Water supply when travelling - where from?

[Walks with dogs]

I spend a fair bit of my time walking the dogs round the various canals near me. Doesn't take long before you feel a long way from anything built up and is very relaxing. Now I know I can use the taps provided at mooring points I may do it a bit more.

 

[widu13]

In a similar vein to the canal ablutions key, I can also recommend getting a RADAR disabled key from your local townhall etc. You will have to blag it though as only the registered disabled are entitled to it. The pros are that remote car parks with toilets (and city toilets as well) are locked at night, but the radar locks are not locked separately , so you have access 24/7. They also tend to be cleaner and often have a tap in for filling cleaners buckets (and our water carriers!). The cons are that often in cities druggies use them for banging up in.

 

[Zammo]

Sniper's right, excellent kit, which you can get at Blacks for £14:99 (Saving £10).

Pre-Mac are fantastic about enquiries, they answered all my questions, fully, including attaching useful docs, within a few minutes!

Have you got a direct link to that, can't seem to locate it on their site?

 

[Jared]

You could buy some dehydrated water, it'll be lighter

Hydrogen fuel cell...
Fire & Water sorted..

 

[Bumpy]

Just in case anyone is interested there is a cheaper British Waterways key here :

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....m=120366582501&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=002

 

[Sniper]

Have you got a direct link to that, can't seem to locate it on their site?

Go to "travelwithcare.com" and search for premac water filters, you will find several different kinds and types with cost to match.
When I said 5 mins I did'nt actually mean a full 5 mins only meant get it boiling for a minute or two, sorry should have been a bit more specific.

sorry can't do links mate

 

[Wayland]

Just as an extra to suggestions already made, don't forget you can collect rainwater and sometimes condensation from your tarp.

 

[Melonfish]

personally i'm taking a 3l camelback and a US 1 quart canteen, plus a spare canteen for handling dirty water (as in river/spring water before purification)
but say i wanted to collect rainwater off my tarp and into my billy can, whats the best method for this? just pop it on a corner or weigh it down or clip it to the billy creating a large funnel?

 

[big_swede]

Rainwater is a fairly reliable source, a billy set too under a corner of the tarp fills pretty quick. I would expect that its safe to drink straight off(though I wouldnt know for certain)

I have been thought during 3 different survival courses (2 military and one private/commercial) that rainwater is safe to drink worldwide. I have no written references but this was said by qualified instructors. And I haven't been sick ever by rainwater. Actually I have never gotten ill by any water, except once, but that was dysentry, and in an rural area.

 

[He' s left the building]

personally i'm taking a 3l camelback and a US 1 quart canteen, plus a spare canteen for handling dirty water (as in river/spring water before purification)

If you need to catch/hold your source-water prior to filtration, you're better off with some sort of folding bucket or large thick plastic bag. I've rarely found myself in a position where I've needed to store/hold untreated water.

I use a Katadyn Hiker filtration unit drop the intake pipe in the river, connect the outlet pipe to an MSR or Ortlieb water bag. I then add steritabs to the bag, wait at least 30 mins and then the water is ready, it can be decanted into other bottles/water-packs as required.

If I'm in a clean (unpopulated) area with a relatively clean water supply, I have been known to just scoop up a mug of water from a fast-flowing stream and boil it. I would do exactly the same with rainwater (provided it was collected from a clean tarp).

But the 'system' of filter > bag > tablets is fool-proof and tried and tested.

 

[He' s left the building]

What would you do with muddy water, i.e. streams that are usually clear turn muddy after heavy rain?

This can happen with unprotected wells, the water turns muddy/cloudy after rainfall.

This is where a bucket or large thick plastic bag is handy.

Simply hold the muddy water for an hour or more and allow the sediment to settle. Using a mug or billy, carefully (without disturbing the sediment at the bottom) scoop the surface water. This does still require further filtration+tablets or filtration+boiling as there can still be fine sediment suspended in the water, along with any 'bugs'.

Drinking sediment won't kill you (unless you live downstream from Chernobyl/Sellafield) but it's not big and it's not clever. Like licking 9v batteries or inhaling helium from balloons.

 

[Barney]

I have been thought during 3 different survival courses (2 military and one private/commercial) that rainwater is safe to drink worldwide. I have no written references but this was said by qualified instructors. And I haven't been sick ever by rainwater. Actually I have never gotten ill by any water, except once, but that was dysentry, and in an rural area.

Cheers for the confirmation Big Swede, it is very reassuring to know that.

 

[forrestdweller]

cementarys outside villages were always a source for me while pushbiking around europe and new zealand as they had usually a tap which was connected to the local drinking water net.

 

[BushTucker]

I have carried a ladies foldable/ colaspable umberella, has a hole in the tip and is placed upside down in a collecter. Small, sturdy and easy to set up, if rain starts and your hike stops for the rain, is an ideal time to use it.

Hardly a bushcrafty technique but hey i want water not something shiney that dont work or costs the earth.