Introduction

Water is one of the most important capabilities in any survival kit. Your kit needs to carry enough water for your situation and conditions, along with a practical way to collect, treat, store, carry, and access additional water as conditions change.

In the Lone Wolf Survival Kit System, capability means the ability to meet a survival need. Water capability is built by combining the right containers, treatment methods, storage options, and hydration equipment for the tasks and conditions you expect to face.

The environment, expected duration, available water sources, temperature, and activity level all influence what the kit needs. A small get home kit may focus on compact storage and portable treatment methods. A vehicle or extended duration kit can carry more water and support larger or more varied treatment options.

This article explains how to build water and hydration capability into your survival kit, including the differences between filtration and purification, methods for storing and carrying water, and ways to keep drinking water accessible throughout the situation.

Start Here

This article is organized to help you build water and hydration capability into your survival kit.

Article Outline

1. Building Your Water Capability
2. Planning Water Needs
3. Water Storage
4. Water Collection
5. Water Filtration
6. Water Purification
7. Water Access
8. Building Water Capability for Different Kit Roles and Conditions
9. Key Takeaways
10. Conclusion

Jump To

Use the links below to move directly to any major section of this article.

• Building Your Water Capability
• Planning Water Needs
• Water Storage
• Water Collection
• Water Filtration
• Water Purification
• Water Access
• Building Water Capability for Different Kit Roles and Conditions
• Key Takeaways
• Conclusion

Building Your Water Capability

In the Lone Wolf Survival Kit System, capability means the ability to meet a survival need. Water capability applies that definition to water: maintaining access to usable drinking water throughout a survival situation.

That capability starts with the water you carry, but it also includes what happens after that supply begins to run low. You need a way to obtain more water, determine how it should be treated, make it safer to drink, store it after treatment, carry it without unnecessary loss or contamination, and keep enough of it accessible to drink as needed.

A practical water capability has several parts working together:

• Carried water gives you an immediate supply.
• Containers give you a way to store and transport additional water.
• Collection methods allow you to obtain water from available sources.
• Filtration removes debris and some contaminants.
• Purification makes water safer to drink by neutralizing microorganisms.
• Water bottles, hydration bladders, cups, and other drinking containers keep water accessible so you can drink as needed.

The balance between those parts changes with the situation. A short get home movement through an urban area may place more emphasis on carried water and compact treatment options. A longer trip through a rural or remote area may require greater storage capacity, more than one treatment method, and the ability to collect water repeatedly along the route. Hot weather, strenuous movement, limited water sources, freezing conditions, and questionable water quality can all change what the system needs to do.

The goal is to build a system that can continue meeting your water needs as conditions change. That means looking at the complete process:

• Collect water.
• Filter it when needed.
• Purify it when needed.
• Store it safely.
• Carry it efficiently.
• Keep drinking water accessible.
• Hydrate as needed.

When those functions work together, the kit provides water capability.

Planning Water Needs

The amount of water your survival kit needs depends on the situation, conditions, expected duration, activity level, and access to additional water sources.

Start by considering how long the kit is expected to support you. A short get home situation may require only the water you can reasonably carry plus a compact treatment option. A longer duration kit needs greater storage capacity and a reliable way to collect and treat additional water.

Temperature and activity level also affect water needs. Hot weather, strenuous movement, heavy clothing, and physically demanding tasks increase water consumption. Cold conditions can also increase water requirements, especially when dry air, exertion, and reduced thirst make it easier to fall behind on hydration.

Access to water sources should influence how much water you carry and how much treatment capability you include. A route with dependable water sources allows you to rely more heavily on collection and treatment. Dry environments, urban areas with disrupted utilities, or routes with uncertain water access place more emphasis on carrying additional water.

Water planning should also consider how the water will be used. Drinking comes first, but depending on the situation, water is also needed for food preparation, basic hygiene, cleaning wounds, and other survival tasks.

Water Storage

Water storage gives you a way to carry an immediate supply and store additional water after collection and treatment. The amount and type of storage you need depends on the situation, conditions, expected duration, environment, movement, and access to additional water sources.

Different storage methods have different strengths and limitations.

Rigid Bottles

Advantages:

• Durable and easy to use.
• Easy to fill, clean, and inspect.
• Work well with many filters and purification methods.
• Simple to remove from a pack and use around camp.

Limitations:

• Take up the same amount of space whether full or empty.
• Can add noticeable bulk when several bottles are carried.
• Usually require you to stop or reach for the bottle to drink.

Rigid bottles work well when durability, easy cleaning, and repeated use are priorities.

Collapsible Bottles and Soft Containers

Advantages:

• Take up very little space when empty.
• Add extra carrying capacity without permanently taking up pack space.
• Useful for collecting and carrying additional water when needed.

