Gundoc Report post Posted March 22, 2015 I'll kick it off in here then. You're going to need water, obvious as it sounds, but how many people have any means of filtering? Or have a stock in place? We had a water main go a few years back, caused a bit of drama, however we had 3x jerrycans under the stairs which allowed us to carry on as normal, and help out the neighbours (all had young kids) Water filters come in many styles these days, I've personally got an MSR Miniworks filter. Ceramic pump type, it will fill a 1L nalgene in around 2 mins. Some popular ones are the sawyer mini, which apparently have a massive filter life, enough to do an individual for life. The drinksafe system filters are tested by the uk environment agency, they do a good range. And for home use you have the berkey filters, big steel double chamber type using ceramic candle type filters. Also don't forget the venerable old mill bank bag (or sock) filter coupled with boiling. Then here are the home made, jury rigged filters using buckets, sand. Charcoal etc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
brown dog Report post Posted March 22, 2015 To my mind, water prep probably splits into 2 categories: Removing 'living nasties' and/or removing chemical contamination (pesticides, petrol, whatever). I'm rural, so finding a puddle is generally pretty easy, and chemical contamination generally isn't an issue. So, for the living nasties, I'm also a huge fan of ceramic filters - my biggest wake up (or proof test!) was leading an exped in the Indian Himalayas - we had two Katadyns for the party, and rotated water pumping duties. Whilst preparing to leave our last village and go to the mountains, the duty 'pumpers' used jugs from the rooms of our ramshackle mountain hotel to hold tap water for pumping for the whole party. It was weeks later that we realised the jugs they'd used were the toilet-arse-washing jugs! None of us were ill - I was so impressed, I bought a katadyn! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mauser3006 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 To my mind, water prep probably splits into 2 categories: Removing 'living nasties' and/or removing chemical contamination (pesticides, petrol, whatever). I'm rural, so finding a puddle is generally pretty easy, and chemical contamination generally isn't an issue. So, for the living nasties, I'm also a huge fan of ceramic filters - my biggest wake up (or proof test!) was leading an exped in the Indian Himalayas - we had two Katadyns for the party, and rotated water pumping duties. Whilst preparing to leave our last village and go to the mountains, the duty 'pumpers' used jugs from the rooms of our ramshackle mountain hotel to hold tap water for pumping for the whole party. It was weeks later that we realised the jugs they'd used were the toilet-arse-washing jugs! None of us were ill - I was so impressed, I bought a katadyn! Hilarious. I have acquired one of these which are on issue for long range patrols in Afghanistan. http://www.lifesaversystems.com/ I also have 100 litres in jerry cans and a mountain of water pruification tablets. They are cheap as chips on Amazon, can you imagine how useful they may be during an interuption to domestic supply? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gundoc Report post Posted March 22, 2015 Just one on those Mauser, they are shelf lifed kit. Check up on your particular model as to how long it is Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mauser3006 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 Thanks Gundoc, I'm sure you're right and it is probably entering its sell by date. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jagged 77 Report post Posted March 22, 2015 I've used the MSR Miniworks for years when out and about. With a spare ceramic element and service kit it should last a long time. The trick is of course to filter the cleanest possible water in the first instance Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SWShooter Report post Posted March 24, 2015 There`s an interesting system here http://www.outdooradvantage.co.uk/argonaut-portable-water-filter-system/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
spartan7510 Report post Posted March 24, 2015 Oasis water tabs on ebay, bought to purify 2000 litre for around £8, also lifesaver water bottle is great, look at a "water bob" https://www.waterbob.com - got mine off amazon. Other than that reverse osmosis (assuming water is still running) with a ozone generator (purifier) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Brummy Mark Report post Posted March 25, 2015 Katadyn Pocket is the filter I have been using for the past 12 years, awesome compact high output bit of kit, used it in quiet a few developing countries around the world. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites