Coconuts don’t grow in my neck-of-the-woods so I am grateful that my local grocery store stocks them in their produce section. They had already been shucked of their outer layer but if you acquire a whole coconut I describe on my “Edibles” page how to remove both the outer layer and crack open the inner layer as well. By cracking open the coconut shell around it’s equator it produced two nice “bowls”. I saved the coconut milk and removed the white pulp inside. These bowls had round bottoms and thus needed support to keep them upright when holding water.

There are basically two approaches to heating water in the coconut shell or any other vessel – by “outside heat” or “inside heat”. “Outside heat” is generally accomplished by setting the shell in coals or suspending them over a fire. It’s interesting to note that a flammable vessel will not burn through to the water because the water inside limits the temperature and prevents ignition. “Inside heat” is accomplished by heating stones in a fire then placing them into the water. Heat is elevated incrementally as each stone is added. The first stones can be removed and replaced by newer hot stones as needed.

For the “outside heat” method I selected the smaller shell to heat by fire so I notched two parallel logs on their facing sides and placed the bowl above them. This allowed space for the fire to heat it from beneath. I just added kindling as needed. It took quite awhile to achieve a boil as the coconut shell is quite an insulator.

For the “inside heat” method I used the larger shell because stones displaced the water as they were added and the vessel needed more capacity. I placed it on the ground and supported it using three stones. I selected many smaller stones (not river stones as they may explode) to heat in a fire. I used two sticks to transfer the stones from the fire to the shell. It was quite awkward to do, so look for a future article on stick transfer tools as I explore other stick devices and methods for this purpose.

It was a great experience. Next time that you plan a campfire, visit your local grocery store and pick up a coconut and try these boiling techniques for yourself.

After pondering various approaches of collection I decided that I could modify the umbrella to make a funnel, thus eliminating the need to monitor the collection process while at the same time maximizing the surface area. The umbrella could be placed over a vessel and left unattended. Because rainy weather is often also windy, a tripod could be used to stabilize the umbrella as illustrated in the photo.

A hole was needed near the tip of the umbrella so I improvised a make-shift grommet by using duct tape. I keep duct tape wrapped around my water bottle so if I needed to, I could improvise this hack while in the field. I placed a piece of duct tape over the inside surface of the fabric to facilitate a clean cut. I then folded the umbrella fabric lengthwise and cut a “V” about 3/4″ wide which created a diamond shaped hole when unfolded. I placed a second piece of duct tape on the outside of the hole and then replaced the inside piece with new tape so that the tape adhesives sealed together through the hole. I folded the tape patch and cut a smaller 1/2″ “V” in the center thus creating a sealed edge lining of the fabric opening. When I placed the umbrella over the collection bin I decided to place a stone next to the hole in order to facilitate better drainage by creating a low point for the collected water to exit.

The open umbrella could also be used to collect dew when left out overnight. Alternatively, a piece of tape can be placed on the outside over the hole so that the umbrella can be used in the conventional manner.