2. Don't guzzle the water

While you want to drink the water, if you have it you don't want to guzzle it all at the first sign of thirst. A better tactic is to ration it for yourself, taking smaller sips throughout the day. Assess your dehydration by the color of your urine – if it's light-colored, you're probably OK, but if it it's dark, you need to drink some water. If you do come across water in the desert, use extreme caution before you start gulping it down – it may not be potable, and if it's contaminated, you'll squander what meager water your body has stored the first time you vomit or have diarrhea.

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