Category: Water Storage & Filters

Practical Preparedness Suggestions – Part 1, by R.J.

This article is a compilation of practical preparedness tips, insights, and lessons learned. It starts with what I call inner resources, or mindset and moves toward the hard, practical items. I offer a rather broad field of experience, including military/industrial electrical work, Christian hospitality in organized retreat settings, hospice/end of life care, and some alternative power experience. I’ll close the article with a Christian exhortation as we head into this Christmas season. Mindset You can break the preparedness mindset down into: homesteading, military, social, domestic categories, etc; or synthesize it into one grand holistic prepster/survivalist perspective. Just don’t flunk the …


Update: On Spring Water, Well Water, and Water Treatment Basics

This article is an update and expansion to a brief but important piece that I wrote for SurvivalBlog back in 2007. –  JWR Plentiful fresh drinking water for drinking, cooking, washing, and gardening is the most critical resource for all societies. The vast majority of the residents of First World countries are dependent on grid power to supply their water. When the grid goes down for more than a few days, water towers will soon be drained and huge numbers of people will be forced to draw water from open sources. Thankfully, there are streams, rivers, lakes, and ponds in …


A Top-10 Prepping List, Multi-Tool Not Included – Part 1, by St. Funogas

A while back, while reading one of my daily economics blogs, I read an article on the top 25 things to have on hand in case the SHTF tomorrow. It was quickly apparent the author was an armchair prepper at best. Many of the non-negotiable items were overlooked, some items would be good for wilderness survival but not post-SHTF survival, and others were common everyday things we already own such as warm socks. Some of the items were unnecessary gadgets. Out of curiosity I did a search for other top-10 lists. The ones I found had the same issues. The …


Improvised Shower Fixtures and Pumps, by A.F.

My first iteration of an improvised shower came about while stationed in Texas. Our unit was participating in a field training exercise and were allocated one trip to the shower point per week. As this exercise was more of a practice of our daily grind in field conditions rather than a battle simulation, our platoon of mechanics set up a minimal motor pool and for the most part spent time catching up on service work. One of the few actual repairs I was given over those days was replacing the power steering pump on a M1009 CUCV better known as …


The “Come as You Are” Collapse–Have the Right Tools and Skills

Introductory Note From JWR: This article is an update and small expansion to a succinct post that I made back in February, 2008. When the Second World War broke out in September, 1939, the United States had nearly two full years to ramp up military training and production before decisively confronting the Axis powers. In the mid-1970s, looking at the recent experience of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War, the Pentagon’s strategic planners came to the realization that the next major war that the US military would wage would not be like the Second World War. There would not be the luxury …


Preparedness Primer for an Uncertain Future – Part 6, by Single Farmer

Editor’s Introductory Note: This young man is prayerfully seeking a wife. He is offering an after-marriage gift of up to $50,000 to whoever introduces him to his bride with $18,000 after their marriage and another $16,000 to the individual who provided the introduction after the first two births of healthy children born to him and his wife, for a total potential gift of $50,000. For further details, see this link to his article posted on July 13th, 2025: My Quest for a Wife: I’m Willing to Move. — (Continued from Part 5. This concludes the article.) Five Hundred Dollar Prepper …


Some Hidden Threats to Critical Infrastructure, by A.C.

In an increasingly interconnected world, the security of critical infrastructure, particularly power grids, is paramount. While geopolitical tensions often dominate headlines, there are some extremely concerning threats that aren’t getting as much play as they should: the potential for foreign actors to exploit vulnerabilities in seemingly innocuous imported components. In the essay, we’re going to chat about some recently uncovered instances of undisclosed communication devices embedded in critical infrastructure components, such as solar inverters and port cranes, highlighting the severe risks these “backdoors” pose to national security and even you as a private citizen (prepper or not). We’re also going …


Preps Starter Kits for Reluctant Families – Part 1, by A.F.

