Survival Kit Series Week 3: More Water

If you are just joining us, I recommend starting with week #1.  You can find it here:

 Survival Kit Series Week #1

Once you've completed that, just jump in on this week's focus.  I will cycle through each week again once we are done.  You can do the earlier weeks last instead of first!  You can also read the intro to this series here: Survival Kit Ideas: a week by week approach.

I hope all of you were able to gather some water to add to your survival / 72 hr kit last week.  Water is absolutely essential to life.  You could survive (though not comfortably) without food for 3 days, but you will not survive without water.

As you gathered water, you probably realized (if you didn't already), that it is heavy!  If you were forced to evacuate your home and could take your car, then it is very realistic to take 3+ gallons per person in your family.  You should have at least this much water ready to throw into your car at a moments notice.

But what if you were forced to evacuate on foot?  It simply is not realistic to carry that much water for any real distance.  Maybe this guy could:

 
but not me!  This is especially so if you have a large family.  I would need to carry at least 18 gallons for my family!  Yet, water is still essential to life.  So, what to do?


Chances are you will come across water sources in one form or another: a lake, pond, backyard pool,  stream, river, rainwater, etc.  If you come across other evacuated homes, you may be able to use hidden water sources there: ice cubes, hot water tanks, pipes, toilet reserve tanks, etc.
*Note: You will need a distiller to make ocean water drinkable.  They are very expensive: $800+

However, since you will be uncertain of the source or cleanliness of these sources, you will need a way to make them safe to drink.   There are many methods of doing this.  There are pros and cons to each method and no one method will work well for everyone in their current situation.

This week's focus:  

Read through the options below and choose at least one for your family.  Take the necessary steps to add it to your 72 hour kit this week!

Least Expensive method: Bleach

Photo Credit: Dottie Mae

Pros:  This is a very inexpensive, easy method. You can buy bleach at almost any store.  It will kill most microorganisms.  You can treat a large amount of water all at once.  This method is time-effective.
Cons:  Clorination will kill most (not all) microorganisms but will not remove other contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals.   It also will not remove mud or dirt or make muddy water clear again.  It will not fix the taste of contaminated water.  Even clear water treated with bleach will taste funny.
If you choose this method:  If you choose this method, you will need to keep bleach in your 72 hour kit (find a small container at a dollar store or in the travel section).  Make sure to rotate it every few months!  You may also want to consider adding a drink mix to make treated water more palatable.  Print out the following instructions from FEMA and keep them with the bleach:

Use only regular household liquid bleach that contains 5.25 to 6.0 percent sodium hypochlorite. Do not use scented bleaches, colorsafe bleaches, or bleaches with added cleaners. Because the potency of bleach diminishes with time, use bleach from a newly opened or unopened bottle.  Add 16 drops (1/8 teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of water, stir and let stand for 30 minutes. The water should have a slight bleach odor. If it doesn’t, then repeat the dosage and let stand another 15 minutes. If it still does not smell of bleach, discard it and find another source of water.

Boiling and Distillation:
Pros: Boiling is a very effective method of treating microorganisms in water, and used in conjunction with distillation, it will also remove heavy metals, salts and chemicals.  It will make your water clear to drink and make it taste relatively normal.  It is also relatively inexpensive if you already have a pot and heat source.
Cons: You will need a LARGE pot, lid, and small stove in your 72 hour kit.  These items will take up some space.  More importantly, you will need to use fuel, which will be precious in an emergency, just to get drinkable water.  You may prefer to save your fuel for other things.  Also, you can only distill so much water at a time.  This method is not time-effective.
If you choose this method: Add a large pot with a handled lid (see illustration below), a small cup, string, and a small stove (with fuel) to your 72 hr kit. Print these instructions from FEMA and keep them with your pot:

Distillation involves boiling water and then collecting the vapor that condenses back to water. The condensed vapor will not include salt or most other impurities. To distill, fill a pot halfway with water. Tie a cup to the handle on the pot’s lid so that the cup will hang right-side-up when the lid is upside-down (make sure the cup is not dangling into the water), and boil the water for 20 minutes. The water that drips from the lid into the cup is distilled.  (see illustration)

