Category: Water Storage & Filters

Pat’s Product Review: Just Water Brand Ceramic Drip Filter System

The past several months, I have been buried in products to test and evaluate for SurvivalBlog readers. While this is a good thing, it’s also a “bad” thing – some products take quite a bit of time to test. My time is limited each day, and I do my best to give all the products a fair and honest evaluation for SurvivalBlog readers. And what you read in my articles, are findings based on my testing and my final opinion of the products. No one pays me to feature their products in my SurvivalBlog articles. I know a lot of …


Making Assumptions, by Mudflap

Prepping is full of assumptions.  We prepare because we assume that something could go wrong in our lives and that it is our own responsibility to take steps to assure that we come out smelling like roses.  Others don’t prepare because they assume that nothing could go wrong in their lives and that someone else will take care of them.  We buy long term storage food because we assume that there will be a food shortage in the future.  Others barely have enough food in the pantry because they assume the pizza place will always be able to deliver and …


Letter Re: Another Way to Protect Your Retreat, by E. E.

Hello, E.E.’s primary problem was not the insurance. It’s the design flaw and negligence that allows the small glitch to evolve to the full-scale catastrophe. Every trouble that can occur occurs. Every trouble that cannot occur occurs too. Firstly, the furnaces may fail – it’s quite normal. I have no idea about their model but I believe they should have and so have some security automation that stopped them due to some problem (electricity?), or the fuel supply failed. The first task to design should be “The stopped furnaces should not self-destruct”. How should it be done? I see at …


A Taste of TEOTWAWKI, by Anne S.

I never realized how dark and eerie our house could be.  Even at night, there were usually two or three nightlights casting their brave glow to prevent midnight mishaps. But on this evening, there was no electricity to power this smallest of luxuries.  Another thing I noticed as I kept vigil over my sleeping loved ones by emergency candle light was the extreme, echoing silence.  There was no fan humming in my son’s room. There was no whir of the compressor cycling on and off in the refrigerator.  There was no air blowing through the central air unit of our …


When Push Comes to Shotgun: Survival in the Suburbs, by Michael K.

To anyone who swatches the news or opens up an internet browser from time to time, it’s exceedingly clear that the world is becoming an extremely dangerous place.  From the abstract threats such as global economic collapse or pandemic to the more concrete ideas of natural catastrophes, terrorist attacks and the like, it’s obvious that preparedness isn’t just something to think about occasionally, it’s an absolute necessity.  Yet, with our feet firmly planted in the middle class, my wife and I don’t exactly have the money to go out and build the fortified bunker of our dreams for the day …


Letter Re: Water Distillation Safety

James, Thanks for posting regarding the Pure Water Revolution stills. I’d like to mention a concern regarding the purity of the ‘pure water’ mentioned in the video, and an idea for operational cost of the unit. Volatile organic compounds such as: formaldehyde, d-Limonene, toluene, acetone, ethyl alcohol, 2-propanol hexanal, propane, butane, methyl chloride, etc.  All have a boiling point lower than or equal to water.  Therefore some of these compounds will end-up in the ‘pure water’ with the setup as shown in the video. Many of the aforementioned compounds can be removed by not collecting water from the still until …


The Prepping Imperative, by P.B.

Growing up in a fairly large family with a work at home Mom, and a truck driver Dad, we learned to “make ends meet”.  One of our favorite dishes was “teedl-oh-bow” as Dad called it…wild rabbit (or squirrel) with biscuits and gravy.  Some even call it, ahem, “Stuff On A Shingle”.  Made many a supper meals for a family of six.  Mom even “barked” a squirrel once and it’s still a standing joke that Dad tells on her.  “Couldn’t find a bullet hole anywhere in the darn thing!” Breakfast was nearly always oatmeal, cinnamon, and honey with mixed powdered milk …


Letter Re: Home Water Storage in Water Cooler Bottles

JWR: A reader recently enquired about using water cooler jugs for long term storage. You suggested taping the original cap to the jugs. I’d like to mention that 55mm snap-on reusable caps can be purchased very inexpensively on eBay. They are not water tight i.e. if turned on its side, water will slowly leak but the caps are adequate to keep out dust and allow transport. 55mm is the standard size for most 3 and 5 gallon jugs. – George C.


Letter Re: Home Water Storage in Water Cooler Bottles

Hello. I am a brand new prepper. Within the last year I have been introduced to the world of Prepping and preparedness by a co-worker of mine. I have been reading up on as much as I can, but despite my efforts at increasing my knowledge and awareness of disaster preparedness, I am woefully un-prepared for even the slightest disaster or minor interruption of my accustomed lifestyle. I am beginning to acquire some extra food items, and I am making small steps toward expanding my food and water storage. One thing that I have been thinking about of late, is …


From Rainwater to Drinking Water, by Former Echo Trooper

Thanks for what SurvivalBlog done for the prepper community. I just had a feeling weighing on my heart to share this information. So here it is. In any survival situation, water is in the top two things that must be had in order to survive if not at the top of the list. What I’m going to describe is how to set up a rainwater catchment system. The first thing to do is decide how much water you want to harvest. Then you need to decide how to hold that amount. Whether it is a couple food grade 55 gallon …


Predator or Prey: The Single Parent Survival Guide, by Sarah B.

While the majority of single parents are women, men too can be found in this situation. Generally speaking, single women with children are usually on the lower end of the economic spectrum. Let’s face it, poorer young mothers (or fathers) with very young children need to learn survival skills as much as anyone else, and do not have the financial resources to buy all they need.  So what do you do if you are a single woman with a babe-in-arms and two toddlers and have no money? I can tell you what you can’t do, you can’t sit around and …


The Extreme Solar Still Concept, by Jim B.

The solar still is the most written about yet least used survival technique there is. I would like to help change that, with some actual testing and practical knowledge, back to something you can really use for survival. If you ask almost anyone that has read a book on survival, or taken a summer wilderness class, how they would acquire water in a desert environment, without hesitation they would say: “I would just build a solar still.” There is nothing wrong with that; it is one way to attain at least some water. The solar still is the stock answer, …


Preparation Could Mean Survival, by D.S.A.

Some people say you can’t prepare for every situation.  I say, you can because every situation has one common element that can and will hurt you outside of the event itself: other people.  Lets face it, if you die in a storm, a nuclear/biological/chemical event, or terror attack, then you are dead.  There is nothing from stopping God’s will.  You don’t prepare for those events, you prepare for surviving those events.  There are many events, (and not far-fetched crazy extreme events) which people should be prepared to deal with to protect themselves and their families when it’s over and you …


Making Water Safe to Drink, by Paratrooper John

There’s a lot of information available on how to make water safe to drink.  That’s a good thing because water is one of the most important parts of our survival and comfort.  My goal in this article is to organize and describe some of these methods in a way that is interesting and easy to read. I have included a few internet links to more detailed step-by-step descriptions and how-to videos created by others. Although important, I’m won’t go into all the diseases and problems that can be caused by ingesting contaminated water. Just know that there is some bad …


Survival Basics: The Tropics, by G.S.

Sometime in the not so distant future our lives will be turned upside down by yet another natural or manmade emergency. Start now by doing your research and figure out which type of emergency is most likely to affect your life. Then get ready! Once the stores close their doors and the gas stations are no longer pumping gas, it’s too late! Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Remember that the survival basics are similar even if the emergency or climatic conditions are different. I’m going to talk about survival in the Tropics. I was born and raised …