I didn't have time to read through the 9 plus pages of responses, I'm sure there are a lot of great suggestions on what to get. It can be a rather difficult to prioritize things that should be purchased first. Look at it from this prospective in terms of life priorities. Some call it the threes. You can survive without the following for this duration: 1. 3 minutes without air 2. 30 minutes in extreme exposure 3. 3 days without water and 4. 30 days without food. So from that perspective if you are not concerned about lack of oxygen, drowning, , your priorities become protection from exposure (Shelter, appropriate clothing etc.), water then food. So a bag containing a tent, sleeping bag and some warm clothing. Done. The best water filter on the market is the sawyer brand and don't get the mini as it clogs quickly. If you want to see the best and the lightest equipment on the market look to the ultralight long distant hikers like 'Darwin on the trail'. The equipment they recommend is the best and lightest. Carried and used for thousands of km over the course of months. Food. Keep it simple. Protein and carbohydrates. Bags of rice in food grade buckets from homedepot. Dried beans. Cans of pork and beans, spam, corned beef in a can for protein. Lots of sources for this on the internet. If you can afford the mountain house freeze dried stuff kits then even better. Hard to find. Someone else in the comments said it best, better to shelter in place. Water will be your priority. Get a 'Water Bob'. Turns any bathtub into a water storage tank. Another mneumonic device used by the SAS was 'Plan' to organize your priorities. 'P' -protection against further injury or exposure. 'L' - location. You want to create a signal to be located by search and rescue. 'A'- Acquisition of water and food. 'N' - Navigation. Exhaust all chances of being located and are running out of food, as a last resort you move. I realize that this is a general overview, but at least it will help you prioritize your needs when looking for what to buy.
Can someone give me a quick primer on water filtration? I'm familiar with the sawyer and related systems, ie. systems that use a filter and are therefore toast once the filter needs replacing, unless you have replacement filters. In a bug in situation, what is a more durable solution? I mean obviously one can just get a rain barrel and use rain water/snow, but how drinkable is that long term without filtration? Is it pretty much drinkable as is, or would it become drinkable if you let it settle and clean the barrel periodically?
Also, I was looking at the waterbob, and it states the water within is good for 16 weeks. I don't understand this. If it's city provided treated water, should the water not generally be contaminant free? Why would the water have any expiration date at all? The only thing I could see ever causing an expiry date is if the system were to become contaminated in some way.
Contaminant free doesn't mean sterile. It could grow algae, for instance.
Guys, I've been working on a high value-for-money kit for a while now and trying to bring the price down. It's difficult because vast majority of competitors on the market are made with dollarstore quality components and then priced at an affordable $200 or whatnot for piece of mind, but not for actual use. My cousin had a $250 kit from the Red Cross and the tweezers snapped when she tried to pull a tick off her dog. A bunch of companies like Judy and Preppi exploit a lack of customer familiarity with good kit, which sets unrealistic expectations as how low the price can be.
As we are gun enthusiasts, we are smarter shoppers than most when it comes to kit, but as a focus group I was wondering if you guys think that this product would survive the marketplace. A kit for approx $1000-1200 that would include the bag, PPE, Medical, 72 hours Food, Electronics and lighting, tools, hygiene. Brand quality would be on the level of Nitecore flashlight, Grayl water filter, SOG or Leatherman knives, that kind of level. It would not include armour, outdoor shelter gear like tents or sleeping bags. Think people would buy this?
No. I think most anyone who was looking for serious prepping would either want to customize their gear with brands/items they are familiar and comfortable with using and/or they would already have a good portion bought. As for the rest of the market they would be put off by the high price tag. I doubt you would sell many units.
My 2 cents.
We sell all kids of great stuff right here at Wanstalls For example:
https://wanstallsonline.com/imminent-threat-solutions/
Groundwater doesn't stay pure for billions of years with no issues. Many, many, wells are contaminated. You need to check water quality often if you have a private well because you may not be aware of things that affect your water table. If there is a source of harmful bacteria, your well water needs to be treated. It may be contaminated with chemicals from farming, mining, or industrial sites. It maybe contaminated by natural deposits of lead, uranium, cadmium, etc.