Water Purification Tablets / Treatment solutions
Pros:  Inexpensive: these options are a bit more expensive than bleach, though not by much.  If you live in Utah, you may be able to get them at the grocery store!  They take up very little space. They usually taste better than bleach and will kill most microorganisms.  You can treat a large amount of water all at once.  This method is time-effective.
Cons:   These methods will kill most (not all) microorganisms but will not remove other contaminants such as heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals.   They also will not remove mud or dirt or make muddy water clear again.  They will not fix the taste of contaminated water. 
If you choose this method:  Make sure that the option you purchase includes directions and be sure to include them in your kit.  If you can't get some at your grocery store, here are a few options: Aquamira water treatment , Purification tablets,  You may also want to consider adding a drink mix to make treated water more palatable.

Water Filtration Bottle
Pros: Relatively inexpensive (when compared to other water filters).  Convenient.  Filter water just as you need it.  Treats microorganisms and filters heavy metals and chemicals as well as sand, mud, silt, etc.  Can have one for each family member.  Filtered water is easily portable.  Filtered water will be clear and taste normal.
Cons: Will need to replace filter periodically (usually after filtering about 30 gallons).  Sometimes difficult to push water through the filter: you can't suck it out.  You will need to push it through the filter into a glass or cup.
If you choose this method:  You can get two different bottles through Shelf Reliance: One for $19.99 and one for $29.99.  If you want to get a group of friend together and purchase them in a 12 pk, you can get them for $14.60 each.  Contact me directly for that deal.

SteriPen
Pros: Very quick!  Water is ready in just seconds.  Convenient.  Fits into almost any water bottle or cup.  Very effective against all microorganisms.  Light and small.  Fits almost anywhere.  Can have one for each family member.
Cons: Relatively expensive: especially if you buy one for everyone in your family.  Does not filter heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals or sand, mud etc.  Will not fix the taste of contaminated water.
If you choose this method:  Purchase one (or more) of the SteriPens: The SteriPen Emergency or the SteriPen Journey and add it to your kit.

Water Filters
Pros: Effective against microorganisms and heavy metals, salts, and most other chemicals as well as sand, mud etc .  Typically lightweight.  Can usually pump and filter at the same time.  Most can filter and incredible amount of water: some up to 13,000 gallons.
Cons: Expensive (the filters that Shelf Reliance carries currently range from $60-$360).  You may eventually have to replace the filter.

What we have done in our family:

When we first started our 72 hr kits, we used purification tablets.  I still keep some in our kits.  A few months ago, I bought a filtration bottle for each family member.  We have two in each of the large kits and one in each of the boy's kits.  This will allow us to filter 180 gallons of water w/o changing any filters.  I like that my boy's kits have their own: if they were separate from us for any reason, those helping them would be able to filter water for them.  I will use some of our free product benefits as a Shelf Reliance consultant to get a microfilter soon (within the next couple of months).

This week's focus:  

Read through the options above and choose at least one for your family.  Take the necessary steps to add it to your 72 hour kit this week!

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

Monthly Challenge: 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 do 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

Other weeks in the Series:

Intro: Survival Kit Ideas: a week by week approach
Week #1: Rotation and Packaging
Week #2: Water part I

This week's winner:

I'm so thrilled to announce the winner of week #2's drawing:  I had 8 entries (just one per person): 7 on the blog and 1 comment left on my facebook page.  According to Random.org comment #5 was the winner.

Julianne said:

Congrats Julianne!   

Want to win?
I am giving away 1 prize per week for 26 weeks.  All you have to do to enter the drawing each week is LEAVE A COMMENT on this post (or a post on facebook that links back to 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! Below are the 4 prizes each winner can choose from:

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?  
If you want to earn a prize instead (or in addition) to winning one, fill out the form at the bottom of this post each week.  Once you reach 50 entries (an average of just over 2 per week), I will contact you about which free product you want.
You can share it:

• using the buttons at the very bottom of this post.  This is the quickest and most painless way:...just click on each button!  Each click counts as one entry!
• on your own on facebook (each post counts as one entry, so post often), 
• on your own on twitter (each tweet counts as one entry), 
• on your own 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.