Emergency Water Rations

Emergency Water Rations

SOS Emergency Purified Water

Many individuals and families choose SOS Emergency Purified Water pouches for their emergency water needs.  These pouches make a great addition to 72 Hour Kits, Bug Out Bags, Get Home Kits and Automobile Kits.  The purified water is sealed in a mylar pouch for 5 year store.  The pouches contain just over 1/2 cup of water.  These are Coast Guard approved and are designed for compact storage and easy access.

These pouches are great for emergency kits because they are packed in small portion sizes and the mylar is not a hard container like bottles.  This allows pouches to fit well into your pack.  The mylar is also quite strong and does not allow in light.  The top of the mylar bag is designed for easy tearing to open the pouch.  By using these pouches you avoid the necessity of rotating water bottles every few months.

The Key to a Great 72 hour kit?

The key is.......Water, Water, Water.......and more Water.  Plus, make sure you have a water filtration device or water purification tablets.

Obviously that is not everything that makes up a 72 hour kit, but for most of us water and water filtration are at the top of the list.  Many individuals focus on their gear lists and fancy gadgets, but fail to recognize the importance of water and access to potable water.

Water storage and portage does create some issues.  One problem is that water is heavy.  You are looking at about 9 pounds per gallon when considering the water weight and container.  To help with this carrying weight, drink some of your water immediately.  Many agencies and experts feel that it is best to hold off on drinking water initially and wait for up to 24 hours.  In my own experience and in talking to other folks who I consider wilderness survival experts, it would seem that it is better to start drinking immediately.  There are several reasons for this.  1)  The exertion of carrying the extra water weight can lead to increased stress and perspiration.  Water inside of you is much easier to transport!  2)  Maintaining your existing level of hydration is important.  Once you are dehydrated it is difficult to return to a hydrated state.  Furthermore, your senses become dulled, your logic is impaired and you may become incoherent.  3)  The initial portion of an emergency and/or physical activity will often require more of your body.

A good recommendation is to store 1 gallon per person per day.  However, for an emergency kit this would prove to be too heavy.  3 Liters is usually a better recommendation as long as you have additional access to water.  If you do store 3 gallons, drink two of them as soon as possible.

Water storage can be an issue.  Build up of harmful bacteria can begin in water bottles due to light, heat and duration in a container.  A great way to avoid these issues is to store the Coast Guard Water Rations, or water pouches.  These pouches are usually good for 5 years and stand up to changes in weather better.  If you do store water in bottles, rotate frequently with a maximum of 3 months in between rotation.

In terms of filters, a great way to go are the AquaMira FrontierPro Filters.  These filters usually cost under $25.00 and are good for up to 50 gallons.  They are small, lightweight and extremely effective.  Keep one of these filters in your pack and know where reliable water sources are.  This allows you to expand your water capacity.

Another option is to purchase a pump style filter made by Katadyn or MSR.  Some of these units can filter 1,000's of gallons of water, but are heavier and bulkier.  Many folks also use water purification tablets made by Katadyn or AquaMira.  These are extremely lightweight and compact.

Whatever you decide to do, make water your focus and you won't be sorry.  The next post includes what I call an adult lightweight backpacking assembly with a list of components.  This is my pack for backpacking, camping and emergencies.

Berkey Purifiers - The Ultimate in Purification

Stainless Steel Housing with Ceramic and Active Charcoal Purification Elements

 

For us, there is nothing more enjoyable than having at our fingertips great tasting, clean water that has not been stripped of trace minerals.  A Berkey Purification System on your countertop is a truly great way to improve your quality of life and have you prepared for emergencies.

So many times we focus on food storage and give very little thought to water.  We really should be thinking:  Water! Water! Water!  With the Berkey Purification System, you can enjoy great water every day and have a filtration and purification system in place to deal with emergencies.  We think that every household should have one of these units.  Why?  There are several reasons:

These purifiers are easy to use!  Just fill up the top reservoir with water.  The water then is absorbed by the filters and then is gravity fed down through the purification elements and into the lower chamber where it can be dispensed.  The set of 2 filters that comes with each unit will last for 6,000 gallons before replacing.  It would take almost 5 years using 3 gallons of water a day to go through that much water!

Do you have water stored in 55 gallon drums or other containers?  Do you ever wonder if it is truly potable?  Berkey water purification systems will not only purify stored water that may not be safe for drinking, but it will also improve the taste of water.  What a great combination!

