I carry an oven bag and an empty 1L or 0.5L Platypus bag in my vest. I figure in an Urban setting I will be able to find empty bottles cans etc that would do. I also keep 2-5, 0.5L bottles of water at my desk. I grab my carry bag and at least one water bottle when the fire alarm rings or the building starts to rock .<br><br>There is Great Water Container Test and many other discussions on this forum that covers condoms, bags and whatnot. <br><br>I do not carry a condom as container, and have never tried to use one for water.

The 20th of this month our local chemical plant had a railcar blow up around 9:30 a.m. My wife and I were getting her flat tire fixed about 900 yards from the explosion. The windows shook violently. I could not see a smoke plume and became very worried. A lot of the surrounding area was ordered , sheltered in place. Streets were closed off and the schools were locked down with the children. We have a lot of crazies out there right now. I go everywhere prepared. My goal in an emergency is to get back to my family any way I must. Being Equipped to Survive is the first step. <br><br>Hunter

I prefer the roasting bags for compact emergency water containers. Cord or cord plus a little duct tape extends their utility. Like all the "last resort" equipment, it's best to experiment with it in realistic conditions to winnow out what works and what does not work for you.<br><br>BTW, try rolling the bags for your PSK - in my opinion they are just as compact as folded (albeit differently shaped) and seem to be less likely to develop "storage leaks" from creases.

Don't forget the signal mirror. Light, low-tech, and they work. Carrying one reflects well on you....

I managed to fit a ziploc double guard one gallon freezer bag into my Altoids mini kit without having to give up anything to make room. I did have to tape the container closed though. :o)<br><br>I also folded another of the bags up and placed it into a film canister (cleaned) and it lives in my Vest kit along with the purification tablets.

I did some experimentation with various ziplock bags, oven bags, tropical fish bags, and condoms, and posted results here awhile back.<br><br>I, too, was very skeptical of the condom solution, but it worked surprisingly well. No solution that fits in an Altoids tin or a wallet is going to be perfect, but it turns out that just the weight of the water expands the condom, and I think it would be possible to fill it from a seep, hopefully with a little tubing to help.<br><br>The main point of the test was to check for resistance to deterioration from the iodine water purification tablets. The condom was the first to fail, but it lasted weeks... and I'd say there's virtually no chance of any of these containers lasting that long in real use anyway.<br><br>Personally, I prefer some of the other bags for my kits. The oven bags (they no longer seem to be available in small or medium sizes) and tropical fish bags were just about as compact, and I think they are a little sturdier, but most of my objections to the condom idea proved to be unfounded.<br><br>The glass vials from Barry at Blue Line work very well, and they make a huge difference in bulk- they are so tiny that it starts to seem silly not to include them in any kit. I even include the tablets in the urban kits now. Some urban areas have had problems maintaining water purity without any emergency at all- I have little faith in their performance in really bad times.

Does anyone have first hand knowlege of or experience with this device ? Supposedly it purifies water with UV light. Small (7"x1.6"x1.5"), light (8oz.), capacity limited only by battery life. Pricey : ~ $200.00. The company claims it removes 99.9 % of microorganisms. Thanks for any replies !!

I prefer freezer bags. The bags have several advantages over condoms. They are designed to hold food and they can take higher storage temperatures without deterioration.<br>I also recommend rolling the bag from the bottom. If the outer layer of the roll suffers damage, you usually keep a large portion that can hold water. When you fold it, the bag might leak on the creases and the bottom part can be damaged due to abrasion or sharp edges. <br>I don´t bother using condoms for water storage. They need almost as much space as the plastic bag and they can´t be used for collecting other things.

Louis,<br><br>No first hand experience with it, but I did research it several months ago and it appears that it does what it claims. There might be some question about oocysts, specifically cryptosporodium parvo (sp?), IIRC - those are tough rascals - but (IIRC) it does better than chemicals against them. Filtration or floculation + filtration is best non-boiling defense against oocystic critters from what I've researched...<br><br>The UV pen appears to do very well on everything else, and of course it (UV) is used for sterilization of municipal water in SOME places (it's expensive at the municipal level).<br><br>HTH,<br><br>Tom

Doesn't it depend on where you are and what you are doing?<br>For example:<br><br>Taking scouts camping:-<br>1)Duck Tape<br>2)Laetherman Wave<br>3)Cell phone<br>4)Lots of DRY matches<br>5)Para cord<br>6)Sheath Knife<br>7)petzl Duo head torch with extra batteries<br>8) First Aid kit<br>9)PSK<br>10)Chocolate bars/energy bars!<br><br>As opposed to tope ten items for a bob<br><br>1)Sheath Knife<br>2)Wave<br>3)2x2 tarp<br>3)flint and striker<br>4)water purifying pump-like a katadyn+spare filter<br>5)Paracord<br>6)First Aid kit<br>7)Tri-fold spade<br>8)Chang of clothes including spare boots<br>9)Big box of matches<br>10) shot gun + Ammo<br><br>Any comments?<br><br><br>