Intro

Hello everyone and welcome to the actual second episode of Wilderness Matters where we discuss the skills, science, and gear necessary to enjoy the outdoors safely and responsibly. I’m your host Joe, the creator of Balefire Outdoors on YouTube. Today we will be discussing several of the myths surrounding hydration, be it while backpacking or for survival.

Announcements

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Episode Rundown

S1E2 – Hydration Myths

Written & Directed By Balefire Outdoors

Synopsis: I discuss the biological reasoning behind why many ideas, like drinking your own urine, are complete nonsense.

Discussion

• Dehydration and its symptoms
• Myth #1: How much should we drink per day?
• Myth #2: You don’t need to pack water if you have a filter
• Myth #3: Melting snow
• Myth #4: Sugar and electrolytes
• Myth #5: Drinking your own urine
• What is in urine? Is it sterile?
• How urine byproducts can be toxic to our bodies
• The negative feedback loop of urine consumption
• Can you make urine safe to drink?

Overall Thoughts

There’s a lot of bad information out there involving hydration. Given how important it is to survival make sure you are getting your information from the correct sources and fact check everything. Dehydration is the third fastest killer out there behind hemorrhaging and exposure to extreme temperatures.

Coming Up Next Episode

Tune in next time where we will discuss the basics of winter survival and safety in the outdoors by going over frostbite, hypothermia, and windchill. Stay wild!

Links

• Balefire Outdoors Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BalefireOutdoors
• Balefire Outdoors Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/balefireoutdoors/
• Solar Still: https://youtu.be/Zuj_NnymqMg?t=51
• Army Survival Manual (2018): https://armypubs.army.mil/ProductMaps/PubForm/Details.aspx?PUB_ID=1007548
• Grayl Water Filter (Non-Affiliate): https://grayl.com/collections/shop-all