The best way to take care of water needs is through forethought and preparation. Since the amount of time you can survive in any situation without water is only 3 days, this is an important thing to have redundancies with. I personally don’t just prepare to be in a situation out in the field where clean water might not be available, but also for if the water at my house is no longer coming out of the faucet.
Level 1
I consider the first level to be like a pocketknife or a tourniquet. Something you can throw in your jeans or a coat pocket or a backpack and never think twice about it. Something you can always have on you for a situation that goes sideways. Having access to water is like having access to oxygen; it’s absolutely vital. The perfect option for this is the LifeStraw or the other similar products. It’s small enough to just throw in a pocket and honestly cheap enough to buy several of to throw in many pockets. This is your first line of defense and will help you tackle personal water needs in almost any situation!
Level 2
This is the next step up from a straw you can just stick in a lake and drink right out of. This is something meant to do a little bit of volume so that you can provide not only for yourself but for a group of people. Something still small and lightweight enough to go into a backpack, but not something you’re probably going to need to bring with you going to work or implement as part of your EDC kit. This would be something along the lines of a hiking or backpacking pump water filter. There’s many many different kinds on the market, all for different types of water bottles or water bladders and all at different costs for different levels of quality. I personally like the Ketadyn Hiker Pro or AlexaPure of pump water filters. This will allow you to tackle the water needs of your immediate group for an extended period of time!
Level 3
This is the highest level of volume. This is for you, your family, and possibly your neighbors or extended family for a period of time. This is something that’s too big to go anywhere but in your house or car and is meant to filter water in large volumes. In the event of a natural disaster or extended drought where you can’t get water from your municipal water supply this will be an absolute life-saver. This is something large like the Big Berkey or similar water filters which can filter thousands of gallons before the filters must be replaced. With one of these you’ll be set to tackle your water needs for your whole community!
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