Water Water Everywhere, Not a Drop to Drink: Dealing with Water as an Individual and Small Team – Part One, by GuerrillaLogistician

This is a photo of the USS Razorback with two saltwater purification systems that kept the engines running with fresh water, drinking water, and water for food preparation, but little else. Both couldn’t be run simultaneously without the heat becoming unbearable; this meant hygiene was limited at best.

NOTICE: You might be correct if you think I need to correct something or have a better method. I write this to further my studies and help new people, but time and innovations will change everything. This is a jumping point for research into your best plans for your region. You are more than welcome to comment below.

“Hey, the men are out of water, Shanks”, the young man said to his leader. The young guy clad in an old M81 surplus vest kneeled near his leader, looking at the hand-drawn map.

“Yeah, Murphy, I figured I am about out as well, and this fucking map is way off.”, Shanks replied. Dropping his pack, he pulled out a grey bag and handed it to his subordinate. “Take this over there to that puddle and fill what you can while I see if I can figure this out.”, he said with no need to command. His group was well disciplined and trained, which helped, and he knew the young man knew how to handle the very precious purifier.

While Shanks was cursing about a lack of real maps, he looked at his GPS and went about redrawing the map. Meanwhile, Murphy pulled out the red and grey MSR Guardian Purifier and undid the tubing. Placing the modified filter on the end of the hose into the still water, he started to fill canteens, Nalgene bottles, and other water containers. Finishing his work with the pump, he put it in its bag and walked back up to Shanks. “Do we need to use the H2Go as well?”, he asked, handing back the grey bag.

Shanks took the filter and shoved it back into his bag, “No, that filter is fine, but if you guys were using some other filter, you’d better use that or the tablets.” Shanks went back to the map, “This map had more water sources on it, but I am worried we’re going to run out before we can complete the patrol.” “We might need to pull out an OTP and let head shed know, or we may just have to return to base,” he added.

The young soldier frowned. He was on his 3^rd patrol with little more than recon under his belt and was itching to do something. “I mean, can’t we just fill up again?” “The guys can push it a bit without water, and you know they want this patrol completed.”, he offered as a counter to scrubbing the op.

Shanks shook his head, “You can go out on an ambush low on ammo and a magazine per person if your guys are trained, but don’t ever stay out without water or shelter.” Wiping the sweat off his head, he put the map back into his pocket. “Remember that because these guys will be all yours soon, and you don’t want to have a casualty out of combat.”

With that, the young man nodded and watched as Shanks raised his arm palm up as if lifting a weight on his palm and raising it to the sky. The young man mimicked the gesture, and the group rose from their positions of cover, getting back into the file they were initially in.

Why do I need to know about water?

The logistics of water for the individual is deceptively complicated. Many preppers and partisans in the US think of water as many of your neighbors think about ammo. If you ever had a conversation with someone who thought 100 rounds, much less a case of 1000 rounds, would last forever, water is probably more deceptive, especially for an individual, much less a group of people. The worst part is many people think they are set and don’t even realize how wrong they are. While ammo and supplies such as radios and the items needed to stay warm are always on our minds, water is among the least talked about items. With the invention of so many different water filtration and purification devices, many people believe they have a firm grasp of the issue. I have seen everything from Chinese reproduction filters, Berky filters, to the life straw. For this article, let’s talk about the stuff you can carry instead of the sustainment/camp/FOB/bug-out site water. I will save that for a later article along with the required engineering, but for now, let’s focus on gear for individual/small team stuff.

Per the US DOD, the average soldier requires 3.3gal per day in Tropical/Arid environments, Temperate 1.65gal, and 2.2gal in the cold. This doesn’t include the 0.43-1.93gal recommended for food preparation. If you carry freeze-dried or dehydrated foods, this may shift even higher. Not everyone will drink over 3 gallons of water daily; other times, it won’t be enough. This is a base model; use this as a guide more than a rule. More is better, but each individual will figure out their needs over time, and if your group works together well, they can take care of the fish and the camels, respectively.

Let’s discuss terms and acronyms. If I can help it, I will not use 5-dollar words (now 100$ due to inflation) unless necessary, and acronyms will be limited unless in very common use. The military also calls everything related to Individual Water Purification Devices as IWPD or IWP. Because I know some turd bird select probably wanted an increase in rank, he instituted that acronym; I am going to ignore it for the rest of the article.