For years, my father and father-in-law would tell us that they had everything under control to handle the natural disasters common to their areas. Healthy pantries, stored gasoline and propane, plenty of firewood, tractors to clear debris or snow, four-wheel drive vehicles for movement and most importantly generators for their wells and freezers. Yet, after each big weather event both of them would tell of what they didn’t quite have ready or of supplies that they should have had. I got into the practice of calling them before inclement weather to ask if they had water and fuel ready or …


Another Look at Your EDC Gear and Your GHB, by Dr. Rick

There are two essential survival kits that deserve another look — both because of their importance and the confusion and misunderstandings that so often surround them. These kts are similar, but they are not the same. What sets them apart is their individuality and their applications. One size does not fit all. There’s no established list to bide by. To be successful, both bags/kits must be customized to meet each user’s individual needs. EDC stands for “every day carry.” In other words, with you all the time, always ready. The idea has been in the survival community for many years. …


Helping Liberal and Elderly Family Members, by M.J.

As has been written many times here at SurvivalBlog, we preppers can’t do it alone. We need people we can work with, whether it be neighbors, friends, or family. Yet it’s frustrating to see one’s family and friends not taking prepping seriously. Their lack of preparation would make them an extra burden on us during a real emergency. If there’s one thing that my IT career has taught me, it’s that our computerized worldwide system of just-in-time delivery of goods, as well as utilities such as power, telecommunications, and water are extremely fragile. Even authorized updates to software apps can …


Vala Alta Irish Linen Handkerchiefs, by Thomas Christianson

Other than using cotton balls for starting fires, it is generally best to avoid cotton for field use. Cotton fabric tends to attract and retain moisture, at which point it becomes uncomfortable and loses its insulating value. As a result, “cotton kills” has become a common saying regarding wearing cotton in the field. Although there are not too many situations in which one’s life might depend on the insulating value of their handkerchief, there are many times when one’s comfort is dependent upon that article being dry. Linen handkerchiefs provide a stronger and faster drying alternative to cotton handkerchiefs. As …


A Water or Fuel Level Sensor Circuit, by Mike in Alaska

We live up in the Arctic. Water is not always easily available in this area, various events can cause power to go out for weeks at time … what could possibly go wrong? The following design is for a fuel or water level sensor circuit. It uses a 66F002 MCU (Microprocessor Control Unit) with a built-in Analog to Digital flash storage read-only memory (A/D Flash EEPROM) using a sensor that has a prism built into a lens in the form of a sealed IR (Infrared) detector. When the sensor is bare (dry) the logic input to the MCU is logic …


How Much Water? – Part 2, by R.E.

(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.) Back to First Principles What would be really useful would be a series of lights which would reflect how full the tank was, and if in addition to that, an audible alarm for high water-level. Perhaps I could build something like this using basic off-the-shelf electronic components and my rather rudimentary knowledge? Like most reading this, I am no engineer, and no electrician. My only personal asset seems to be that, I like to tinker with stuff. So, I dug out the multimeter and an old breadboard and began to experiment. To …


How Much Water? – Part 1, by R.E.

Over the past several years we have experienced significant disruptions to our normal routines of life. In the big cities, the heavy hand of government. The ‘two weeks to flatten the curve’ turned into years with numerous stay home orders, social distancing, lockdowns of churches, face mask ‘requirements’ and ‘vaccination’ mandates. Vaccine passports, at one point it was said were required for travel between provinces and crossing the Canada-US border. Police were pulling people over on the roadways to check whether or not your reason to be out and about was considered ‘essential’. It all culminated in million-person waves of …


Get Ready for Tariff War 2 or World War 3

This brief essay serves as a reminder, for the new year. As we enter 2025, both geopolitics and global economics are displaying some profound changes.  The Ukraine war, the fall of Assad’s government in Syria, and the ongoing civil wars in Burma (aka Myanmar), Yemen, Sudan, South Sudan, and Ethiopia all have the potential to spill over into wider conflicts. Ditto for potential invasions in Taiwan and South Korea. Meanwhile, the rise of the BRICS trade bloc, the out-of-control U.S. National Debt, global debt as a whole, and the run-up of precious metals prices are all evidence of deep-seated economic …