Limitations:

• Usually less durable than rigid bottles.
• Can be harder to fill from shallow water sources.
• May be more difficult to clean and dry completely.
• Can be punctured or damaged more easily.

Collapsible bottles and soft containers work well as backup storage or when you need additional capacity without carrying another rigid bottle all the time.

Hydration Bladders

Advantages:

• Carry a relatively large amount of water inside the pack.
• Allow you to drink while moving.
• Keep water accessible without removing the pack.
• Distribute water weight close to the body when packed correctly.

Limitations:

• Require regular cleaning and inspection.
• Hoses and bite valves can leak, clog, freeze, or become damaged.
• Water level can be harder to check without opening the pack.
• Refilling may require opening the pack or moving other equipment.

Hydration bladders are especially useful when movement is a priority. If you expect to walk for long periods, hike difficult terrain, or remain on the move, a bladder allows you to drink without repeatedly stopping to retrieve a bottle.

Bulk Water Containers

Advantages:

• Provide greater reserve capacity.
• Useful for vehicle kits, base camps, longer duration situations, and home survival.
• Can support drinking, cooking, hygiene, and other water needs.

Limitations:

• Become very heavy when filled.
• A 3 gallon container holds about 25 pounds of water and is near the practical upper limit for backpack carry.
• A 5 gallon container holds about 42 pounds of water and is far too heavy for practical backpack carry or extended hand carry.
• Require a vehicle, cart, or other means of transport when movement is necessary.

Bulk water containers work best for homes, vehicles, base camps, shelters, and other locations where the water can remain stored until needed.

When Choosing Water Storage, Consider:

• Capacity — how much water the container holds.
• Durability — how well it handles repeated use, drops, pressure, and temperature changes.
• Weight and bulk — how much space and carrying weight the container adds.
• Access — how quickly you can reach and use the water.
• Opening size — how easily the container can be filled, cleaned, or used with a filter.
• Compatibility — whether the container works with your filtration, purification, and drinking methods.
• Movement — whether you need to drink while walking or performing other tasks.
• Situation and conditions — how the environment, temperature, expected duration, and access to additional water affect the amount and type of storage you need.

Water storage should match how you expect to use the kit. A person traveling on foot may combine a hydration bladder with a rigid bottle and a collapsible backup container. A vehicle kit can carry larger reserves in bulk water containers while still keeping smaller bottles available for immediate use.

Using more than one type of container can give you better capacity, access, flexibility, and redundancy throughout the situation.

Water Collection

Water collection gives you a way to replace the water you carry as your supply is used. The sources available will depend on the environment.

Natural Water Sources

• Streams and rivers
• Lakes and ponds
• Springs and seeps
• Rainwater
• Melting snow or ice
• Water collected from natural depressions, rock pockets, or other places where rainwater accumulates

Urban and Suburban Water Sources

• Exterior building spigots. A sillcock key can open some tamper resistant commercial or industrial spigots when access is lawful and appropriate.
• Water stored in a home water heater.
• Water remaining in household plumbing after the main supply is shut off.
• Clean water stored in toilet tanks, excluding tanks treated with cleaning chemicals.
• Rainwater collected from roofs, tarps, or other clean collection surfaces.
• Swimming pools may provide water for washing or sanitation, but chemical treatment makes them a poor first choice for drinking water.

When Collecting Water:

• Choose the cleanest source available.
• Avoid water near sewage, fuel, pesticides, industrial runoff, dead animals, or obvious chemical contamination.
• Collect from moving water when practical.
• Keep untreated water separate from treated water.
• Use containers that are easy to fill, pour, and clean.
• Treat collected water as needed before drinking it.

Collection should connect directly with the rest of the water system. Your containers, filtration method, purification method, and storage setup should allow you to move water from the source to safe storage with as few unnecessary steps as possible.

Water Filtration

Filtration removes debris and some contaminants from water. A filter can improve clarity and remove particles, sediment, and, depending on the filter, some microorganisms.

Filtration is not purification. Purification is not filtration.

Common Filtration Methods

• Pump filters
• Squeeze filters
• Gravity filters
• Bottle filters
• Straw style filters
• Improvised prefilters, such as a clean bandana or cloth, which can remove larger debris before the water reaches the main filter

Filter performance varies. Some filters are designed to remove bacteria and protozoa, while others may also reduce additional contaminants. Check the filter specifications so you know what it is designed to remove.

When Using a Filter:

• Start with the cleanest water source available. Do not use water from sources contaminated with industrial waste or chemicals.
• Prefilter cloudy or debris filled water when practical.
• Keep the clean side of the filter and treated water container separate from untreated water.
• Follow the manufacturer’s cleaning and backflushing instructions.
• Protect filters from freezing after they have been used. Water trapped inside some filter elements can freeze, expand, and damage the filter.

Filtration is one part of water treatment. Depending on the source and the filter being used, purification may still be needed before the water is safe to drink.

