Survival Kit Series: Week 2: Water

I'm so thrilled to announce the winner of last week's drawing:  Stormy said:

Since we are somewhat tight on money for the next couple weeks due to me having a baby, I plan to use the suitcases we have on hand to pack our kits in. Once we have extra income again, I plan to buy backpacks since those are easier to carry. 

How fun is that?  I'm so glad she won!  There were only 3 comments (one on facebook), so I just had my 4 yr old son pick a number from 1-3.  Unfortunately, I don't have an email address for Stormy.  So, Stormy, when you read this, please contact me.  I'd love to get your prize shipped out soon!

Want to win next week?
Remember, all you have to do to enter the drawing each week is LEAVE A COMMENT on this post before 11:59 pm on Tuesday.  Simple.  This is open to anyone and everyone: my family members, friends, those I've never met, other Shelf Reliance consultants: anyone!

If you are just joining us, you can read more about this series (and find the other week's challenges) here:

Survival Kit Ideas: A week by week approach

I hope all of you rotated through your kits last week and / or got something ready to pack up with all the great stuff we will be discussing over the next few months.

On to this week's topic:

Water

Water is essential to any emergency plan.  Therefore, it is essential to your 72 hour kit.  Problem is: water is heavy!  For drinking purposes only (no washing, cooking etc), it is recommended that you have at least 1 gallon of water per person per day.  That would equate to 3 gallons of water per person, or 23 regular size (16.9 oz) water bottles in a 72 hour kit.  Especially if you are packing for more than one person, it is unrealistic for you to actually be able to carry all that water.  So, water will be split into two sections: (1) actual water products you can carry with you (this week), and (2) products you can get to help you filter / use water you may find during / after and emergency (next week).

Again, I will give a few suggestions / ideas below, but no one idea is right for each and every family.  Decide what works best for your family and move forward.  Leave a comment and let us know what you decided to do.

Credit: stevendepolo

Water Bottles:
Just regular old bottled water that you can get at the store.  These are easy to access,  and familiar.  Short shelf life.  Can be tough to pack b/c they are rather awkward.  Typically 16.9 oz.  Least expensive option.  Easy to rotate since you can drink them anywhere / everywhere.


Water Boxes:
Unfamiliar, but fun for kids.  They look like juice boxes, so my kids think they are great.  We have these in their mini 72 kits.  Pasteurized and sterilized.  5 year shelf life.  Fit great in smallish spaces in a pack.  8.45 oz.  The most expensive option (per oz) at $0.070 / oz



Water Pouch
Unfamiliar.  Tastes a bit funny (in my opinion).  Easy to store almost anywhere in a 72 hr kit.  5 year shelf life.  Relatively expensive option (per oz) at $0.055 / oz

What we have done in our family:

I like the ease of rotating & purchasing the water bottles, so that is what we use the most of.  We have one 16.9 oz bottle per person per day in our large adult kits (so 9 bottles per kit).  We also have 3 water boxes in each of the boys kits.
We also have an entire suitcase on wheels full of water bottles.  If we have the time / capability, we will pull this along behind us if forced to evacuate on foot, or throw it in our van if lucky enough to drive.  We also store 6-8 cases of water and 50-60 juice bottles full of water.  If we were to evacuate in our van, we would take as much of that as possible.
We also have various means of purifying / sanitizing water we might find (more on that next week).

And don't forget....
Add $1 per person to your survival kit this week.  Make sure you use $1 bills and / or quarters.

How about you?  

Leave me a comment and tell me how much water you've decided to carry and how it will be packaged.  Then, get it all ready to add to your survival kit this week! Remember, everyone who participates / leaves a comment will get one entry into this week's free product drawing!  Read below for more information:


At home prep for the month of October: Water.  
This is separate from your 72 hr kit and will help you be prepared to deal with the after effects of an emergency that you did not have to evacuate for.  
Find a way to store at least 14 gallons of water per person in your family.  This is a bare minimum for 2 week's survival and leaves no extra for cooking or washing.  If you already have some water stored, try to add at least another 14 gallons per person.  You can store it in 55 gallon water barrels, 5 gallon containers, plastic juice bottles (not the kind from the refrigerated section), soda bottles, or 16.9 oz water bottles.  A variety is best.  If you have a large water source such as a swimming pool, get a water filter so you could use it if contaminated.  Learn more about water storage
 

Photo Credit: Panhandle

Making these Survival Kit Ideas FUN
To me, the phrase "Survival Kit Ideas" rings strong of BORING and OVERWHELMING.  But having a survival kit is also extremely important.  Breaking it up into smaller bits helps with the overwhelming bit, but we are still left with boring.
I've decided to do something to make it a bit more fun!  Everyone who participates during the week AND leaves a comment here on my blog about what you did (even if you didn't accomplish everything) will be entered into a drawing to win your choice of:

1. A 55 gallon water barrel, 
2. A Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter, or 
3. A Featherlite zero degree sleeping bag
4. A $70 credit to purchase any emergency supplies you want from Shelf Reliance

That's right!  I will be giving away something EACH WEEK for 26 weeks!

Want to guarantee winning one of the above?  
Since building a survival kit is important, I want to help make it easier for as many people as possible.  Anyone who tells others about this week by week survival kit series in at least 50 ways during the first 6 month of the series will receive their choice of the above.  You can share it (use the buttons at the very bottom of this post to share it quickly and painlessly...just click on each button):

• on facebook (each post counts as one entry, so post often), 
• on twitter (each tweet counts as one entry), 
• on pinterest (each pin counts as one entry)
• by phone (each phone call counts as one entry), 
• by email (each person you email counts as one entry), or 
• on your blog / website (each post / mention counts as one entry).  

The following form will be available at the end of each weeks post.  Simply submit your info each week.  Once you reach 50 entries, I will contact you about which product you'd like.  Please be honest!



I am an independent consultant for Shelf Reliance; a company with a mission to empower others to become self reliant, prosperous and charitable.  You can learn more about Shelf Reliance, buying their products, earning free products, or selling their products on my Shelf Reliance website.