# Survival > General Survival Discussion >  How to boil water without a pot?

## adbiggs

How would you boil water without a pot? What would you use in the wilderness?

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## owl_girl

Well if you could find a rock with a dip in the center you could fill it with water and put it on the fire. Thats based off luck though.

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## FVR

The indians would hang a piece of leather in the middle of three sticks, fill with water, then pull hot rocks out of the fire and put them in.

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## ATough

if you have a thick wool bucket hat you can put the water on that and throw hotrocks in it. just make sure the hat deosnt have airholes.

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## owl_girl

> The indians would hang a piece of leather in the middle of three sticks, fill with water, then pull hot rocks out of the fire and put them in.


I think now days leather often has harsh chemicals in it so I would be careful.

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## Sarge47

> Well if you could find a rock with a dip in the center you could fill it with water and put it on the fire. Thats based off luck though.


Just remember that if the rocks have any moisture in them they can explode if you put them in the fire.

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## FVR

Indians use to brain tan their hides.  Most times for heating water like this they would just use rawhide that had not been tanned.  Scrape off the meat and hair, wet and roll up.

When you want to use it, soak in water so it softens and then position and fill with water.

Rawhide is very versatile even though it's hard when dry.


Todays tanneries use alum and a variety of acids.  That is why in the pioneer days, you could eat your leggins and coat.

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## troutndeer

I would use tightly woven cloth (if i had it) the indians in my area used baskets with hot rocks.

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## kid

if you dig a pit and then put a tarp in it, folowing with putting hot rocks in it 
you can boil water this way

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## SOE digital

You can boil water in bamboo....just making sure there are no segments with air pockets because they can easily explode and bamboo splinters in a paintfull way  :Wink:

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## jdavidboyd

I read somewhere, long ago, that the Indians in New England used to boil water in skunk cabbage leaves.  They would make a small pot from 5 or 6 leaves, then fill it with water.  The fire would burn the leaf away from the top, but all the spots that touched water survived.

I've never tried it, but it might work...

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## trax

> Just remember that if the rocks have any moisture in them they can explode if you put them in the fire.


Rocks with sand in them will explode as well. It's not uncommon with some types of rock to have sand encased inside the rock and when they heat up the sand expands more and faster than the solid rock does, so be careful with heating rocks.

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## LiL' bunny fufu

or u could walk home and _get a pot_

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## LiL' bunny fufu

he he  lol

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## trax

> or u could walk home and _get a pot_


guess you could walk home and boil water too, but the question was about out in the wilderness   :Smile:   Since it's safe to assume that you already have fire and water...to boil water those are pretty much pre-requisites, if you have clay, you can make a pot that'll boil water, wet the clay, add some sand or any stones you can crush up (actually helps the clay harden, I'm told) smear it all over a nice round rock for shaping and throw it in the fire, voila, ceramic pot. How much time do you have in this scenario? that takes a while.

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## LiL' bunny fufu

thats very true

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## Rocky789

What ive always done in the past is get a good size tree trunk and burn out the insides (I really wouldnt suggest pine for this as well) until you have a large "water tight" depression, then fill it up with water and heat golf ball sized rocks and continue to drop them in the water one after the other until it is boiling (getting the cold rocks out of it can be tricky) but if you have enough rocks it can be done.

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## LiL' bunny fufu

thats smart

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## survival scout

To boil water without a pot I know you can boil water in a green leaf (if you can find a big enough leaf or construct a bowl of leafs some how)   but if your just looking for clean water you can dig a hole about 18" wide and about a foot and a half down put a tarp or a piece of plastic over the hole holding it with rocks on the outside and one rock in the center where the plastic comes to a point in the hole is where you put a cup or a can or anything to collect water.

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## wareagle69

just to play devils advocate.... how many of you have actually done what you are suggesting? if you have then speak of your experience if not then do not post, you are likely to get someone hurt just becuse you read it somewhere does not give you the right to pass it along as fact........

   always be prepared...

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## survival scout

Everything I have ever said on this web site I have done and used

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## Rocky789

Same for me everything I have posted on this site I have done, if I havent I will say so, as far as woods to use for the water holding container I usually prefer Douglas Fir, Western Red Cedar, again Id definately dont suggest pine for it.  Like I said basically take some hot coals and start burning out some of the insides, once the coals burn take a rock and scrape out all the charred material then keep on burning until the you get the desired depth. Once done clean it out and fill it with water, and simply take really hot golf ball sized rocks and drop them in the water, yes sometimes the rocks do explode, and No never use granite for this purpose, it always explodes but typically you dont have to worry much about shrapnel from it.

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## Strider

Whenever I go camping, I usually try to bring a square (at least) of aluminum foil. It has multiple uses, a water pot included. (Also a signal mirror, blanket, cooking food, reflecting a fire...)

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## tarheelfan

> Whenever I go camping, I usually try to bring a square (at least) of aluminum foil. It has multiple uses, a water pot included. (Also a signal mirror, blanket, cooking food, reflecting a fire...)


Very true Strider...aluminum foil can do just about everything. Really, you can boil water in just about anything that will hold water. Leaves, plastic, and many things that would otherwise burn or melt will not due to the water it contains...although any of the object will burn,melt, etc. if it is not making contact with the liquid.

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## trax

Made pottery the way I described, but some of my ancestors did for about 12000 years in Manitoba and Ontario, that's why I ask questions like how much time does he person have in the situation.

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## Fog_Harbor

I've done the rock boiling in my hat.  It's the most reliable.

You do have to be careful when you heat the rocks, but I usually just stay away from the fire when they're heating up (I've known them to explode, but it's never happened to me).  It doesn't take a lot of rocks to boil a quart or two of water, but you obviously don't want to boil more than you can realistically use or carry.

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## wareagle69

cool just trying to keep it real in here.

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## carcajou garou

Make a bark bowl (birch around here) and place hot pebble in it ti it boils. Be carefull they are not river or lake rocks can and do explode.

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