind about surviving in the desert from some native inhabitants.

1) Take it easy during the daytime

In the Sahara, the average temperature can easily reach 40°C during the summer, and just walking in these temperatures can expend a huge amount of energy and moisture. The hottest time of the day is when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, so why would you travel during this time unless you had to?

It is safer to travel between late afternoon and dawn while sleeping during the day, as the amount of water you’ll need and sweat you’ll lose from covering the same distance will be massively reduced if you travel at night.

2) Stock up on water, Camel style

Before setting off on a long trip, even if the trip is by camel and doesn’t involve walking anywhere, it’s common for native people to spend an hour or so before the trip drinking way more water than they need to. In the desert you lose water quicker than you feel thirsty, so to stay hydrated you have to drink on a schedule instead of when you feel like it.

In the event you are stuck somewhere and are lucky enough to be near a source of clean water, then spend the hour before you move on frequently drinking water in small amounts. You may sweat more when you do start walking, but it’s sweat made up of excess water and not the water your body needs. Just make sure that you don’t drink enough to make yourself sick.

3) Wear the right clothing

Whenever you see pictures of people in the desert who aren’t from there, they’re normally wearing shorts and a T-shirt and look like they’re dressed for a day at the beach. But when it comes to the natives who have been there all their lives, the clothes are large head wraps, long flowing dress-type clothes with multiple layers, and long baggy shirts.

Some of the clothing looks like it would do the opposite of keeping you cool, especially the Indian turban which is a long piece of cloth wrapped around the head several times. The reason that people who live in very hot places wear such clothing is to trap sweat so moisture evaporates off the body more slowly. The baggy clothing with multiple layers is to block the sunlight on the outside layers, while the loose under layers allow air to circulate around the skin and help cool it down.

Be very careful when choosing your desert clothing and don’t take the word of the guy selling it at a holiday stand, do your research.

4) Pack Light

1 gallon of water will last you for one day in the desert, which is double what someone would normally drink. This amount of water weighs close to 4kg, which gets very heavy after a while and will end up expending a huge amount of energy. A week’s worth of water will be 28kg which is far too heavy to carry around anywhere, never mind in the desert. Make sure not to overpack on anything as the extra weight may do you more harm than good.

5) Don’t do anything that uses water, unless you are next to a source.

If you see pictures of people native to desert areas traveling there’s a good chance you will never see them eating or smoking while they do. Digesting food draws water away from the rest of your body to your stomach, which means you need to drink more if you’re eating. Smoking makes your mouth dry and again draws water to it, but that’s not to say you can’t do either of these things, it’s just preferable to have a water source nearby when you do.

It’s much more practical to stop and make camp to eat and drink than do it as you travel. Another obvious point is don’t spit, even if you have a hair in your mouth, as every single drop of water is important and could make a bigger difference than you realize.