Dear Jim,
For the ‘Survival Minded/Preparedness Bent’ all the things we use daily should be reconsidered for alternative uses. For my part, I drink wine, the good stuff mind you. It comes in a box! Interesting thing about it is that each box that is consumed leaves behind another useful tool for any ‘rainy day’ event.
The bladder in the box that holds the wine is about 15″x15″. It is quite durable and contains a very efficient valve. The valve is self sealing and easily removed from the bladder itself. When the wine is gone, I remove the [box insert mylar] bladder from the box and the valve from the bladder. The bladder and valves are rinsed out with hot water and then an adequate amount of Clorox is poured into the bladder which is then topped off with water and the valve replaced. After an appropriate amount of time has passed, the valve is removed and the bladder rinsed. Ultimately, the bladder is allowed to dry in the sun (it takes a while).
The uses for the bladder are numerous:
1) The dried out bladder will collapse to fist size with the valve attached, i.e. easily transportable in a day pack.
2) The bladder will hold a considerable quantity of liquid that is easily dispensed and stored.
3) The bladder will easily double as a camping pillow.
4) Or as a flotation device to ‘swim’ a heavy pack across a deep stream; or as a flotation bag for person or property.
5) If one thought about it ahead of time, the bladder could be filled with a predetermined amount of Clorox (bleach) and then filled with pond/stream water as needed, allowed to sit, and there you go, potable water.
The gist is this: common household post-consumer waste is or can be a treasure trove if we as individuals ‘think out of the box’ and apply our minds to the potential future needs and uses ahead! – MQB, Somewhere South of Kentucky & North of Alabama