Desert Survival: why not travel at night, sleep during the day??

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moogoogaidan

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Feb 21, 2009
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Out of the glut of reality survival shows that have been produced in the past few years, I never understood why when in a desert environment, traveling and moving wasn't done at night. I would think it would be a win-win situation: keeping your temperature up by moving during the cold nights and avoiding sweat (and water loss) by staying put and resting in the shade during the day. Can someone please take me by the hand like a small child and explain to me why something so common sense isn't followed? Cheers!
 
Survival shows are entertainment not reality.
 
Night in the desert is dark...maybe too dark to navigate safely.
 
Yeah, I know they're mostly for entertainment, but it's odd that they don't even address the idea of it.

Also, i would think that with the stars in the sky, your eyes would be able to adjust to moving about at night. I can't say for certain though, i've never found myself in the situation. maybe that IS the reason, but it seems unlikely to me though.
 
DH1 said:
Night in the desert is dark...maybe too dark to navigate safely.
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++ critters like snakes would be one, I think it would go slow just for that reason...jmo.....I have no experience in the desert because I live in Kantucky!!!!!!
 
Snake activity drops at night because they're cold blooded. They'll be coiled and tucked away at night instead of sprawled across the ground soaking up sun like they are during the day. Yet ANOTHER reason to travel at night instead of during the day.
 
Walking in the desert in the day can be difficult enough; Uneven and rocky terrain, ground squirrel holes that collapse under the slightest weight, cacti and other plants that seem to jump out at you, not to mention that in the spring and summer months rattlesnakes are more frequent.

Sure, your eyes will adjust to starlight conditions after a time, it's even better with a good moon, but it's still not ideal for navigation. Most people underestimate distance by a factor of 3 to 5 in the desert, this is compounded at night and depth perception is poorer. That's not to say I'd never advocate navigation at night, but it'd have to be a pretty ideal/adverse conditions; Me being so low on water the conservation of travelling at night outweighs the risk of injury, full moon, etc.

Otherwise, it's best to stick to the early morning hours and late afternoon/early evening hours for travel. A fair compromise.


Gautier
 
I grew up in the SoCal desert. Dark is relative. It is generally clear enough that once your eyes adjust vision is very good. When there is little man made light moonlight is sufficient.
 
moogoogaidan said:
Snake activity drops at night because they're cold blooded. They'll be coiled and tucked away at night instead of sprawled across the ground soaking up sun like they are during the day. Yet ANOTHER reason to travel at night instead of during the day.
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Actually, this is a misconception. A lot of snakes(the Mojave rattler for instance), like many predators, are nocturnal hunters. They soak up the heat during the day, and then rely on the ground radiating that heat back to them during the night as they hunt.


Gautier
 
The risk of twisting your ankle on a rock or hole, scratching your cornea on a low branch, loss of landmarks for navigation, etc. and the zillions of other invisible perils at night (including predation, depending on where you are) would probably outweigh the benefits of night time travel.
 
Well, I think most actual desert cultures were sort of like that. They wouldn't so much move in the dark, but in early morning and later at night (sun still up, but on the horizon), and bed down in the heat of the day.

But snakes are a problem in the dark. Yes, they are sleeping, or moving slowly, but that means they also won't move out of your way. Most people get struck when they step on a snake -- more likely at night since, you can't see well, and they aren't in a hurry to get out of the way.

If you travel in a bright moon, or have a torch or flashlight, it makes it a lot safer. If there are nocturnal predators that don't worry about humans being trouble, you are a fool to not be armed in such an area anyway, and even ikf you bed down at night, they may well come to you anyway.

Another bad thing in the dark, is that you may not see crevices, ravines or holes that will lead to things breaking or life ending.

So, for surviving, if I had ample light, I'd probably favor moving at night.
 
Gautier, thanks for clearing up that misconception for me -- public education biology is still paying dividends for me, i see!

I would most likely play it by ear if i ever found myself in such a situation. If I kept tripping myself up on things i couldn't see, i would definitely wait for at least dawn to move a bit, rest during the day, then begin moving again during sunset and until it got too dark again.
 
moogoogaidan said:
Gautier, thanks for clearing up that misconception for me -- public education biology is still paying dividends for me, i see!
.
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Don't mention it. It does seem counterintuitive, but once you look at how a rattlesnake(and other pit vipers) are designed as opposed to the other types of snakes, venomous or not, it starts to make sense. This site explains it briefly, and also has some decent desert survival advice(actually living in the desert, I don't agree with 100% of it, but the majority of it is viable) if you're interested.

http://www.desertusa.com/may96/du_rattle.html


Gautier
 
moogoogaidan said:
Snake activity drops at night because they're cold blooded. They'll be coiled and tucked away at night instead of sprawled across the ground soaking up sun like they are during the day. Yet ANOTHER reason to travel at night instead of during the day.
Click to expand...

Only during the cooler months..Trust me:)
 
Every survival book stresses that you shouldnt move at night unless you absolutely have to. It gets pretty dark out in the desert if theres no fullmoon-light and no ambient city light, making the risk of injury is too great.

You also risk losing your bearings if you cant see any landmarks to aim for.

Moving at dawn and dusk, would be the best bet IMO.
 
I have said this many times, doing anything at night sucks and in the desert, you are walking to find water. That's number one. You find water you sit there and wait to be found, at least I would.

Now, how do you know if you walk past water at night and it's 50 meters away and you didn't see it? On that show Man Woman Wild, they were looking for water that was at least a couple miles away when they were on a hill top looking for it or where they thought it was.

I just think walking at night will have you walking right past to many little things that you could use to survive with because you didn't see it in the dark.

But what the hell do I know, I have never been in the desert.
 
I wouldn't be too active during the heat of the day, but early in the morning or late in the evenings would be my times for any activity, even with driving.. It'd save your vehicle having to work harder driving..

If in a vehicle I'd travel at night for the first 4 or so hrs then start looking for a place to camp out for the day, and repeat this .. JMO
 
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