Water Purification

Purification makes water safer to drink by neutralizing microorganisms that can cause illness.

Purification is not filtration. Filtration is not purification.

Common Purification Methods

• Boiling
• Chemical purification tablets or drops
• Ultraviolet treatment devices
• Some advanced treatment systems designed to address microorganisms beyond basic filtration

Boiling is one of the most dependable purification methods when fuel, a container, and time are available. Bring the water to a rolling boil and follow current public health guidance for the elevation and conditions.

Chemical purification methods are compact and easy to carry. They require the correct dosage and enough contact time to work properly. Cold or cloudy water may require additional treatment time.

Ultraviolet purifiers can neutralize microorganisms quickly when the water is clear enough for the light to pass through effectively. They depend on batteries or another power source.

When Purifying Water:

• Start with the cleanest source available.
• Filter or prefilter cloudy water before purification when practical.
• Follow the manufacturer’s directions for dosage, treatment time, and equipment use.
• Keep untreated water separate from treated water.
• Do not rely on purification to make chemically contaminated water safe to drink.

Purification addresses biological hazards. Filtration and purification often work best together when water contains both debris and microorganisms.

Water Access

Water should always be easy to access during any survival situation. You should be able to drink as needed without delay.

You should keep at least one drinking container easily accessible. Depending on the kit, that may be:

• A bottle stored in an exterior pocket.
• A hydration bladder with a drinking hose.
• A canteen or bottle carried on a belt or shoulder strap.
• A smaller bottle kept separate from bulk water storage.

Hydration bladders work especially well when movement is a priority because they allow you to drink while moving. Bottles are easier to inspect, refill, clean, and use for other tasks.

Keep water easily accessible so you can drink as needed. Choose the setup that fits your movement, environment, and the way you expect to use the kit.

Building Water Capability for Different Kit Roles and Conditions

Different survival kits serve different purposes, so their water systems need different amounts of storage, treatment capability, redundancy, and accessibility. The amount of space available, expected duration, movement, environment, and access to water sources should determine what you carry.

EDC Kits

Space is usually the main limitation in an EDC kit. Depending on the size of your EDC pouch or bag, a compact setup should include:

• Two heavy duty plastic bags or compact collapsible bags, one for collecting untreated water and one for storing treated water.
• A compact water filter.
• Water purification tablets.
• Fire starting materials that can provide another treatment option if boiling becomes possible.

Larger EDC bags may also have room for a collapsible bottle or other small water container.

Get Home Bags

A Get Home Bag should support movement for several hours, overnight, or longer depending on the distance and conditions.

It should include carried water, a filter, purification tablets, a collapsible container, and a metal cup or other container for boiling water. Drinking water should remain easy to access while moving.

Bug Out Bags

A Bug Out Bag needs enough carried water for the initial movement and the ability to collect and treat additional water along the way.

Bottles or a hydration bladder, collapsible storage, filtration, purification, and a metal container for boiling water provide multiple ways to maintain water capability.

I’m Never Coming Home (INCH) Kits

An I’m Never Coming Home (INCH) Kit is intended for extended movement and longer term survival. Its water system needs greater storage capacity, repeated treatment capability, and redundancy.

Multiple containers, larger collapsible storage, gravity or pump filtration, purification methods, boiling capability, and backup treatment methods allow the system to be used repeatedly.

Vehicle Kits

A vehicle can carry substantially more water and heavier treatment equipment than a person can carry in a backpack.

Bulk water containers, smaller drinking bottles, larger filters, purification supplies, collection containers, and boiling equipment can provide greater storage and treatment capability.

Environmental Conditions

• Hot weather increases water needs and makes easy access more important.
• Cold weather can freeze filters, hoses, and stored water.
• Dry environments increase the importance of carrying more water and identifying refill locations.
• Wet environments may provide more water sources, but those sources still need to be evaluated and treated.
• Urban environments may provide access to building spigots, stored household water, and other developed water sources.

Build the water system around the role of the kit, the expected duration, the environment, and the water sources you are likely to encounter.

Key Takeaways

• Capability means the ability to meet a survival need.
• Build water capability around current tasks and conditions.
• Plan for collection, filtration, purification, storage, carrying, and hydration.
• Filtration removes debris and some contaminants. Purification makes water safer to drink by neutralizing microorganisms.
• Keep drinking water easily accessible so you can drink as needed.
• Choose storage and treatment methods that fit the role of the kit and the environment.

Conclusion

Water capability is built by combining the right storage, collection, filtration, purification, and access methods for the situation.

The exact system will vary between an EDC Kit, Get Home Bag, Bug Out Bag, I’m Never Coming Home (INCH) Kit, Vehicle Kit, or other survival setup. The goal remains the same: maintain access to usable drinking water as conditions change.

Build the system around the tasks, conditions, environment, and water sources you expect to face.