Another fantastic reason to own a Berkey is for personal health reasons.  With all of the water treatment and water product options out there, we believe that the Berkey Purification Systems make things simple.  We feel like Berkey systems provide great benefits at an affordable price with little to no maintenance.  Berkey systems purify water and leave the trace minerals in the water.  These units remove chlorine, pesticides, herbicides and a whole host of volatile organic compounds.  They significantly remove heavy metals by up to 95% !  You can also add an additional filter to remove fluoride and arsenic.

Many people want an affordable option to bottled water or water purchased by the gallon.  Others are tired of making trips and hauling heavy containers of water.  With a Berkey Purification System you not only have immediate access to pure, great tasting water, but you also save yourself money and are making an environmentally conscious choice by not using so much plastic.

Berkey Purification Systems make an important part of your emergency water filtration and purification planning.  These units can be used to filter and purify lake water, streams, stagnant pools and other water sources to remove germs, bacteria, cysts and protozoa and improve the taste of the water.  You can see the power filtration and purification process of the Berkey by adding red food coloring to the water to be filtered in the top.  This unit will remove the food coloring!  This is also a way to periodically test your filters for performance.

Many of you have heard of the Big Berkey, but our preference is the step up in size, which is the Royal Berkey.  (The Big Berkey is kind of small....it only holds 2 gallons of water while the Royal Berkey holds 3 gallons of water.)  You can find pricing and additional details at our store website:  http://www.preparingwisely.com/water_storage_supplies__filters  .  Start improving your water, your health and your emergency preparedness today with the Berkey Purification System!

Katadyn Combi Water Filtration

It goes without saying......Water is a Vital element of preparedness.

Katadyn Combi

Many of us tend to focus on food storage and year supply, but water is even more important to sustaining life than food.  While there are ways to store a tremendous amount of water, a water filter provides you with a way to access water from various sources in the event your water can't go with you or runs out.

Katadyn is a Swiss Company that has been making water filters for over 80 years!  Katadyn is one of two companies that is listed on the www.providentliving.org website under water purification guidelines.  The company has a proven track record and makes high quality products.  Our best selling water filter is the Katadyn Combi.  It will filter an amazing amount of water..........up to 13,000 gallons to be exact.  That is a lot of water.  In fact, rarely do folks even request a replacement filter because it is hard to conceive even filtering 13,000 gallons!  While these units are not cheap in price ($160), they are a great value when considering that the next step down is the Katadyn Mini, which filters 2,000 gallons, costs $100.  So, for $60 more you get an additional 11,000 gallons.  The one advantage that the mini has is that it is very small and extremely lightweight.  The Combi is larger and heavier, but is still a perfect size and weight for a 72 hour kit, emergency kit or survival kit.

These amazing filters remove all of the floaties in your water, plus filter out the bacteria and protozoa that make you sick!  The Combi filters down to 0.2 microns to keep your water clean and safe.  You can drop the hose into a stream, lake, pond, pool of stagnant water, canal, natural spring and even a cow trough and pump out potable water!  Water is a priority and the Katadyn Combi provides a way to access thousands of gallons of water.

Please enjoy the video below to view product information and a demonstration of the Katadyn Combi filter:

Katadyn Combi Water Filtration

Friday, June 26, 2009

Katadyn Water Filters

Katadyn is a Swiss company that has long been recognized as one of the premier water filter companies in the world. Katadyn filters are even listed as one of the recognized brands on http://www.providentliving.org/.

The Combi is one of Katadyn's best filters because of the amount of water that it can filter. It has a filtering capacity of up to 13,000 gallons. This is a top of the line ceramic filter that also features activated carbon to improve water taste and quality. Here is the technical information on the ceramic and activated carbon filtering capabilities:

Katadyn Ceramic filters have a micro porous structure with impregnated silver which delays the growth of bacteria. The pore size of Katadyn ceramic filters is 0.2 micron (0.0002 mm). Bacteria range in size from 0.2 to 5 micron and like protozoa (1 – 15 micron), are efficiently filtered out.

Activated Carbon is used for its ability to reduce harmful organic and inorganic substances in the water. It removes unpleasant tastes, odors, chlorine, pesticides (such as lindane, DDT) and trihalomethanes (THMs). These substances adhere to the large surface area of the activated carbon.

Katadyn has a wonderful video of their product that can be viewed at:

Katadyn Combi