Any fellow survivalists utilize their truck?

There are lighter ones out there, ones that do muddy water better, blah, blah.

This thing has been around forever. A true classic. Product lifespan says alot, if it aint broke don't fix it. Durable as a tank too.

I have mine in my truck.

 

This is the one i was looking at:

nanyu

http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Vario-Water-Filter/dp/B002IAL1IK

 

Rated for 500 gallons. Good short-termer.

I used to have this one in my GHB until I got my lifestraw; now it's in my BOB instead.

Katadyn Hiker Pro Microfilter Water Purification Unit, Chlorine Removal, Glassfiber Material

http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-8018273-Hiker-Pro-Microfilter/dp/B002CN82V2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1420483226&sr=8-5&keywords=katadyn+filter

 

Just get the Sawyer Mini for $15, and it can do up to 100,000 gallons if you store it properly and backwash it regularly. Takes up 1/3 of the pack space of any Vario units (which I love Vario and own the hiker pro, so don't get me wrong). Water taste out of a Vario is great though, because of carbon.

Picked up one of these over the holidays for $29 and it boasts 10,000 gallon usage overall, and the replaceable carbon filter is good for a year. Filters down to .05 microns so it gets to the virus level. Super robust and has threading to be used with a squeeze bottle or you can set it up as a gravity-fed unit or use it like a lifestraw. Has 3 levels of filtration: prefilter, microfilter, then carbon in the mouthpiece.

$35 Survivor Filter Portable Water Filter Straw - Water Filter Camping, Travelling and Hiking - BPA-Free

http://www.amazon.com/Survivor-Filter-Pre-Filter-Contaminants-Preparedness/dp/B00LA97I8M

 

I have the hiker pro and vario

I've filtered some of the most disgusting water I've found with them and always have had success.

We used the hiker pro when I was a wilderness guide and that thing is amazing. That's the reason I have them both. The vario is great because it's got a ceramic and paper filter.

I will say again that I have filtered some nasty nasty water while on backpacking trips and it's always turned out great.

Also if anyone has gear questions feel free to ask. I was a wilderness guide for three years, I now am the manager of a wilderness program, and I've used a lot of gear from cheap to top of the line.

Also primitive skills.. Taught traps and primitive fire for years now.

 

My biggest concern is hearing about how people break their ceramic filters in the field while cleaning them. I haven't broken one yet, but a friend did on a backpacking trip right next to me, and we had to rely on my filter. Glad we had 2, but if mine would have broken or if we were on a more extended trip or our lives depended on it, I would be nervous. Hence the Sawyer Mini for its simplicity/weight/size/volume. When I pack for a comfortable camping trip, I'll bring the Hiker Pro. When I pack my BOB for life-saving reliance, I bring the Sawyer and the new filter pictured above.

 

Shrug.
I've had mine for 6 or 7 years and never broken a filter cleaning it. When I go camping it's what I take rather than bringing water (in Maine you're never far from a river/stream/brook/lake/pond). Maybe my experience is a fluke, but...

However, since I have heard of people breaking them, I keep two spares in the bag. They don't take up much room and they're a good insurance policy in case I ever DID break one, haha!

 

The Vario is the most vulnerable. By getting the Hiker Pro, I avoided the ceramic disc vulnerability issue. When I'm shaving ounces, I don't bring any Katadyn products on backpacking trips of any serious length or with substantial altitude change. I'm even far more stingy when packing my BOB because it is only a 3 day pack.

 

Isn't that the same as a lifestraw? I already have a life straw....

 

Yeah, I mostly just store the Hiker in my BOB because that way I always know where it's at when it's time to go for a hike/camping. If I was actually bugging out I'd grab the lifestraw out of the GHB instead. However, the odds of my bugging out are low as I've prepped more for bugging in. I'd likely only bug out in the event of my home suddenly becoming unsafe for some reason.
Hence the GHB being equipped for 3 days or so of living uncomfortably; that's enough for me to get back to the house from everywhere I travel to on a regular basis.

 

I had two of those set horizontally on racks with spigots that I kept filled up at the old house (drilled well)

But the new house we've got a bored well, so at any given time I've got around 1000 gallons of stored potable water in there anyway, so I don't stress about it too much.

 

These have 3 levels of filtration. Lifestraw doesn't have carbon filtration for taste/chemicals, and I don't think they even have a prefilter for larger debris/sediment.

 

This is accurate. No carbon and no prefilter on the lifestraw

 

That's what I need for my gutter system.

 

Planning on installing a cistern? How many gallons?

 

I'm not sure yet. I will replace my roof in the next two years but til then I won't begin the setup. Plus I need a new gutter system..

I'm on a well system that is 600+ ft deep so hand pumping it would be impossible. Means either buying a generator or storing from gutter system for backup.

 

Did anyone mention a survival radio and flashlight that don't need or use batteries. Just wind them up and your good forever!
Also, a bag or two of protein powder is a good thing to have around in a pinch.
If you find moss you can dry it and use it for a starter.

A really good fire starter that I made when I was a kid was to take old candle ends that you would normally throw away and melt them in an old pot or soup can. Then set out on a table small dixi drinking cups with small pine cones in them and pour the melted wax in them and let them set up. Now you have a water proof fire starter that last forever and burns super hot!

 

I've been really working on my food storage in the past few months, and I'm curious what other preppers are doing for long-term storage of good animal-based protein? Carbs are always the easiest to obtain/store, as well as plant-based proteins like whey. At this point, I currently store the following for meat protein:

canned tuna
canned beef
canned chicken
Spam (actually the generic equivalent)

All are canned with water/syrup so they're heavy and would add a ton of weight if I had to bug out with it, even in the truck. I'm looking for good options for dehydrated. My latest thoughts have been around dehydrating my own meats when I find good store prices, and then vacuum sealing them in mylar with oxygen absorbers.

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions?

 

A good solar setup can work great to power all of your portable gadgets indefinitely, given the panels don't break or you don't have some other mechanical/wiring issue. Add in some good high mAh battery packs and you'll have power stored up for those rainy days.

Great idea. I do a similar thing with paraffin wax inside some small metal threaded canisters. I cut cardboard to the same width as the height of the can, roll it up, and put it in the can. I heat paraffin in an aluminum pitcher on the stovetop, and pour it in to the top. Campfire or candle in a can. The edge of the rolled cardboard makes a huge wick, making for a hot candle or a makeshift stove. I made a huge 8" diameter one from a dog treat canister and it's hot enough to sit around and warm up with (outside, of course, as it puts off too much carbon monoxide and creosote for a confined space use)

 

there are companies that sell the meat already seasoned and dehydrated.

dehydrated cheese was awesome. had some couple weeks ago. basically cheese balls