Drinking Urine

**SavageSurvival** · 11-15-2012, 08:13 PM

Alright I'm new here but I expect to hang out for some time. I was just on a backpacking trip last week and got into the conversation of drinking your own piss. I remember getting into another argument on a rock climbing trip last year about the same topic. Here's what I think... DON'T DO IT! If I'm dehydrated and think of drinking my own urine it's going to be VERY yellow and be filled with salts and toxins or whatever from my body, which will then dehydrate even further. But if my urine is clear and diluted then why would I even drink it anyways? If it is clear that means I am hydrated already. People say "oh, but it's sterile", if you collect clear urine to drink later than it will harvest a lot of bacteria and gross-nasties. I heard of people using their pee and diluting it into their water supply to make the water rations last longer. What do you survival peeps think?

**deafdave3** · 11-15-2012, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by SavageSurvival

Alright I'm new here but I expect to hang out for some time. I was just on a backpacking trip last week and got into the conversation of drinking your own piss. I remember getting into another argument on a rock climbing trip last year about the same topic. Here's what I think... DON'T DO IT! If I'm dehydrated and think of drinking my own urine it's going to be VERY yellow and be filled with salts and toxins or whatever from my body, which will then dehydrate even further. But if my urine is clear and diluted then why would I even drink it anyways? If it is clear that means I am hydrated already. People say "oh, but it's sterile", if you collect clear urine to drink later than it will harvest a lot of bacteria and gross-nasties. I heard of people using their pee and diluting it into their water supply to make the water rations last longer. What do you survival peeps think?

Well, I'm not a survivalist by any means or even a novice backpacker yet... but that sounds just gross to me. However, you can distill water from urine. Yes, it'll be chemically pure water, if distilled correctly.

**SavageSurvival** · 11-15-2012, 08:22 PM

I feel like distilled urine is not enough to sustain someone though. If I have to go through all the trouble of digging a still, then I'll probably use up all the water in sweat that I get from it anyways. If I had a container to pee in already, and a container to catch the distilled water, then I would probably do it. It is not much work to make a still from a container so at least some water would be rewarded.

**deafdave3** · 11-15-2012, 08:28 PM

Originally Posted by SavageSurvival

I feel like distilled urine is not enough to sustain someone though. If I have to go through all the trouble of digging a still, then I'll probably use up all the water in sweat that I get from it anyways. If I had a container to pee in already, and a container to catch the distilled water, then I would probably do it. It is not much work to make a still from a container so at least some water would be rewarded.

You don't have to dig it. If you boil dirty water, piss, anything that has water in it, then the steam that arises from the boiling is pure water. Catch the steam with something, then let it drip into a clean container. Be forewarned though, if you boil piss... it will stink.

**hunter63** · 11-15-2012, 08:46 PM

The only time I would think about it is if I was on TV.....and making a bunch of money from it.....Of dieing anyway.
Y'all can have mine......

**Sourdough** · 11-15-2012, 08:54 PM

Just use it to make lemon flavored Jello.

**Sarge47** · 11-16-2012, 12:15 AM

All of the books on survival say NO! This is the very reason that I started holding Bear Grylls in such low esteem. Even the SAS Survival manual says not to! And Bear claimed to have learned his stuff from them! Both Urine and salt water are a no-no when it comes to drinking!

**ElevenBravo** · 11-16-2012, 01:38 AM

Simply, no. The benefits are nil, and the possible consequences are numerous.

Its one of those things some wanna-be speaks of in positive light to make the false impression that they are "all that and a bag of chips".

**jfeatherjohn** · 11-16-2012, 07:00 AM

Nope, the urea alone is deadly, before you add in the salt. Distilling is the only viable option.

**Old GI** · 11-16-2012, 09:33 AM

NO!! For all the reasons above and many more.

**mountainmark** · 11-16-2012, 10:08 AM

I would consiter adding it to a concoction in a solor still, but straight......nope. Realistically, where I live there is no shortage of water.

**crashdive123** · 11-16-2012, 04:03 PM

As has been covered in great detail on this forum......

Drinking urine while you are well hydrated will probably not harm you. Drinking urine when you are dehydrated, where all of the toxins and waste byproducts are very concentrated will speed up your demise.

**Wildthang** · 11-17-2012, 01:28 PM

Kinda like eating poop, I aint gonna do it

**deafdave3** · 11-17-2012, 07:04 PM

Originally Posted by Wildthang

Kinda like eating poop, I aint gonna do it

Mais, Bear Grylls ate elephant poop.

**natertot** · 11-17-2012, 08:55 PM

Also, the smell and taste is goona make you thow up.....more than likely. Now you are negative the fluids before you drank and you have a taste you can't get out of your mouth.

Just don't do it.

**Sarge47** · 11-17-2012, 08:56 PM

Originally Posted by deafdave3

Mais, Bear Grylls ate elephant poop.

He didn't eat it, he just squeezed water out of it and drank it. I bet Mrs. Bear was really happy when he came home and kissed her, huh?

**Bushman** · 11-18-2012, 12:42 AM

there is a 'health benefit' ............apparently, to drinking your own urine........when you're 'healthy'.......

and NOT in a 'survival situation'. I gather a number of 'celebrities' do so ??? Supposedly 'good for you' ??

When the very first dose of pennicillen was being trialled on a dying London Bobbie, there was only enough made for one dose or so........ but there was no more........so they thought laterally and recycled his urine into the drip in his arm............which saw him rally again, but then the deal ran out. He died some time later.

The point I am making here is this; your body will process re-cycled urine, however if you are taking some sort of medication, you need to be aware of 'what' effect it will have on your system going through for the second time...it may well be a 'negative' one.

Urine can safely be re-cycled by the use of a solar still in 'survival-situations' which will give you H2O.......I've demonstrated this to students many times. But we always diluted it where possible with water from other sources such as collection bags on leafy tree branches.

The salient point I make here is NOT to do a Bear Grylls and go running around like an over-fed rabbit. Over-exertion demands MORE water......the best bet is to remain where you are!! and let others find YOU........(assuming you're dingbat enough to get 'lost' in the first place. !!)

There was a case in Outback Queensland just last week where a vehicle broke down and the 3 occupants tried to walk out......one, a woman made it some 70 ks back to the homestead, the other two not so.......one died of dehydration, the other was rescued. The two that survived suffered extreme dehydration and were hospitalised. Obviously NO survival skills whatsoever and likewise no damn COMMON SENSE !!