The first idea everyone has is “I’ll just boil it,” which works well if you are sitting in one location and not worried about your thermal signature. You must stay in that position and have a rolling boil for at least 5 minutes, which isn’t always possible. Time and Temp can very but this is a good rule of thumb. It is a great way to purify water, but many people have no idea how to boil water effectively or how much fuel it takes; not only that, the smell of wood fire travels for miles on end, and that can be a bad idea. Beyond that, you have three common ways to purify water that can be quickly taken with you. Chemically, ultraviolet and Filtration are some of your best and most common options, but not all are safe and as effective as people think. Let’s start with the easiest and most foolproof way to get water. Before that, some administrative notes need to be covered.

We will not be discussing the removal of chemicals, fuels, etc., that can contaminate water. That whole other process isn’t very easy for individuals and small groups.

L = Liters
gal = Gallon
mg/L = milligram to Liter
1 gal of water weighs about 8.34 lbs

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

For the sake of brevity of an already long post, I want to give credit to GearSkeptic, who has some amazing, detailed information in video format. I also found this and other posts on the subject after I had written all this on American Partisan, and I want to reintroduce you guys to some previous posts on the subject. I feel I have a bit of a different take than they do, but we all agree on the science of things. If you are a video/audio guy, start with GearSkeptic 1, then watch or read the others below on the subjects I cover. These people possibly do this in a way better than I can especially in written format. The links below will go into major topics beyond the scope of packing it in a ruck. I expect to touch on some of this on a similar but more base of opeartions topic later.

GearSkeptic Pt. 1 – https://youtu.be/rIMeq0c7rJM?si=xm9ZJ8PxOEmtSMlL
Article – https://www.americanpartisan.org/2020/07/guest-post-how-to-purify-water-14-methods-for-homes-and-outdoors/
video – https://www.americanpartisan.org/2022/10/3-simple-ways-to-disinfect-water/
Article – https://www.americanpartisan.org/2020/07/guest-post-how-to-purify-and-clean-water-in-an-emergency/
Video – https://www.americanpartisan.org/2021/08/food-water-prepping-how-to-fight-back-part-3-rations/

CONTAINERS

Over the years, the US military has pulled away from canteens for the more comfortable and less invasive camelbak-style systems. Back in the day, everyone knew what a 1 Quart canteen was, vs a 2 Quart canteen. You will notice through historical photos that many soldiers carried a few quarts of water on them, but the water being 8.34 lbs a gallon generally precludes you from carrying too much. According to Harvard, the average male drinks 15.5 cups of water a day, and women drink about 11.5 cups. This still is shy of a gallon of water a day for your average office worker sitting inside. Nowadays, we also see civilians and military carrying various sizes of Nalgene bottles/cups, etc. I will not tell anyone that they should return to the old ways just because of nostalgia and institutional knowledge. I reference containers to get you thinking and not as a suggestion to purchase old canteens. Before the kidney-style canteen, we ran around with circular canteens that looked like two deep dishes put together. However, if you have new people and they must rely on measuring stuff, backpack water systems aren’t always your friend. Knowing the amount of water something can hold is paramount to treating water. You will always need a way to measure, so make sure you have that ability, be it a canteen cup or otherwise. This also means you should look into titanium, steel, or at the least aluminum cups with measurements on the side, just as a backup to boil water if you are truly screwed. Lastly, sloshing canteens are loud as all hell. If all your gear is strapped down and the slosh is going, you will notice it, and that is just one reason why Camelbak made such an impact.

Transportation of your water is important, but some of the transportation issues are also the weight. Make sure the weight of the container and system doesn’t encumber you too much. Also, realize that there is a difference between survival and being combat-ready. The US military supplies DATREX 1/8 quart water pouches, which, to be fair, will keep you alive but won’t sustain you in combat for very long. Spend time hitting the trails to see how much you drink and keep track of your water intake; also, note how that affects your water intake when you are working hard outdoors. For those of you graced with an indoor job, remember your water intake might be a lot lower than when you are outside. While everyone has standards like 3.3 gallons a day, many people won’t always hit that level, and knowing your consumption can tell you how long some of these systems last with your intake levels.

