A question about desert survival?

Question

Does your physical size have any effect on your ability to survive in desert conditions, assuming you had ample supplies and were knowledgeable and experienced in such matters?

Like, would it matter if you were big and muscular versus someone with a more diminutive stature?

Answer 1

From a heat transfer aspect, there is a difference. Typically, bigger animals have less surface area to body volume ratio.

And the more surface area you have, the better you're at dissipating heat.

In a desert area, you will want your body to dissipate heat as much as possible. Therefore you will want to have a smaller body (higher surface to volume ratio), so that you can dissipate heat better.

A teacher once taught us to imagine the a perfect cube, imagine one with 1 unit length for all sides and the other with 3. Now, calculate the volume and the total surface area.

The one with 1 unit length is only 1 unit cube (volume) but has a surface area of 6 unit square, the ratio is 1:6. The one with 2 unit lenghts, will have 8 unit cube (volume) and 24 unit square (area), ratio is 1:3.

So, as your body size goes bigger, your body will have comparatively less surface area to lose the heat with....

Hope it helps

Answer 2

I don't know besides living space and weight of clothes packed. I guess you'd be lighter on a camel's back too.

But I would check around websites, books, and expert advice to see.

Answer 3

Thicker people tend to do better in cold environments.  When I was in Saudi Arabia, it seemed as if the thinner guys handled it better.

Answer 4

If you are larger you have more volume for your surface area; therefore it would be more difficult for your body to keep itself cool.  

Elephants don't do well in very hot or very cold environments because they find it diffiuclt to regulate their temperature.  To adapt they developed very large ears which increases their surface area.