Drinking water is rarely, if ever, found in the wild; at least not without horrible consequences. Your body cannot go more than 3 days without water, so finding a water source and getting a purification system in place should be your number one priority.
Preferably, you should have already set aside some water beforehand. One gallon per person per day. You should aim to save up for 2 weeks' worth of water, but depending on how close or far you are to a natural water source, as well as how quickly you can get a purification system set up, you should adjust accordingly.
Without further ado, here are some ways you can purify water, depending on its state:
| METHOD | DESCRIPTION | PICTURE |
|---|---|---|
| BOILING WATER | Boiling water kills all pathogens and leaves you with mostly drinkable water.
However, this takes up time and fuel and may not be 100% effective.
Regardless, it's a good alternative when you're first starting out.
Make sure to filter out impurities before and after boiling to avoid adverse effects. Keep in mind boiling water will not remove chemicals or heavy metals. Make sure to always use strong containers that can properly withstand heat. |
hm Trigo |
| IODINE TABLET PURIFICATION | Simple to use: simply put a tablet in your water container. It kills bacteria and protozoa and can be easily found at your local pharmacy and outdoor stores.
Be mindful, it leaves a characteristic taste and odor in your water and it should NOT be consumed by pregnant women or people with sensitivity to iodine. |
hm Brigo |
| DISTILLATION | Absolutely essential to learn both for water purification and general chemical processes. Keep your water in a container and heat it until it becomes steam. Capture that steam in another container and let it condense and precipitate into another. You should be left with mostly purified water, though it won't work with purifying volatile chemicals that have boiling points lower than water. |
hm Grigo |
| UV LIGHT PURIFICATION | Using an ultraviolet light bulb can obliterate bacteria, protozoa as well as viruses, without fuel or chemicals. It's extremely fast, taking about 60 to 90 seconds per liter. Alternatively, you can use UV pens, which are extremely lightweight and can be carried around in your pocket. Be careful, as this only works on clear water. Dirty and cloudy water do not allow the light to penetrate the surface. | hm Krigo |
| CHARCOAL AND SAND FILTER | A rather primitive filtration system, it won't block all bacteria and harmful components but the result will at least be cleaner than what you had at first. Pack a container with layers upon layers of sand, charcoal, cloth, gravel and small stones. Always boil the result before consumption; this filter is only meant to capture the larger chunks of harmful agents in your water. | hm Cono |