The stillsuit ensured that the Fremen of Arrakis survived the harsh weather of Arrakis. The stillsuit got worn to cover the body when a person wanted to last a week in the desert. However, when doing delicate work, the gloves got removed.
Stillsuit Definition
A stillsuit is a special cloth worn by the Fremen to combat the extreme weather conditions on Arrakis. The stillsuit collected moisture from a person’s body and converted it into drinkable water.
Because of how harsh Arrakis’s environment was, the stillsuit became a crucial part of the Fremen’s culture. There were different types of stillsuits, but the best were those created by the Fremen as they could make a person go about a week without needing to retake water.
The Relevance of the Stillsuit in the Dune Universe
The stillsuit was a crucial device used by the Fremen on Arrakis. The suit ensured that all moisture from the body, including urine, got filtered and reused as drinking water. The stillsuit had many layers that captured moisture like sweat and urine and filtered all impurities. A tube in the neck ensured an individual could drink the reclaimed water stored in the catchpockets; this process ensured a person’s survival for weeks without needing water.
The stillsuit got explained in detail by Leto I in the statement:
It’s basically a micro-sandwich – a high-efficiency filter and heat-exchange system. The skin-contact layer is porous. Perspiration passes through it, having cooled the body’s near-normal evaporation process. The next two layers include heat exchange filaments and salt precipitators. Salt is reclaimed. Motions of the body, especially breathing and some osmotic action provide pumping force. Reclaimed water circulated to catchpockets from which you draw it through this clip at your neck. Urine and feces are processed in the thigh pads. In the open desert, you wear this filter across your face, this tube in the nostrils with these plugs to ensure a tight fit. Breath in through the mouth filter, out through the nose tube. With a Fremen suit in good working order, you won’t lose more than a thimbleful of moisture a day.
Production of the Stillsuit
The stillsuit got produced by the Fremen and some private entrepreneurs. However, the Fremen made the best stillsuit as theirs paid attention to the desert more than the suits created by others. The Fremen’s stillsuit only lost about five milliliters of water a day. It was the only type of stillsuit that could withstand the deep desert. The stillsuit got created with multiple layers to prevent the loss of moisture from the body to the surrounding. Additional layers ensured that moisture collected could be recycled into drinkable water.
The Fremen Tradition Regarding the Stillsuit
According to the Fremen tradition, a person’s water belonged to their tribe; this meant that a person had to preserve their body moisture not just because of themselves but because it could be used by the tribe when the person died.
The Structure of a Stillsuit
A stillsuit has many parts such as:
- Breathing Masks: Breathing masks were filter masks that retained the moisture of a person’s breath.
- Catchpockets: Catchpockets are a storage device where all the reclaimed moisture from the body got stored.
- Gloves: Gloves were worn on the hands to prevent loss of moisture. However, the Fremen discarded the gloves when they wanted to do delicate work.
- Nostril Plugs: Nostril plugs got worn to filter the dust and help retain moisture.
- Water-tube: The water tube was a tube that got connected to the catch pockets. It enabled a person to drink the water filtered by their stillsuit.
Glossary Terms Related to the Stillsuit
Here is a list of words related to the stillsuit:
- Stillsuit Cap: The stillsuit cap is a piece of the stillsuit worn over the head. It got used to ensure minimal loss of body moisture.
- Creosote Bush: The creosote bush is a shrub native to Arrakis. Its leaves got used by the Fremen to prevent moisture loss from the hands when there were no gloves.
FAQs
Can you poop in a stillsuit Dune?
The stillsuit got designed to retain moisture from the body of a person. Because feces contained water, a bag got used for collecting it. Moisture got collected from the feces and urine excreted by a person. After a series of filtration, the water got taken into the body. The stillsuit collected feces and disposed of it after it got processed.
Were the Fremen’s stillsuit efficient?
The stillsuits produced by the Fremen were very efficient in water conservation. Because of the skill and time taken to create each suit, a person barely lost water from the stillsuit and could go about a week in the deep desert without needing to drink extra water. When the Fremen did delicate work, they used leaves to rub their hands; this prevented moisture from leaving their bodies. The Fremen considered water sacred.
Was it comfortable to wear a stillsuit on Arrakis?
The stillsuit was comfortable to wear because it got fitted to each individual. The making of the stillsuit involved both ingenuity and time; this made the Fremen suit much better than others made by private entrepreneurs.
Do the Fremen stop using the stillsuit in Dune?
Yes, the Fremen eventually let go of the stillsuit. During the reign of Leto II, almost all the sandworms had become extinct because of the conversion of Arrakis. The planet had become a lush green world. Arrakis turning green tightened Leto II’s power on the universe.