Water
You can only live about three days without water, so it is the most important thing you can store. We recommend having enough to drinking plus extra for cleaning and/or sharing. Here we cover simple ways to store water for any budget and how you can get more safe water at home or camping. A simpler today for a better tomorrow.
Protip: Start at number 1 and don't even look at number 2 until 1 is done. Then go on one at a time.
01
Basic Water Storage at Home
The goal is save water at the usage rate of 2 gallons per person per day. The cheapest way to save water is reusing bottles. Two liter soda bottles and half gallon or larger juice bottles work great (never use milk jugs; the plastic gets brittle and breaks in about a year). If you don't drink either, ask a neighbor for theirs, wash them with soap, and fill them up with clean water. City water is already chlorinated so you are good to go. Store them out of direct sunlight. You can also buy cases of bottled water from the local grocery store. Store enough water for your family for a week.
02
Water Storage in your Vehicle
Keep a gallon of water in each vehicle. You can use it for your radiator, to drink, wash hands, and lots of other things. We use two half gallon juice bottles we've washed and refilled. This way we rotate through them and when we bring one inside to refill it we always have at least one in the vehicle.
03
Portable Water Filtration
Water filtration is a great idea no matter your situation, and you'll really need one if you're camping or there is a problem with the water system. In our state it seems at least one city every month is on a boil order for its water supply. Filtering it is easier, faster, and doesn't heat up your house in the hot months. We recommend the Hydroblu Versa Flow Water Filter. It is a great system that can filter thousands of gallons of water. Another simple personal filter is the LifeStraw water filter. Have one in your vehicle and one at home.
04
Stationary Water Filter
Water filtration at home is important because it is the foundation of life. We started using our Big Berkey Water Filter everyday once we started making our own sourdough bread, and realized slightest amount tap water would kill the bacteria in the sourdough starter. We decided city water probably wasn't the best for our health if it wasn't good for our starter. When our power has been off or we've had a boil order, it has come in very handy too! We recommend you buy or build some style of water filtration system for your home - we use Berkey as it is a world standard system.
05
Long Term Water Storage
Water filtration is a great idea no matter your situation, and you'll really need one if you're camping or there is a problem with the water system. In our state it seems at least one city every month is on a boil order for its water supply. Filtering it is easier, faster, and doesn't heat up your house in the hot months. We recommend the Hydroblu Versa Flow Water Filter. It is a great system that can filter thousands of gallons of water. Another simple personal filter is the LifeStraw water filter. Have one in your vehicle and one at home.