How To Melt Snow For Survival | 5 Ways

Don’t have enough drinking water to last your entire winter trip? Learning how to melt snow is an effective life hack you need to survive! Here are five ways you can turn that ice into a last minute beverage.

Ice to Water: 5 Easy Ways on How to Melt Snow

1. Hot Water

If you’ve brought a vacuum flask of hot water with you, melting snow won’t be too hard. Pouring this over a handful of snow should do the trick in reducing the ice into water.

Once the melting is done, make sure to transfer the water into an insulated bottle quickly. Leaving it out can cause it to freeze again, so don’t forget to keep the liquid warm.

2. Boiling Snow

Boiling is one of the most basic skills you need to learn on how to melt snow. As long as you’ve got a pot and some fire, you don’t have to worry about being dehydrated in the cold.

Having a modern camping stove will definitely be useful, but a pot of snow over a fire pit will also work. Start with a small amount of ice at first, then add more along the way. Never fill the pot with snow to the brim to avoid overflowing.

It’s also important to keep the lid on at all times to maintain the heat. With higher temperatures, the snow will melt easier and quicker.

3. Bonfire Warmth

Forgot to pack a kettle into your camping bag? An empty jar or cup can serve as a temporary container for the snow.

Grab a shirt or bandana and place a lump of snow on top. Tie the corners up to form a sack, then hang it around a stick or branch over the container.

Much like roasting a marshmallow, put the bag of snow near a bonfire and allow it to embrace the heat of the flames. This will help the snow melt and drip; it may take some time, but it will fill up the cup.

4. Solar Heat

Relying on the sun’s intense heat waves isn’t so bad if it will help you quench your thirst! Using a garbage bag, stuff some snow into it and place it on a hot and toasty spot. It should be able to melt the snow in a slow yet effective fashion.

You can also use a sandwich bag if you want something more light and portable. Clear plastic bags can be very handy, especially when you’re learning how to melt snow.

5. Passive Melting

Heating up snow under the sun is already a form of passive melting, but there’s another way you can try to liquify snow while you are out and about.

Add small amounts of snow into your water bottle when you head out for a hike or climb. As you go further, continue to add more until you have your desired volume.

Your bottle also has to have a little bit of water first before you fill it up with snow. That liquid is very crucial because it will aid the snow in melting, along with your body heat.

You can also watch this video on how to melt snow for drinking water by CBC Life:

Before you decide to melt your snow, you need to check what you have to work with. Make sure to collect clean and fresh snow; you need to avoid discolored and stained ice. Being patient is very necessary since melting can take a while, especially when you’re out in the winter wilderness.

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Do you have any other tips on how to melt snow? Please share with us in the comments section below.