Whats next?

[Dave_L]

Thanks guys. I definitely have some things to work on this summer now. Appreciate all the input.

[RonMexico]

Bug out: Take a day (weekend?) to practice some primitive survival skills - head into the woods and build a shelter, practice building fires (if safe and legal to do so in that area) practice making traps and snares. Practice using the tools in your kit. Test out all your gear. Can you really hoof it 10 miles with that 40lb backpack and a rifle? Does your vehicle have the right care/tools/supplies to help you bug out? properly inflated full size spare? extra food and water? warm clothes? jumper cables and tool kits? We practice and train in order to identify the gaps before we need to actually cross the bridge.

Bingo, Bingo, Bingo.

Im lucky that I get paid to do this stuff but most people have a ton of Gucci gear but never fucking use it. I'm not going to lie, I'm a water snob, I don't drink tap water and I prefer Smart and Fiji water. Recently, I was in a situation for 4 weeks where I had to drink out of streams and poor water sources. I had a small filter but our go to for speed and efficiency was iodine tables, after 25 gals you get use to the taste. The real lesson learned was identifying quality water sources( sandy bottom with a swift current; not always common in NC) and how to forage enough water for you group. When was the last time you live under the stars without a sleeping bag?
My exs sister would always ask me why I wanted to go out into the wilderness and pretend to be a bum; and truly most people don't like being pushed outside the comfort zone.

Great job, and I would just practice/apply your skills in the wild.

[Great-Kazoo]

Bingo, Bingo, Bingo.

Im lucky that I get paid to do this stuff but most people have a ton of Gucci gear but never fucking use it. I'm not going to lie, I'm a water snob, I don't drink tap water and I prefer Smart and Fiji water. Recently, I was in a situation for 4 weeks where I had to drink out of streams and poor water sources. I had a small filter but our go to for speed and efficiency was iodine tables, after 25 gals you get use to the taste. The real lesson learned was identifying quality water sources( sandy bottom with a swift current; not always common in NC) and how to forage enough water for you group. When was the last time you live under the stars without a sleeping bag?
My exs sister would always ask me why I wanted to go out into the wilderness and pretend to be a bum; and truly most people don't like being pushed outside the comfort zone.

Great job, and I would just practice/apply your skills in the wild.

Not all people can utilize iodine for water purification. Some people with fish allergies may be or are susceptible to an allergic reaction. I know 1 guy (first hand) who is and really jammed up his preps .

[Wulf202]

Shellfish allergies and iodine allergies are not mutually inclusive. Fyi

I only use iodine as a last resort. I hate the stuff. Try sometime to get a kid to drink it.

Then dose the iodine treated water with 50mg vitamin c per qt/liter and watch the reaction.

[RonMexico]

If I had time I would boil then filter my water, but I don't mind Iodine tasting pond scum.

[Great-Kazoo]

If I had time I would boil then filter my water, but I don't mind Iodine tasting pond scum.

sand, sand, charcoal, UV light bulb OR.................. sunlight.

[HoneyBadger]

Last time I went hiking in Colorado, I only brought a LifeStraw with me. Worked great, but the obvious downside is that you can't filter water for storage... I turned into a camel and drank as much as I could whenever I could. Not ideal, but it worked. Anyway, we've got several threads already dedicated to water purification, but this goes back to practicing with what you have.