72 Hour Kits: Task 5 - Water Systems, etc

To check out the previous 4 tasks, click on the 72-Hour Kit tab above.

Today's task is the water-related items. We've already stowed water (in Task 4), so we won't talk about water today, but there are a few more items that we need to cover:

1.  water purification tablets. These are easy to store, so it always makes sense to me to have a supply of them somewhere in your emergency supply. You can find these at a variety of stores and online shops. I like the Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets, found here. By the way, these have an expiration date. So, on your 72-hour kit checklist, be sure to note the expiration date. Remember that after the 72-hour kit is complete, you'll just be looking at your list once a year, and removing the items that expire that year, and replacing them with new.

2. collapsible water bag. These come in all shapes and sizes and types. There are even some that have a filter as part of the spigot, which would be so handy. Think emergency. 72-hour kit kind of emergency. If you had to find water from another source other than your home emergency supply, you might need a convenient carrier, and these store in a very small amount of space.

3. water filtration system. Again, there are a bazillion of these on the market, and they just keep on coming out with better (and smaller) systems. Shop around, but be sure to get something that you can filter water through.

4. solar shower. This isn't completely necessary. Or is it? The one I have is compact, fits in my kit, and I believe it would feel like it was heaven-sent after 24 or 48 or 72 hours of not having a shower. And this little beauty is under $15.00. It is perfect for a emergency shower. 

Image from Beprepared.com

These items all fit nicely into my rolling cooler. I have mentioned before that I have three different types of bags/buckets/carriers that my 72-hour kit fits into. Each carrier has a different purpose, and can be used in an emergency. You will come up with something that works best for you, which may be completely different than what works for me. Just find your method, and get cracking.

Start working on today's Task 5 as soon as you can. We'll give you til the end of the month, and then we'll start with Task 6. Some may think that this is far too drawn-out for a 72-hour kit plan, but it seems much more do-able in small chunks. And it's much better than doing nothing at all. So, keep moving along. In no time at all, you'll have that 72-hour kit that has been on your To Do list forever. Yay!