Has anyone out there attempted this desert survival skill. Lay metal or foil out overnight. When the night turns cold the foil will be even volder and droplets of water will condense on its surface.

I've heard that rocks can be used in this same manner as they too change temperature rather quickly.

I have yet to try this method so I don't know how effective it is or whether it is worth the sweat.

Haven't tried it myself, but it doesn't sound too promising.

Sounds like a variation of a solar still.

There was a story like that on one Ray Mears episode. A man was lost wandering the desert. He followed a line of telegraph poles and at the bottom of one, he found some empty oil cans which he cut open and licked the condensation off the inside. He survived and was later picked up.

At the other extreme, the survivers of a plane crash in the Andes Mountains (a book and film called 'Alive' was made based on this crash) used foil from the wrecked aircraft to melt snow. They spread the foil out at an angle so that it had maxium sunlight on it. they then spread VERY THIN layers of snow on the foil, and had a bottle underneath it to catch the water that came off.

It probably sounds like another'solar still', but some of them survived to tell the tale. They also resorted to cannabalism to survive <img src="images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />.

Read the book, it is very interesting:
"Alive - Piers Paul Read"

I think i'm going to go and buy that book, it's been recommended quite a lot on the forums. I'll start hunting through the local second hand book shops. I've resolved to try and buy any books that I want (that arn't new releases) second hand. My last purchase was George Orwell's 1984 for 75p.

Along these Lines,-I Know of a Book Called "Mountain Flying",-I Think It might be one of those "Tab" Books,-if Not,-then certainly that Type. Near the Back,-it has a Very Good!,Comprehensive Listing of Aircraft Parts Galore!,-that One can Salvage for Survival Purposes,-from an Aircraft Wreck. -Complete with Lots of Suggested Uses for Them. [color:"black"] [/color] [email]WOFT[/email]

The Above Post is Referring to Piers Paul Read's Book/Survival Story "Alive",-as Spoken of in WOFT's Earlier Post,-NOT to the One on Aircraft Parts for Survival!,-which may now happen to Preceed the Above Post,(Parts for Survival being the One I Spoke of a Bit Ago) I Wouldn't Want any Unintended Confusion to Possibly Arise!,-by Virtue of Where It Places. Hope This Clarifies. [color:"black"] [/color] [email]ditchfield[/email]

What you're talking about is simply collecting dew, a viable means of obtaining water IF the humidity and other conditions are right:

http://www.theweatherprediction.com/habyhints/9/

US Air Force survival gear for pilots contains a sponge specifically for this purpose- you sop up the dew and squeeze the water into your mouth. I saw this on Mail Call on the History Channel.

I bought some compressed sponges at a janitorial supply and carry one for this purpose. It weighs next to nothing and takes up very little room. Of course, a piece of cloth works, too. For example, you could take off your boots and walk sock footed through the grass, then wring out your socks. Personally I hope I never have to try this!

http://www.save-on-crafts.com/comsponbrmir1.html

A solar still relies on essentially baking the moisture out of the soil in one spot until the moisture collects on the underside of the plastic sheet. This is a different principle, I believe.

The above is my understanding of these two things, but I've been wrong before, so feel free to jump in with any corrections!

Bill

A slightly off topic reply to...
>>>>They also resorted to cannabalism to survive <<<<

I read this books about 2 years ago & was pretty shocked to learn that it only took a week or slightly longer before these folks resorted to cannabalism. During that first week they had some, not a lot but some food, mostly chocolate IIRC. I was left with the impression that they were driven not by starvation but by hunger to cannabalism. (In a more temperate climate it would probably take that long to convince me to eat a banana.) OTOH, it took them over a month to come to the decision to have a couple of the stronger guys walk out looking for help. That's how they were eventually rescued. If the situation is desparate enough to resort to eating your dead then I don't believe that it's unreasonable to expect that all other avenues of help should probably have already been explored fully.

I don't want to imply that the group had a strong desire to resort to abominable practices. Their decisions are at least curious though, given the strong religious backgrounds alluded to in the book and the education levels involved.

Just food for thought, hold the bananas please

Ed

It was made into a movie a few years back - very good and moving. The opening few minutes is a short introduction by one of those that survived.
Highly reccommended

Martin