Carry at least one gallon of water per person per day of your trip. (Plastic gallon jugs are handy and portable)
Be sure your vehicle is in good condition with a sound battery, good hoses, spare tire, spare fan belts, necessary tools, and reserve gasoline and oil. Other spare parts and extra radiator water are also valuable.
Keep an eye on the sky. Flash floods may occur in a wash any time "Thunderheads" are in sight, even though it may not rain a drop where you are.
If caught in a dust storm while driving, get off the road. Turn off driving lights, turn on emergency flashers. Back into the wind to reduce windshield pitting by sand particles.
Before driving through washes and sandy areas test the footing. One minute on foot may save hours of hard work or prevent a punctured oil pan.
If your vehicle breaks down, stay near it. Your emergency supplies are here. Your car has many other items useful in emergency. Raise hood and trunk lid to denote "Help needed." A vehicle can be seen for miles, but a person on foot is very difficult to find.
When not moving, use available shade or erect shade from tarps, blankets, seat covers - anything to reduce the direct rays of the sun.
Do not sit or lie directly on the ground. It may be 30 degrees or more hotter than the air.
Leave a disabled vehicle only if you are positive of the route to help.
Keep clothing on. It helps to keep the body temperature down and reduces the dehydration rate. Cover your head. If a hat is not handy, improvise a head covering.
If you must walk, rest for at least 10 minutes of each hour. If you are not normally physically active, rest up to 30 minutes out of each hour. Find shade, sit down and prop up feet. Adjust shoes and socks. Do not remove shoes - you may not be able to get them back on swollen feet.
If you have water drink it. Do not ration it.
If water is limited, keep your mouth shut. Do not talk, do not eat, do not smoke, do not drink alcohol, do not take salt.
If stalled or lost set signal fires. Set smokey fires in the daytime, bright ones for the night. Three fires in a triangle denote "help needed."
A roadway is a sign of civilization. If you find a road, stay on it.
RECOMMENDED SURVIVAL ITEMS
PERSONAL
Essential:
Desirable:
Useful:
VEHICLE
Essential:
Desirable:
Useful:
If hiking in the desert, equip each person, especially children, with a police-type whistle. It makes a distinctive noise with little effort. Three blasts denote "HELP NEEDED."
To avoid poisonous creatures, put your hands or feet only where your eyes can see.