72-Hour Kit Water

Sorry about the delay in posting, but with the combination of traveling and hectic work days, this post had to be just a tad late. But now we can move on to water - the most important item of a 72-hour kit. You can survive for a while without food, but with no liquids coming into your body, you won't last very long.

So for the next two weeks (technically from June 23 to July 6) we want everyone to focus on obtaining 3 days' worth of water for each member of the family.

There are multiple resources for water, and you may not want to choose just one. For starters, there is the simple water bottle, which you can buy a 24 to 30 pack of water bottles at Wal-Mart or some other store for $4.00. What's nice about these is they're not hard plastic, so they can be slightly molded or squeezed into tight fits. This means that if you are squishing and smashing them they will have to be rotated pretty often (we suggest every 6 months), but since much of the food needs to be rotated as well, then it wouldn't be any more difficult.

Another option is canned water. This makes the water container more durable, but unfortunately it weighs more and takes up more space since it can't change shape at all. It also has a longer shelf life in a can, which can go up to 30 years. It is also pricier, with the exact numbers depending on where you buy it. Also, the canned water would require a can opener for your 72-hour kit - not necessarily a bad thing, but another factor to consider.


Finally there are water pouches. Many who sell these say it's best to use the water within five years, so the shelf life is medium. They are much lighter and easier to fit in small places, but again, even though the pouch is pretty durable, it can still be pierced or ripped in the right circumstances. Emergency Essentials will sell a 4 oz. pouch for 35 cents each, so the price is very doable.



Another option for liquids is to actually use something other than water. Options like Gatorade or Capri Sun are good to add flavor and sugar to a 72-hour kit. Sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are especially good because they can replace the electrolytes and other minerals your body loses throughout the day. A 12 pack of Gatorade can be found in Wal-Mart for only $6.00, and often Powerade can be even cheaper.



There is also the option of water purifiers. These can be very handy in an emergency situation, and there are multiple ways to add it to your 72-hour kit. However, we do not want to overwhelm you with information at the moment, so we will wait to add a separate post about water purifiers at the beginning of next week (which will still be the middle of the allotted time for gathering water). So until then, good luck on collecting your water, and let us know any questions or ideas you have!




Do any of you have specific preferences for how you add water to your 72-hour kits? Feel free to discuss!