Home Essentials List

[68W]

Regarding water storage, you need to decide what are your constraints and your priorities. Where you live and the ease of gathering water is something to consider as mentioned by another post. What kind of space do you have to work with in storing? Those are the two big things that played into my decisions on water storage. Storing pallets of bottled water might be the "nicest" way to go because of how useful bottled water is in normal life and would be for needing to be mobile. But its not very practical for most due to how much space would be required to store enough for an extended supply for a family. Having many 5-6 gal jugs is another great way to go if you have the space. Its easy to rotate these, use them on vehicle camping trips, and they are mobile if bugging out in a vehicle. Again, for me to have 30-60 day supply for my family required a lot of them and I don't have the space/shelving necessary to accomplish it. The next option like a previous poster said would be to just have a few containers and a very high volume and high quality filtration system. This is an option if you have a nearby reliable water source to fill from. I live in a high altitude desert so this isn't a great option for me, a river is about a mile away but it is a river that runs through large metro city/valley so the traffic around it given a utility limiting scenario would be unreal. So that left me with wanting mass storage options. 55 gal blue/white food grade barrels are abundant and cheap in my area. At $15-25 a piece they are a very economical way to put a few hundred gallons away in a hurry. I was about to do this but space again became an issue, they take up a lot of floor space. Having cold harsh winters I couldn't put them in my uninsulated and detached garage because if "it" happened in the winter we would have ice blocks not water and I don't want the added security risk/exposure of my wife needing to go out to the garage regularly for just water. My basement room could not accomodate 4-6 of these on the floor. Alas, I felt forced to get a large vertical tank that took up minimal floor space AND could fit through doors and in my basement with low ceilings:

This tank is 250 gallons. As you can see it has 2 spouts, one for draining and one at 5 gal bucket level. The brass fittings use a ball valve with a removable key so the kids can't decide to flood the basement. The neatest spec on this unit is that it is an oval or ellyptical shape with the narrow diameter being 29" which allows it to fit through standard inside door frames. So I was able to get a 250 gal vertical tank in my small old home. With a family of 4 that is 60+ days of water. That's a nice buffer of time before I have to go out and scrounge for the most important substance for healthy survival. I have some 5 gallon jugs and a filter too for later on.

[St.Michael]

Hey 68 that is an awesome find. How much does a tank like that run? Also what are we talking for daily use of each person for water?

[rcoodyar15]

I do a lot of RV'ing. And a lot of boondocking. I know with two or three of us and reasonable water conservation my 68 gal. tank will last 5 to 7 days. I am sure we could stretch it out more but most of the time we are ready to move on by then anyway.

If I were in a desert environment and planned to stay put I believe I would build a cistern. Depending on the rainfall in the area using the roof for a collector and piping it into the cistern could be a viable option. Anyway if you find the largest septic tank you can. you can get a 1000 gal plastic for $1000, and bury it you will have a good source of water.

[68W]

I bought it for $379 plus tax I believe. I found a local dealer that advertised on a free online classifieds in my area. FEMA recommend calculating water storage at 1 gallon per person per day. That's at least how I came up with my 60+ day claim. I'm really figuring that that might be a stretch considering food preparation and hygiene needs, but it's probably close. Like I said it gives me a good buffer to figure out what the hell is going on before I'm desperate for water and have no choice but to go out looking.

[68W]

As a follow up thought: the tank option isn't the cheapest, as a matter of fact it was expensive and I struggled with the decision of how to stock up on the water for a LONG time. Ultimately though for the reasons mentioned in my original post this was my best solution and it has been awesome. I got a potable water house from an RV store, I fill from the clothes washer tap that is a few feet away and plan to drain right into the drain it did next to annually. Great setup once the money was spent.

[ag08]

I don't agree with Jack Spirko on some things but I think his basic prepping plan is the best I have seen for the new prepper. His media of transmission is podcasting and these episodes are worth a listen if you have the time.

http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/ep...e-and-low-cost
http://www.thesurvivalpodcast.com/ze...repared-part-2

If you don't want to give him clicks, here are the bullet points he covers. All credit to the author, Jack Spirko.


"The entire basic system revolves around 6 innate survival needs
Food
Water
Shelter
Energy
Security
Sanitation and Health

To this we add some basic logistics
Threat analysis
When to bug in or out
Where to go if you have to leave
Insure the ability to do business when main systems are down

Once this is understood we create a basic checklist for each need

Food
Build 30, 60 and 90 days of reserves in that order
Begin with “copy canning” then move to cheap LTS
Slowly develop your own plan using prepared LTS foods

Water
Store water in 2 liter bottle used soda bottles
Acquire a reliable filter
Know when to “fill the tubs”
Consider large scale catchment/storage based on space and budget

Shelter
Know all the “systems” that run your home
Have basic repair materials that can keep your home intact
Make sure your home is fully insured
Make sure to distribute your preps throughout your home
Don’t plan on living in a tent or an RV without trying it first


Energy
Set up a black out kit (basics)
Have a secondary means of cooking
Consider a generator and battery back up system
Have a means of supplemental heat and cooling if possible
Remember it is easier to heat a person then a house
It is also easier to make ice then cool air
Store gas, kerosene, diesel, etc based on your needs
Keep your vehicle tanks full and rotate stored fuel

Security
Keep your doors locked at all times
Practice situational awareness
Keep multiple means of defense in your home
Be armed and be trained (every member of the house)
Know when to go to a “higher threat level” – trust your gut
Consider a dog, window films and other enhanced security
Take basic self defense training
Develop a mindset of meeting violence with superior violence
Keep your mouth shut, keep your eyes open and keep your mouth shut

Sanitation and Health
Water is almost always the biggest problem
Have a plan to deal with human waste
Have a plan for basic bathing, etc
Keep a decent supply of medical supplies
Maintain your health on a daily basis
Take basic first aid and CPR training

Final thoughts
Your plan must be your plan
There are 52 weeks in a year, one thing a week makes a big impact
What you think can never happen has already happened
Preparing while times are good is easy and inexpensive
Preparing when times are bad is often impossible

[09fatbob]

Bibles, beans, and bullets

[68W]

I like and read The Good Book more than most people, but I must ask: how many do you need for emergency preparedness?

[09fatbob]

Its nice to be able to hand some out to people in need ... U decide how many

[coastwatcher42]

Is there a specific type of water you guys like to store? Maybe a certain company that makes great bottle or container that's perfect for storage?

If you have the room to store them and your floor is sturdy enough, take a look at the 55 gallon polyethylene water barrels from Emergency Essentials. I've got several of them in my basement.

http://beprepared.com/water-barrel-55-gallon-drum.html