CHEMICAL TREATMENT

WARNING

All water you come in contact with must be chemically treated! Many people get stupid sick because they draw water into a container from a source, screwing shut the lid, and forget little drops of water are still trapped in the lip. Then, when they remove the lid and drink after purifying the container with tablets/chemicals, that little pocket of untreated goodness goes right into their body. Liquoredrabbit will tell you all about the consequences of that later.

https://www.americanpartisan.org/2023/08/why-should-i-care-about-field-hygiene-and-sanitation-part-one-by-liquoredrabbit/

Chemical treatments have been around since 1500 BC, with Egypt using Alum to drop silt from the water. However, from what I can find, the killing of disease in water started around the 1900s. Belgium began using calcium hypochlorite and ferric chloride to clean water, and today, you can find calcium hypochlorite as the main ingredient in pool water shock treatment in some countries’ drinking water, which is also treated with this chemical. Many websites detail this chemical and how to use it for a safe drinking experience. They do a fine job discussing this in detail, so I will gloss over the details; if you choose this path, do some research. If this is all you have, a bit will go a long way, and you can dive deep into these two chemicals if you want.

The positives over other treatments are that they are generally more durable, cheap, extremely compact, and have a great shelf life. They also work in cloudy water without issues other than adding a bit extra to the product. They do, however, come with the cost of the water tasting not as good, and most of these products require at least 30 minutes, depending on what you use. Also, given time, most chemical treatments kill everything from viruses and protozoa to bacteria. This will become important later when we discuss filtering vs purifying water.

Calcium Hypochlorite

Calcium Hypochlorite is still one of the most common chemicals used to purify water worldwide for pools. We use it in everything from pools to drinking water treatment. Although it has slowly fallen out of favor for other techniques, it still is very effective. While not as popular as once, it is still a perfectly acceptable way to treat your water. The upside to this chemical is it is almost universally found in the modern world, and many disaster relief resources cite how to use it. If you believe that you will need to stockpile a chemical agent, this is probably one of the easiest ones to acquire, and it’s already set in containers that will last years.

Basics to using shock (Calcium Hypochlorite) for drinking
You will need a stock supply of this chemical in liquid form to create drinking water.

DON’T DRINK this solution

1. ¼ ounce/one heaping teaspoon added to 2 gallons of water and stir.
2. Let stand for 30 minutes
3. Make sure it isn’t too strong or too weak by smelling the solution.

Add solution to untreated water

1 part of chlorine solution to each 100 parts of water to be treated. This works to 1 pint of your solution to 12.5 gallons of water. This is also a not-too-uncommon size for RV camper water tanks floating around, depending on the size of the RV. After stirring the water and treating every surface it touches, they recommend this sit for at least 30 minutes to kill everything.

TABLETS

There are a bunch of tablets on the market, which I will touch on a few, but I am not going into detail on these because the instructions vary. Just read and follow the instructions; don’t just drop them in and start drinking. Assume there is a specific amount of water these tablets will purify; you need to know that, along with your container capacity. Oddball containers will force you to overuse tablets or possibly not use them enough. Most tablets are designed for specific quantities, such as canteens, Nalgene bottles, etc., and not other containers. However, they work fine on any size, provided you get the correct water-to-tablet ratio.

Iodine Tablets

These are common from the Vietnam War commonly in little 50 pill bottles sold with a neutralizing agent in Walmart, making these very handy. They take about 30 minutes for the military version, but read the instructions for the civilian ones. Overall they taste absolutely like chemical ass, and without the neutralizing agent, it will be an experience you will not enjoy, but it will keep you alive. These little bastards are very shelf-stable, and the military loved to seal the bottles with wax, as you can see in the photo above. I recommend these for the price, but not for the experience. Any neutralizing agent should be used well after the iodine has time to act.

Sodium Chlorite Tablets

Most of the military has moved to these tablets, and frankly, it’s because the water doesn’t taste like crap when you are done. If you have looked in your IFAK instead of buying it and wearing it as a talisman against death, you will find this tablet in it. The Marines have a specific training regimen for these, and this is what replaced the MIOX filtration system for individual use. Two companies sell these tablets, and from what I can tell, they are the same company Aquatab. You will also find them sold by Kaytaden as the MP1 tablet. By far, the drinking experience with these is better than the Iodine tablets, and they come in either a medical-style individual-use pack or in a bottle. Aquatab has it made with its 100 tablet bottles, costing around 30-35 bucks. If left for a while, this isn’t bad-tasting water and is far more palatable. These are an excellent backup for your pack if a filter or other device goes down. They are also remarkably good at treating water and have little to no taste if done correctly. As you can see, some aquatabs can treat 20 liters of water, so read the instructions.

