It can be quite a tougher task to prepare an emergency survival kit when you have to decide about the amount of water that you need to carry. The weight of the kit can slow you down and sap your energy. But the matter of fact is that the positive things of a survival kit outweigh the negative ones. With enough food and water, you will not have to be dependent.

Without water, survival is impossible. Storing enough water for 72 hours is the basic necessity. During emergency situation, it might take time for the authorities to reach at your place for help. You should be able to survive during that time until those services arrive.

According to FEMA’s recommendation, a person needs to drink half a gallon (64 oz.) of water. It means that you are going to have to keep two large water bottles. The bottles used during hiking and emergency usually measure every 4 oz. This way, you will be able to track water consumption during the day.

If water is not available in the area you are heading to, you can keep water pouches that can have 4.225 oz. of water.

Carrying 72hrs of water

The amount of water you need to carry for 72 hours mainly depends upon how much water you can comfortably carry. For this purpose, you have to make sure that you have right water bottles. Although Coast Guard suggests you to keep at least 9 oz. of water to survive for a few days, it’s not the kind of survival we are talking about. Few things that you need to take into consideration in this regard are as under.

• Weight is an important thing to consider here because water can be the heaviest item to carry. It also depends upon the build and strength of your body. Moreover, the backpack you are carrying should not be more than 15% of your body weight.
• Bulk is another big obstacle. When you put two water bottles in the bag, it takes up a lot of space leaving very little room for the other essential items. To address this issue, you can try collapsible water bottle, soft water bottle, or water pouches. These bottles and pouches are taller rather than wider. And so, they allow other items to be adjusted well in the backpack.
• Pouches allow you to save room for the other essential items in the backpack but they are not quite durable. Any puncture on those pouches can lead to the water leaking out of them. Even the bottles can break or crack when they fall down. In this scenario, you have to make sure that the pouches or bottles you are using are durable.
• Another factor to talk about is the versatility. For instance, you can consider using a metal water bottle which can be used to store, boil and sterilize water. You can even make tea in that bottle.