How to Carry 72 Hours of Water in Your Bug Out Bag? – Bugging Out
I recently read an article about The Secret to Carrying 72 Hours of Water that talked about the options that we need to consider when it comes to having 72 hours worth of water on us in a bug out situation.
When you create a bug out bag, you are making sure that you have enough food and water and general items to get you through at least 3 days worth. Personally, I have a BONCH (bug out never coming home) bag that is a mix between a bug out bag and an INCH (I’m never coming home) bag so my bag can help get me through more than just 3 days worth.
In saying that, it’s still difficult to carry 3 days worth of water.
For me, I’m not only packing supplies for myself but also for my child and for my 2 dogs. So now I’m having to carry a lot more water not just for me, but for my child and dogs, too. My dogs can’t carry 3 days worth of water on their backs and neither can my toddler.
So there’s a lot to consider here when it comes to bugging out.
Here are some suggestions:
1. Types of containers. I personally like to have a water bladder in my bug out bag. It’s easy to fill, easy to access and holds quite a bit of water. My daughter loves to drink from the water bladder. I’m even considering getting a child size water bladder to have her carry because she loves it so much. However, with her only being 20 months old (at the time of writing this blog post), she may still be a bit young for that. Though she does like to wear a backpack, she also likes to just take it off when she’s bored or tired.
Anyway, a water bladder is a great option.
There are of course regular water bottles. I would suggest getting a water bottle with a filter already in it. There’s the MUV water bottle, LifeStraw water bottle and even the Seychelle water bottle with filters already inside of them which is convenient.
Water bottles can be bulky, though.
You may also want to consider the bagged water. Though be careful with the bagged water because I did an endurance test on it once and the bags can break when under pressure. There’s not a whole lot of water inside each bagged water, either. But it is a consideration.
I also really like the collapsible canteens. They roll up tight and are lightweight to pack away and when you want to drink out of them, just pull them out and fill them up. You can even use them with a lot of water straws like the Survivor Filter.
2. Region. Do you live in a region that gets extremely hot? You’ll be drinking a lot more water during hot seasons. That means carrying more than you might expect to drink on a normal day. Does your area have a lot of water around? You may want to consider just stopping every so often and purifying some water along the way, instead of carrying all of it.
3. Can you use a vehicle or another wheeled item? If you bug out in your vehicle, then the logical solution is to simply carry more gallons of water in your vehicle and use that. However, if you do have to grab your gear and abandon the vehicle for whatever reason, how will you then take the water? Maybe you have a cart/wagon/stroller that can help carry water? Sometimes it doesn’t absolutely have to go on your back.
4. Types of water purification. Because I carry a bladder, one of the best ways for me to purify water is with some sort of pump like the Survivor Filter Pro or the MUV Backcountry Pump. If you want quick water along the way without stopping for too long, you could also get a straw like the LifeStraw, MUV Filter or Survivor Filter.
If you’re planning to make camp somewhere, you could get a gravity filter like the LifeStraw Mission.
These are all just suggestions and ideas to get you thinking about what is going to be best for you and your needs. Try out a variety of options and see what is going to work best.
Here are some videos below that talk more about water for bugging out:
Conquer tomorrow, by preparing today.
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Howdy! My name is Morgan I’ve been prepping for over 10 years and teach others to be prepared for emergencies and disasters. Learn more!
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A few thoughts on this, as some asshole on the interwebs:
1. You have kids. Use em. They don’t have to be exclusively liabilities: as you stated about even your one year old, they can be very enthused to help, so let them! My first thought when you said “carrying water for kids” was they can at least carry that, and even make it an adventure for them, for as long as they can walk at least.
2. Best to have the water on hand at all times, even if it is heavy. You know my stance on 5gal buckets, but that’s more of a bug in item. Collapsible storage is good, I have one in my trunk. Best way to transport it? Trailer. Whether by bicycle (highly recommended: that’s the most efficient way to transform human power to transportation), or by foot, that’s far better than carrying it on your frame, especially if you’re booged up with your 40,000 AR and a pallet of ammo.
3. So you need to filter your water? I have a Sawyer silver impregnated (almost like my women) ceramic filter rated for over 39,000 gallons. Silver, by the way, kills most bugs like viruses, so you don’t need to filter them out. Your solutions aren’t bad either: I just happen to be Mr. Overkill. What if you don’t have these though? Do you know how to make a filter using a sock, charcoal and sand? That simple skill might literally make the difference between life and death.
4. Water storage: bladders can be good. Bladders also are far more vulnerable than hard containers, for reasons you touched on. This was in a thread I was following a while back: what happens if you fall directly on your bladder, will it withstand the impact? As good as they are, for something that vital to life I will have hard attachments for water in whatever my get up will be. Meybe it’ll be a bit cumbersome, but that’s why I train and make myself stronger by the day: I want the power to life a burning SUV off you and keep going to where there is good tequila 20 miles down the road later.
All that being said: just like yours truly, water is best inside you. Drink as much as you possibly can when the opportunity presents itself: whether that’s a good lake or spring, or a sudden down fall; drink and collect it all. The last drop from that, depending on where you are, just might mean the difference.
1. It depends on how old the child is. My 4 year old can carry a small water bladder, but that’s about it. Kids are strong, but not that strong. And this is coming from a child who’s been hiking she was 18 months old. They’re still kids.
2. I’m a big fan of always having water, I’d prefer never to have to go find it, as that’s not guaranteed and can take more calories than necessary.
3. I’m going to assume you’re talking about the universal ‘you’ here. ;)
4. I’ve never had a bladder fail. Ever. And we’ve really abused ours. My child sits on them regularly. lol But, it’s all personal preference. Whatever you want to carry your water in, that is the way.
It’s very important not to chug water, especially if you’re dehydrated. It will make you sick and you’re at great risk of throwing it up which makes a lot more problems. Sipping is best, even just for everyday purposes. Drink consistently, don’t chug.