10 Ways to Met your Whistle

How to find water in austere environments

- By Christopher Nyerges

A water still is a way to extract water from the soil. The principle is similar to that of a still a moonshiner would make in the woods, but it’s much simpler.

The simplest water still is powered by the sun and nature’s water cycle. However, before we get started, keep in mind that this still, known as a “solar still,” is a method of last resort. Although I’ve made many to learn how to do it and see how it works, I’ve never had to make one in a situation for which it would be life or death to have water.

This is a survival technology that might enable you to get some water when none is apparently available. It’s possible that you’d need to know how to do this if you were lost in the desert or if you were marooned on some remote beach with only sea water. It can also be useful in other environments.

First, let’s look at how to make the still. Then, after you see how to make it and how it works, we’re going to explore other ways you might obtain water that are a lot easier and perhaps more reliable than the solar still.