Sediment and purifying powder

I haven’t interacted with this product, but it is a DOD-approved product, and it combines purification with the same concept ancient Egyptians used to knock off the sediment. This means that all the little bugs hiding in the dirt get killed faster, from what the studies say. The instructions seem to drop drinking time from 30 to 10 minutes as well. The active ingredient is sodium dichloro-isocyanurate, which releases chlorine. (sarcasm)The military has approved it for use, so it must be great for you and will have no lasting effects (/scarasm). I am poking fun at the military and not the product, which seems to be pretty safe and something many organizations are moving toward, so don’t ignore this product. What I will say for the instructions is they say to filter the water through a shirt to remove clumps of sediment, which is pretty awesome. I have not tasted this yet, so hopefully, in the comments below, someone can tell us if this has a bad taste or makes the water amazing.

Sodium Hypochlorite (AKA Bleach)

This well-known disaster relief chemical can save your life, but there are two ways to travel with it. First, let’s review what you need to know before buying bleach/Clorox for water treatment. You must have unscented Chlorine bleach; don’t buy chlorine-free or scented lemon bleach. The nice thing about bleach is that it can also be used as a disinfectant; the literature is out there for that. I may leave that to LiquioredRabbit to discuss, as it is more his wheelhouse.

Once this is done, stir it up and wait 30 minutes.

Notes from the Marines on bleach to clean water

1. Add two drops of bleach per quart of water to be disinfected and let it stand for 30 min before drinking. If a dropper is not available, wet a cloth or stick with bleach and allow it to drip into the water. 2. Use four drops for a 70-oz reservoir, and six drops for the 100-oz reservoir. Mix the added bleach in the reservoir water and let it stand for 30 min before drinking it.

MIOX/ H2g0 Purifier – Bleach again

Top to bottom – MSR MIOX with salt and testing strip container(123A batteries not shown) next to the H2g0, full H2g0 kit, h2g0 being poured into a container.

I am going to be upfront. I like this device a lot, and my preference for the H2g0 Purifier regarding chemical treatment might be a bit biased as I loved the older MIOX system. Both of these devices were made to serve places like Africa and South America and support a cost-effective alternative to shipping tons of chemical products. The device itself is designed to purify water Salt (NaCl) to Disinfectant (Sodium Hypochlorite +Hydrogen Peroxide), which is bleach. The company makes more extensive systems, which I will touch on in a different article, and MSR also made a similar version under the name MIOX that the USMC carried. Both created the chemical in different potency by longer duration of being electrified, both have been marketed to the military and civilian customers generally with little to no difference other than color. MSR use to make a more economical community disaster system as well, which will be touched on in a different article. The nice thing is that H2g0 is solar-powered or USB-charged, has two salt reserves built in and comes with a brine bottle. I prefer it over the older 123A battery system of the MSR. If you keep the rubber plugs in place and care for it, the device is safe to drop in water and with no problem.

This means if you have guys in the field with you, a few guys carrying these could take care of a platoon’s worth of water for as long as you have salt and a water source. At the rate of Tropical/Arid conditions, this device can produce enough water for 12 people a day (3.3 gallons per US DOD standards) and can be stretched further for temperate/cold conditions. The device can make 240L per charge; on solar, it will treat about 5L/over 1gal an hour. The brine bottle is also designed for 240L, so you can track your battery by the device and the amount of brine left. Of all the chemical treatments, this is the best bang for your buck at 100-120 dollars a device, cheaper for 10+ sold at once, and NGOs getting another discount. They are worth looking into, especially if you do mission work. The company likes helping Christian organizations get water to people which is another plus in my book.

I also wish to address one thing quickly. These devices come with testing strips to make sure the proper amount of chemicals are in the water, which becomes important as temperature drops, and the acidity of the water is off of neutral state. You should test the water for total protection, and there are testing strips available on amazon for cheap. Frankly, I don’t mess with these and often leave them out, which probably isn’t bright, but I feel if tablets are trusted without strips, these systems generally are doing the same thing. This doesn’t mean you should follow my example here, and testing your water will make you feel more confident in your tools. It also confirms these products worked properly which should build your confidence in the product, so I recommend you test a good deal.

https://store.h2gopurifier.com/products/h2go-purifier-global

Global vs. Prime H2g0

The Global is designed with a 2.5mg/L setup and has been the standard for decades. From what I can tell, most tropical and sub-tropical regions still recommend this level, even with semi-dirty water. H2g0 also comes with test strips to verify strength, just like the MIOX systems did. The settings on this run from 1L to 20L. Longer wait times will increase effectiveness as well.

