How to make a drying rack in Sons of the Forest

Sons of the Forest drying rack - a first-person viewpoint of someone holding a wooden spear looking towards a campsite with a drying rack and a small fire
(Image credit: Endnight Games)

A drying rack doesn't immediately spring to mind in Sons of the Forest when thinking about surviving a terrifying, cannibal-infested island. And while it's going to do little to help ward off the danger of that particular threat, it can help with the less scary, but equally fatal, starvation. Basically, drying out your food will make it last longer, so you don't end up with a rucksack full of rotten meat. 

Of course, if you are after something to help you deal with the cannibal situation, this gun locations guide will set you up with some effective options. If you'd rather battle against that monster known as hunger, however, here's how to make the drying rack in Sons of the Forest, as well as how to use it. 

Sons of the Forest drying rack: How to make one 

I learned early on that cooking your food doesn't appear to help preserve it—at least, not for any useful amount of time. In a world with no use-by-dates, it's handy to extend the shelf-life of the food you're carrying, especially when food might not be easy to come by. Even a winter jacket isn't going to help you get through the colder months if you starve to death first.

Surprisingly, the materials you need are incredibly simple, so you can make a drying rack almost as soon as you arrive on the island. You'll need 13 sticks and the ability to find the blueprint for it in your crafting log, which is probably the hardest part.

To get started, press B then change the mode with the X key. Look for the "Structures" tab and flip the pages until you find the drying rack. Click on the picture of the blueprint to place the frame where you want it to go. Now you just need to find 13 sticks to build it—you can add the sticks by pressing E.

Using the drying rack is even simpler. Press E to interact with one of the hooks and add whatever you want to it from your inventory, similar to how you add things to the fire. I'm unsure how long it takes to dry out the stuff you place on it, but I imagine it will be a pretty slow process.

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Sarah James
Guides Writer

Sarah started as a freelance writer in 2018, writing for PCGamesN, TechRadar, GamingBible, Red Bull Gaming and more. In 2021, she was offered a full-time position on the PC Gamer team where she takes every possible opportunity to talk about World of Warcraft and Elden Ring. When not writing guides, most of her spare time is spent in Azeroth—though she's quite partial to JRPGs too. One of her fondest hopes is to one day play through the ending of Final Fantasy X without breaking down into a sobbing heap. She probably has more wolves in Valheim than you.