How To Get Water In The Forest
To take a break and go on a quick camping trip in the forest is a good idea to relax. The fresh air along with natural beauty will refresh your mind and body. However, you still have to pay attention to certain needs of the body. Generally, you need to process food, stay hydrated and maintain your hygiene. These will more or less require some amounts of water. So besides your packed water bottle, how to get water in the forest then? If that is one of your main concerns while preparing for the trip then this article can help.
As you may already know, a human body can sustain itself for weeks without food. Yet without water for a few days, you will hardly survive. And if you consume or use contaminated water, the result may also be fatal. This is why clean water is among the top priorities of a forest camping trip. In order to secure that, you need to have proper equipment along with knowledge about forest water sources and purifying techniques. You can find all down below. If you can fulfill them, you shall have little trouble getting all the water you want to use.
You may like to see this: 9 Reasons To Go Camping In The Winter
Here’s an effective guide on how to get water in the forest
Primary and necessary equipment
Preparing something cleaned to store the water is absolutely essential. If you have already expended your water bottles, don’t throw them away yet. Keep them around so you can refill them with more water for your journey. For most cases, you won’t have the strength to carry enough water for the trip and enjoy it at the same time. Naturally, consuming the bottles then refill them later is a good idea. You can pick whatever bottle you want but try to keep them light and disposable if you can. Plastic water bottle in convenient stores would be sufficient.
From time to time, you may pass by water source that is in a tight or hard to reach spots. Hence, a rubber hose may come in very handy in such situations. Besides that, you should prepare something to cleanse your hand. Bacteria will come from a lot of places and your hand is one of the more common locations. So get yourself a hand sanitizer and use it whenever you handing water or food. That will prevent the possibility of you getting sick in the middle of nowhere.
Ferro rod is also recommended as a reliable tool to start a fire so you can boil found water and cook your food. Of course, you can use something a bit more modern tools here. But it’s wise not to bring fuel or gas – dependant fire starters into the forest. You already carry a lot in your backpack so try to keep everything simple. With the Ferro rod, you have no need to bring additional fuel or gas cans. It will work no matter the weather, extremely light and you won’t have to worry about an accidental fire.
- DIMENSIONS: 4 inch (10.1 cm) and a weight of 1.1 ounces
Forest water sources
The cleanest water will come from somewhere without people, artificial constructions or distinct sights of pollution. Springs and streams are notable examples of this category. These arguably provide the cleanest water you can find in the forest. You can consume these waters right away without any purification require. If you happen to pass by any of them, make the most of the situation and refill your bottles. As a way to preserve them, keep your belongings and garbage away from these water sources. But of course, if you want to be safe, boil the water or run it through a filter before consuming.
Next in the list are ponds, lakes and rivers. These places provide waters with lower quality than the above. Waters from the first two places are idled. This means anything that drops into the water will stay there. As a result, you may encounter a high level of bacteria and germ concentration. In the river case, population centers or factories may already set up somewhere along the span of the river. So river water may also end up polluted.
If you decide to go in the winter, there are 2 unique sources of water: Snow and ice. You shouldn’t casually put them into your mouth though. That will reduce your body temperature and you cannot accept that, especially in cold weather. First, you need to inspect the color. Any snows or ices with colors such as black, brown or yellow need to be avoided. When you are sure that it’s none of the above, you can melt it down and consume it. To achieve an acceptable taste, pour in a bit of water first as a base then steadily add in the snow or ice.
Purifying techniques
If you have no other option and have to use waters from suspicious origins, boiling is an excellent method. Gather a couple branches and woods then light a fire with your Ferro rod. After that, pour the water into your pot or water canteen and boil it up for a minute or two. These should be enough to any bacteria present in the water and make it drinkable. If you don’t have the above tools then your food can or even plastic water bottle will do. In the latter, keep the bottle away from direct contact with the fire and make sure the water is full.
In the case that you don’t want to start a fire yet, there are filters that can efficiently purify the water. There is a variety of filters you can find. From ceramic or carbon filters to chemical filters that utilize iodine, these will cleanse the waters of harmful germs and bacteria. You have to replace them every once in awhile though and they may come with expensive price tags.
There is also one simple and affordable method you should know and that is chemical. These include cleansing tablets and tincture of iodine bottles. When you want to cleanse the water, just drop them in and that would be it. All the bacteria and germ will be eliminated after you apply the chemical in and shake the bottle a few times. Just make sure you get chemicals with the labels properly stated: “Tincture of Iodine 2%”, not anything else that claims to be like it. If you purchase the right type then the cleansing effect can be guaranteed.
Finally, in desperate times, you can try one method as the very last resort. You will take advantage of the sun UV radiation in this process. Fill the bottle with the water and leave it to expose directly to the sunlight. Remove any label or brand on the bottle surface in order to maximize sunlight exposure. With luck, a full day’s worth of sunlight will be able to kill any unhealthy elements in the water. If the weather is cloudy, this may take longer though.
Conclusion
Water is very important to human body. And when you go on a trip in the forest, the extra physical activity will require you to consume extra water. This makes the water issue become ever more pressing. So how to get water in the forest to satisfy your needs? Well, as long as you follow the guide above, you can get find, purify and store water with just little efforts and expenses. When your body requirements are fulfilled, you can truly immerse yourself in the forest beauty and atmosphere.
Last update on 2023-03-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