The Prime is the same thing, with about half the energy storage and double the potency, rocking 5mg/L, which doubles its solution in your water. It means you can purify a mudslide into being drinkable but at the cost of more chemicals and taste in the water. This still keeps the time you have to wait to 30 minutes.

I would grab either one, as they come in and out of stock, but I would stick with the Global because you can make it the Prime by choosing a higher quantity of water, AKA click 2L for 1L of water if you have any doubt.

Sometime in the mid-2000s, it seems the military raised its standards from 2.5mg of chlorine per liter to 5mg/L due to use in colder temperatures, cloudy water (called Turbidity to water nerds), and varied pH levels. From what I can tell with some research, much of the 3^rd world hasn’t moved to higher dosage levels. I will admit many 3^rd world water systems filter sediment regardless, so this might be a factor in the lower dosage levels, along with the region’s heat not being as much a factor as the cold. If your water looks like a weak soy latte and you can’t filter out the cloudiness, and you know your product is 2.5mg/L, the math is easy double it to reach the 5mg/l. Verify this before adjusting any treatment in case you are in colder climates. I can’t tell you if this is a great move so that I will leave a link to the DOD papers, but I am guessing they have had a few cases where people did everything correctly and still got sick, like John Doe. Do what you think is best for you and your people.

Link to DOD paper on the subject if you need an alternative to self-flagellation, want to add to your suffering, or just want to find something I missed and call me an idiot.

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA454058.pdf

MIOX by MSR

These still exist on the market, but some are in rough condition and are now fetching a premium if you can find the Marine brown ones. They were designed to purify 1 to 4 L buyer beware.

GearSkeptic on chemical treatments –

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RBavPWLOKg

Solar/UV Disinfection

Near and dear to my heart, purifying water can be done in plain, clear plastic water bottles. I used this method a bit, and if you are lucky enough to have tea, it is a great way to flavor your water AFTER you have initially purified it. Solar Disinfection has a few drawbacks, so let’s review the Bubba version and the new fancy electronic ways. Both require the light source to touch ALL water. Just like the chemical treatments, you must make sure the caps don’t hold drops of water, and unlike the chemical treatments, you can’t just add the treated water to the cap and shake it. That will cause the little bugs to have a free run. Add to that the water better be as straightforward as possible; particles protect from the sunlight, so having a filtration system is a must if you don’t have clear water.

Sunlight method

Clear bottles 3 liters and under are recommended for this as they will be treated in about a day. When you fill the bottle, fill it up as much as possible, leaving little to no air gap. I recommend BPA-free bottles like clear Nalgene-style ones, but standard water bottles will work. I say that because BPA-free became a big deal. Many water bottles have coloring to make the water look bluer, so pick these carefully. This also includes water bottles like Dasani that have a slight blueish tint to them, diminishing the effectiveness of sunlight. They must be in direct sunlight for a whole day to be safe. No cloudy days, no partially cloudy days. This is an excellent way to do backup water purification or when all else fails. There are other natural light systems to clean water, but they aren’t very portable, so I won’t touch them, and I only have experience with the bottle trick personally when using the sun. If you have time and lots of sun, this might be a great option to treat lots of water while you are busy, but it isn’t great for patrols. You can, however, tie the bottle to your ruck and march, so the concept has its uses, especially if you are in transit and on foot.

UV emitting systems (AKA Steripen)

Steripens have been around for a while but have fallen out of favor with most backpackers. Like the sunlight method, you must have clear water and not spill any in your cap before being treating. Despite these issues, the UV system works fast and doesn’t add chemicals, which many people love. It is also generally good for over 8000 uses but is only suitable for about 4-6L a day and gives the bulb an entire 4.4-year lifespan. Ninety seconds gives you 1 liter of water, which is not too shabby, but again, this isn’t good for tannin-infused water like the swamps of FL, AL, and MS, to name a few. I won’t go into older issues cited on several websites because some companies have claimed they fixed battery drain issues plaguing some of them. I haven’t used them often and have ignored them in recent years, so I don’t want to comment too heavily. Some models take standard batteries you can remove to prevent them from turning on, which mitigates random power drain. These are good for backpackers or if you want some clean water, but I don’t recommend them for rough times full of hard people, especially because they are a bit fragile.

In Part Two, coming tomorrow, we will review the different kinds of water filtration devices out there!