Drinking Urine for Survival — Fact or Dangerous Myth?

In a survival emergency, desperation can drive dangerous decisions. Drinking your own urine is often portrayed as a legitimate hydration strategy — but physiology tells a different story. Before you rely on myth, understand what actually improves your odds.

A few years ago, a self-described experienced hiker set out on what he expected to be a simple 20-minute hike in an Arizona park. He was only trying to pass the time before meeting a friend for lunch, so he deliberately left his backpack in his vehicle. After all, it was just a short stroll. What could possibly go wrong?

Not long after starting out, he realized he had somehow missed the trail. He was lost.

What was supposed to be a brief walk turned into four days and three nights fighting to survive.

By the end of that first day, the hiker inventoried his supplies: just ten ounces of water. In an interview after his rescue, he recalled remembering a “survival technique” he had once heard — that to stay hydrated, he would need to drink his own urine.

From Reality TV to Real Emergencies

One of the most common questions I’m asked during survival courses and lectures is, “In a survival situation, is it okay to drink my urine?”

It’s not an unreasonable question. Many people have seen survival scenarios on television programs such as Man vs. Wild, where host Bear Grylls demonstrates drinking his own urine. In one episode, he remarks that it “may seem disgusting,” but suggests it is safe.

At first glance, the logic appears sound. If you are dehydrated, you need water. If your body is producing excess fluid, then there is no point wasting it.

The idea persists because it has been repeatedly reinforced in “reality” television, online video content, magazine articles, and news coverage. Stories of dramatic wilderness rescues often include the detail that the survivor drank their urine to stay alive.

For example, not even a month after the Arizona hiker was rescued, a Pennsylvania woman reportedly walked and ran approximately 26 miles over 30 hours seeking help after her husband and son became stranded in their vehicle by snow near the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. According to multiple news accounts, she chose to drink her urine rather than eat snow in an effort to remain hydrated and stave off hypothermia.

Since the beginning of this year alone, I have read numerous reports of distressed hikers, hunters, and motorists resorting to the same measure.

My concern is simple: repetition can turn myth into doctrine. And in a real emergency, misplaced confidence can cause harm — or worse.

**Drinking Urine is Not a Survival Technique**

Let me explain why, in my professional opinion, promoting urine consumption as a survival technique is misguided — and why accepting it simply because we saw it on television or encountered it online is unwise.

Reality entertainment is not reality. Demonstrations are often conducted under controlled circumstances, edited for effect, and presented for dramatic value. They are not medical guidance.

Now, briefly, the physiology.

First, drinking urine will not meaningfully hydrate you. Urine contains a significant concentration of dissolved salts and other solutes — often approaching 2 percent, depending on the individual and degree of dehydration. For comparison, seawater averages about 3.5 percent salt. The body must expend additional water to eliminate those solutes. So, in practical terms, you lose more fluid than you gain.

Second, urine is a waste product. It contains urea, ammonia, creatinine, and other substances your kidneys have already filtered from your bloodstream. When you drink it, you are reintroducing those wastes into a system that is already stressed. In a dehydrated state, the kidneys are working at reduced efficiency. Forcing them to process additional solute can worsen dehydration and, in extreme cases, contribute to kidney injury.

Yes, urine is typically sterile at the moment it leaves the body. That does not make it an effective or sustainable hydration strategy.

There is also the practical issue: many people gag or vomit when attempting to drink it. Vomiting accelerates fluid loss — the opposite of what you need in a dehydration emergency.

I understand the desperation that dehydration produces. It is primal. It narrows judgment and pushes people toward immediate relief at any cost. I also respect the resilience of those who have survived extreme circumstances.

But survival stories should not automatically become survival doctrine. The fact that someone survived after drinking urine does not mean they survived because of it. More often, they survived despite it.

Better Choices in a Dehydration Emergency

My concern is simple: someone, somewhere, will face an unexpected wilderness emergency and — relying on poor information — choose to drink their urine in desperation. That decision could accelerate dehydration, strain already stressed kidneys, and contribute to a downward spiral that ends not in rescue, but in recovery.

Perhaps it has already happened. We may never know. But we can work to prevent it.

If you feel absolutely compelled to use urine in a survival scenario — and you have the time and energy — a more rational approach would be to incorporate it into a solar still. By adding urine to the collection pit, you “jumpstart” moisture that can then evaporate and condense as distilled water.

That said, solar stills are labor-intensive and typically yield minimal output. They are not my preferred water collection method, though they can serve a purpose when processing seawater or contaminated sources such as vehicle radiator fluid.

Frankly, there are better strategies.

Remember the maxim: ration your sweat, not your water. Move slowly. Seek shade. Avoid unnecessary exertion during peak heat. Cooling your body reduces fluid loss far more effectively than recycling waste fluid. If you feel compelled to use urine at all, applying it to a cloth and placing it around the neck or head can assist evaporative cooling without reintroducing solutes into your system.

Transpiration bags are another practical option. With minimal effort and patience, they can produce meaningful amounts of water from living vegetation. In our Advanced Wilderness Survival course, participants commonly collect between one-half and one liter over a 24-hour period — often enough to stabilize hydration until rescue or relocation.

Finally, keep perspective. Water is essential to life — second only to air — but the human body can often function for up to three days without it, depending on conditions and exertion levels. Not coincidentally, the majority of search-and-rescue operations conclude within that same 72-hour window — including the Arizona hiker’s rescue.

Desperation tempts shortcuts. Discipline improves survival.

The Real Keys to Survival

Ultimately, survival rests on two fundamentals: mindset and preparation. Equipment matters, but judgment matters more. Even a small amount of gear — paired with the knowledge and discipline to use it properly — dramatically improves your odds.

Preparation sharpens decision-making. It slows panic. It prevents desperation from driving poor choices. And it increases the likelihood that you are found quickly and return home safely — and with dignity.

Survival is rarely about dramatic gestures. It is about calm, informed action taken early.

Seek sound instruction. Train deliberately. And when the unexpected happens, rely on preparation — not myth.

At True North, that is precisely what we emphasize: disciplined skills, practical judgment, and training grounded in reality.

Meet the Author

Erik Kulick, Founder & Chief Instructor

Erik is a Pennsylvania-certified EMS Instructor, Fellow of the Academy of Wilderness Medicine, and served in law enforcement. He works with individuals and groups across all skill levels -- from beginners to members of the SOF community. He's been featured in national and international media, including CNN, The Associated Press, Backpacker, and The Guardian.

To learn more about Erik, visit him on LinkedIn and be sure to follow him on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.