Category: Water Storage & Filters

Letter Re: Light Blocking Suggestions for Windows

James: In response to the recent article: Light Blocking Suggestions for Windows, I’d like to mention that another very low cost option for blacking out windows is a roll of roofing (tar) paper. It takes up very little space. It can also be used as expedient, water-resistant repair material.  – Pat O’C. JWR Replies: Tar paper does indeed have many uses, but I’de recommend that you use it outside, rather than inside widows. Tar paper is notorious for outgassing. The distinctive tarry smell can linger for many months or even years in a confined space, so I would recommend never …


Consider The Little Things, by R.P.

I hope some of you know most of these things, but I’m sure most of you won’t know all of these things. I took a camping trip not too long ago where I made one of my favorite childhood camping dishes, the hobo dinner. I’m sure those of you who camp have had it a few times. Put some potatoes and veggies in some aluminum foil and throw it right on the fire. Easy enough. Tastes great. Don’t even need a plate. I, however, am not your average cook. I like to try new things, and I don’t eat plain …


Letter Re: Advice on Family Preparedness

Sir, I’m a suburbs dweller, living about 25 miles out of Milwaukee. I’ve gotten my mom–who lives nearby–into prepping. (Loaning her my copy of your “How to Survive the End of the World as We Know It” book worked!) So what do I do next, to get her farther down the road [to prepping]? I bought her a Kat[adyn water] filter. She has no clue about storage of foods. (We aren’t one of those “canning” families.) I bought myself a bunch of MREs and Mountain House foods, but she can’t afford to [do likewise], since she’s a retired school teacher. …


Letter Re: The Blackout Docudrama

Hi Jim, The really bug thing about long-term black outs, is the failure of urban (and not-so urban) water systems.  Few care where their clean, safe, drinking water comes from, since it’s been gushing out of their pipes all their lives.  Electricity pumps water into towers and tanks on high ground where gravity does the rest.  No power, no water.  Even the FEMA planners in New Jersey I lectured to a few years ago didn’t quite grasp the implications of a post-EMP America….they all thought they’d be inconvenienced because they couldn’t use their computers. Toilets need water to flush, so …


A Practical Plan for Survival–One Man’s View, by C.L.

When I was very young I would sometime spend rainy days at my grand-mother’s house going through sporting goods catalogs and the Sears catalog making list of items that might be needed during disasters or emergencies. I have no idea why I am wired in such a way that I give a good amount of thought to being prepared. I am no longer a young boy but now I believe making such plans are more important than ever before. The economic situation in our country can only be described as terrifying to anyone who will take the blinders off and …


Prioritized Prepping, by Z.T.

I, like so many people across the country, can’t walk out of my local sporting goods store without buying the limit of ammunition. Now, before you judge me, realize that most places limit you to small boxes of ammunition, and usually one two per caliber. Is it being prudent or just being obsessed? While the firearm and ammo situation is very much a media-hyped thing,  I have even talked about things you must buy every time you are out, like my article on Things Commonly Overlooked.  But what about those items that you pick up, look at the price tag, but pass …


Letter Re: Advice on Water Storage

JWR, I’m looking for any insight regarding regarding discreet water storage in a suburban neighborhood.  My family is most certainly amateur peppers living in a suburban neighborhood just north of Des Moines, Iowa.  We have security, food, medical supplies along with other essentials.  The one thing we don’t have is near enough water.   My main hesitation from just going out and getting 55-gallon water barrels is how conspicuous they would be. However that said, that may be the best solution. Are there any other solutions that I should consider? Great site and invaluable information.  Thank you! – J.P.H. in …


Letter Re: Declining Aquifers

Hello Mr. Rawles, I am a great fan of your work and I eagerly anticipate the release of your new novel.   I live in rural Northeastern Colorado, where both sides of my family settled in the 1870s.  The mid-sized ranch, 1,900 acres, that I live on has been owned by my family for 104 years.  I raise cattle, goats, horses and hay along with my dad, my wife and kids.  I also have a “government job” in local emergency services to help make ends meet.    I read the recent article by Denise Chow of Live Science, titled Water Woes: …


Stuff Hitting the Fan: A Position Paper – Part 2, by R.L.

(Continued from Part 1) Level I Scenario In these paragraphs, we will look at the areas of primary and secondary importance as they can be managed in a Level I scenario. Water A person needs around two gallons per day for cooking and rudimentary cleaning.  For short term emergencies it may be possible to store up two weeks or more water, that much should be stored up anyway.  When you store water, treat it with iodine or Clorox or boil (iodine is better, boiling is best) and rotate water stores every six months, see level II instructions for disinfecting ratios.  …


Help for the New Prepper, by Don H.

 Many of us that have been prepping since before the Internet have welcomed all the new information, knowledge, and interaction with our fellow preppers. But for someone who is just starting out, it can all be overwhelming. So overwhelming that they don’t know where to start. The sad part is that many of them don’t start. They feel that they have to  spend so much money at one time to get all the gear that the experts say they need, that they just can’t do it. This is in large part due to shows like Doomsday Preppers. While I watch …


Prepping From My Purse by S.M. in Arizona

Triple-decker mint brownies are one of my favorite treats.  The base is a thick, chewy brownie.  Next, a layer of green mint filling is spread on the brownie which is then topped off with a thin layer of creamy, chocolate glaze.  When I think of these delicious brownies I think of prepping.  The thick, chewy brownie on the bottom represents the base of my preps.  This is long term, shelf stable food, water, security, sanitation, first aid, communications, and all the other things which are the foundation of being prepared.  This is by far the largest layer.  The mint layer …


Water: PV-Powered Water Pumping and Storage, by A. Haggard H. Rider

All sources of preparedness information stress the importance of water. Without water everything else is put at risk. You cannot drink bullets, beans do not have a lot of moisture and sucking on a bandage will not help. The ideal situation is to have some form of safe running water on your property. But what if you don’t? Hopefully you have a well, but if your electric goes out your pump will not work. A hand pump will work, but it takes a lot of energy to get that water, and then you have the situation of Operational Security (OPSEC) …


Pat’s Product Review: Solarbag Water Purifier

Sometimes, I’m just beating my head against the wall, when it comes to trying to explain to some folks, how important it is to have a source of clean, pure drinking water. I have an old friend back in Chicago – we’ve known each other since 1975, and it is just impossible to make her understand that, in due time, the water from her faucets will stop running, and what will she do when that happens? I’ve tried to get her to store a couple of the large blue water containers, that the big box stores carry, all to no …


Letter Re: Black Berkey Water Filter Problems

Hello Mr. Rawles: I expect you have already heard about this problem, but the black Berkey water filters have an alarmingly high failure rate (in my personal experience, for what it’s worth, 4 out of 4).  The silicone caulk that attaches the black ceramic-like filter itself to it’s plastic base fails, and water runs right through the failure spot, without being passed through the filter material.  People could be unknowingly drinking unfiltered water, as I was.  I read online that adding red food coloring is one way to test the integrity of the filter unit, I do not know if …


Tips From an Amateur on Getting Through a Disaster, by F.M.H.

Back in 1979 I found myself in facing a hurricane by the name of Frederic. It had Mobile, Alabama in its cross-hairs. The category three hurricane made landfall on September 12. I did not take the warnings seriously and unfortunately there was little to no preparation made on my part. I barely had a quarter of a tank of gas in my car. I did not have a battery operated radio or a flashlight. There was some non perishable food in my pantry and a small amount of food in the fridge. I was basically like most folks, ill prepared …