John O
In my "Waxed Paper" item, I wasn't suggesting that AE/FN had some on their plane, just that the hole in the ground technique was known at lleast in the '40s and plastic wasn't needed for the technique.
As I recall my ScoutMaster's demo, he had a roll of the waxed paper and a roll of what we then called "cellophane tape" (now morphed into "Scotch" tape). He cut a square of the paper and 4 equilatoral triangles. He folded the square on the diagonals and attached the triangles to each edge of the square making a sort of hasty inverted pyramid. In the "hole" he placed a canteen cup, then the inverted paper and weighted the edges down on the surface with rocks. Crude?, yes but it collected a cup of drinkable water while we were out on our day hike. What was even more impressive was when he had us make a frame out of branches and elevated it on wood "legs" over a grassy area to collect the morning dew on the waxed paper "collector" and into a pot.
A lot of work, but it worked. What I learned hen, but prolly didn't realize it cuz I was only about 12 years old, was to use what is available and use your brain and you have a good chance of surviving.
ood "legs"As I said, Nothing new under the Sun.