This document provides information on water preparation and survival. It discusses how much water the body needs, signs of dehydration, water purification methods like solar disinfection, water storage options, and water sources in emergencies. Key points include needing at least one gallon of water per day, being able to purify water using sunlight in plastic bottles, and considering water sources like pipes, water heaters, and toilets in an emergency at home.

1. AFTER 3 DAYS
WITH NO WATER;
WE DIE.
What We Need To
Know about Water for
Preparation and Survival
(Updated 2022)

2. Over 3/4ers of our body is
composed of fluid.
Just passively existing, we
lose almost a half gallon
per day. That goes up
drastically if we are active.
Thus we need one gallon
of water per day at a
minimum.

3. A 5% drop in body fluid will cause a 25%
drop in energy level.
A 15% drop will cause death.
It is estimated that 80% of people are
chronically dehydrated.

5. Assume all water in nature to be
contaminated.
Giardia is no fun.
During catastrophes, your regular water
sources are often contaminated.
How safe is your everyday drinking water?

6. I highly recommend no matter where you
live, have at least a basic under sink filter on
one tap, from which you draw all the water you
are going to drink.
80% of all natural disasters are accompanied
by floods, which taint the water supply.

7. The quickest and most effective emergency
preparation we can do is stock water.
A minimum of one case of 500ml bottles per
person (three days worth).
I recommended it be at least 2 cases per
person.
Just grab it the next time you’re in the store.
Do it now!

8. In an emergency, we have water in our house
that we don’t readily think of:
The water heater.
The water pipes.
The toilet tank (not the bowl).

9. 4 full 500ml water bottles. This is your immediate
emergency supply if you have no time to fill up your . . .
Containers. Either a built in water supply such as a
Camelbak or pockets/clips for water carriers. Most
packs have external loops on which you can secure
canteens and water carriers. Your first priority is to fill
up this container with potable water or from your
household water stash if bugging out. The four water
bottles are to sustain you to get to that point. They also
then become extra water containers.
WATER-Grab-n-Go Bag

10. A built in Camelback can be useful.
Canteens. I have a military issue 2 quart in my bag.
Click on image for it.
Water bottles.
Water Carrier

11. On my JeepGladiator I carry a 15 liter plastic
container inside. I use that for camping. On my
back rack, I carry two 2 gallon rotopax
containers. I also have several water filters.
Water Carrier

12. Compressible water containers. For after establishing
base camp
Purification. Lifestraw or equivalent and two bottles
purification tablets.
Click on images below for links.
Water

13. You must have a way of filtering water for
your family.
Besides the life straw and pills, there are
ones that produce more volume. There is
also a slightly more expensive system that
doesn’t require pumping and works via
gravity. Either one can be a lifesaver for your
family.

14. In an emergency you can purify water
by disinfecting it.

15. Water in Nature
Purify all water you aren’t certain is pure.
Collected rainwater is usually safe if the
surface it comes off of isn’t contaminated.
Eating snow or ice without melting first will
reduce your core temperature and lead to
dehydration.
If you have to melt either to get drinkable
water, use ice rather than snow as it takes
less energy.

16. No matter what you’ve read
(unless you’re a vampire):

17. SoDis Water Disinfection
Solar Water Disinfection:
Find a clean, clear plastic bottle no more than
three liters (1 liter is slightly more than one
quart). It needs to be a PET bottle. You can tell
by looking on the bottom. Most will say if they
are PET or PETE. Otherwise it will have a
number. You want a #1.
The narrower the bottle, the better for solar
penetration.

18. SoDis Water Disinfection
Fill it three quarters full with clear water, or
water you have filtered through sand, cloth or
whatever you have available.
Shake the bottle in order to get as much
oxygen as possible into the water.
Fill the rest of the bottle and replace the lid.
Place the bottle in direct sunlight for six to
eight hours. You can increase the efficiency by
placing the bottle on a reflective surface such
as metal or aluminum foil.
If you have to move, hang the bottle on the
outside of your pack.

19. SoDis Disinfection
How SoDis works?
The sunlight treats the water through three ways; all involve
the sun’s radiation.
UVA reacts with the oxygen dissolved in the water to
produce a highly reactive form with free radicals and
hydrogen peroxide, which kills microorganisms.
UVA interferes with the reproductive cycle of bacteria by
crippling their DNA.
The sunlight heats the water and once it gets it above 122
degrees, the disinfection works three times faster.

20. Water and Plastic
While I recommend bottled water for your
emergency supply, the reality is that bottled water
contains micro plastic particles.
The bottles are also bad for the environment. For
our drinking water we use metal bottles that we fill
from our filtered tap. This gets rid of drinking micro-
plastic and is good for the environment.
When storing water in plastic, check the type:
use PET or PETA#s 1, 2, 4 and 7.
Avoid thin plastic such as milk or gallon water
jugs. They will eventually leak, especially if not
stored in a cool place.

21. Water First Aid
Signs of dehydration are:
Dark urine with a very strong odor
Low Urine Output
Dark, sunken eyes
Fatigue
Emotional instability
Heat Exhaustion and Heat Stroke and
Over-Hydration are covered in the book.

22. Dark and/or smelly urine usually
indicates dehydration.

23. Water
Rules of thumb in nature in extreme
emergencies:
Running water is better than still water.
Water coming out of a spring is better
than running water.
Clear water is better than cloudy or
discolored water.
Avoid water with algae.
Avoid swamp or marshland water.

24. Water Scavenging
In essence, a sealed water bottle has no
expiration.
Also, consider houses with high end
filtering systems— get the filters, connect,
let gravity push water through them.

25. More Free Information
I constantly update free, downloadable
slideshows like this on my web site for
preparation and survival and other topics.
Use Your Camera on this QR Code

26. More Free Information
Since Slideshare no longer supports links,
I’ve put all the links to apps, gear and web pages on
my web site at
www.bobmayer.com
Use the pop up from the following image there and
scroll through for what you want:

27. This book walks you through your personal situation,
your home, and your Area of Operations.

28. AMAZON

31. New York Times bestselling author, is a graduate of West Point and
former Green Beret. He’s had over 80 books published, including the
#1 bestselling series Green Berets, Time Patrol, Area 51, and Atlantis.
He’s sold over 5 million books. He was born in the Bronx and has
traveled the world. He’s lived on an island off the east coast, an island
off the west coast, in the Rocky Mountains, the Smoky Mountains and
other places, including time in East Asia studying martial arts.
He was an instructor and course developer/writer for years at the
JFK Special Warfare Center and School which trains Green Berets and
also runs the SERE school:
Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape.
www.bobmayer.com