Berkey emergency water filters, etc..

Ta2warrior

Ta2warrior

Joined
Aug 11, 2012
Messages
282
Hiya folks.

Here especially within the JK forum, I sincerely value everybody's opinions on the myriad of topics here. And because such a high percentage of you all are avid outdoorsman and self reliant folks, I was wondering if anyone had experience with Berkey water filters, or any equivalent equipment? What are your opinions on the best models, or even a better company that sells portable or compact survival/emergency filter systems?
I'm looking for one that can be used efficiently, easy to store, simple setup and maintenance, reasonably sturdy, and effective. I have lifestraws for each member of my family, but they are specifically for temporary emergency use in each of their personal emergency packs. Has anyone used anything like the dedicated water filtering systems?

Also.. has anyone had any long term success with hand crank/solar AM/FM/SW/WX/ flashlight emergency radios? I've been through Kaito's, Eton's, Grundig's, and Ambient Weather brands.. and none have lasted longer than a few days. All have not impressed me so far, and seem to be nothing but glorified cheapo asian made gimmicks, and lack in one of the major functions. Most plastic cranks break with light use.. others don't charge or the solar is useless.. some have the crappiest RF reception properties.. and all of them stop functioning altogether after moderate usage.

Has anyone had any luck with anything of the like.. without having to resort to milspec expensive stuff?
 
have no experience with radios other than Eton - and while the hand crank doesn't last long, they at least have a good warranty.

water filters: Berkey has a very good reputation, but they're pricey. A lower cost alternative is Sawyer. Katadyn Vario is another good one, but it has moving parts, which Sawyer and Berkey do not.

then there's the home-made approach using a section of pine branch and some tubing to make a 1 gallon a day gravity filter.
 
Hey 1066vik, many thanks for the response; I'll be checking out the Sawyer.
I found many Berkey clones.. and they would work.. but I didn't like the material, or the lower quality filter media in many of them. Some were also way too proprietary for my tastes. I prefer something that I could jury-rig in a pinch if it ever came down to it; and the prices of the Berkey filters made me think twice about any "customization".

Much of the equipment I have are genuine homebrewed frankensteins.. that work perfectly, but my family members would have a heck of a time getting everything set up and running correctly if I were ever taken out of the picture. They all have their little quirks and fixes.
The fam isn't quite finished with their basic shtf skills.. but they're certainly getting there. It's just taking longer than I like to get them up to speed; hence the acquisition of ready made equipment--just in case.

Thanks for the help!

K
 
I can't help you out from personal experience, but I like your thinking.

One of my goals is for my family to be a little more self reliant. So, I'm planning to putting out a little bigger garden this next year. Clean water is an area I could definitely improve on. We store some and live close to a river, so a good filter is something I should get. Let us know what you decide on.
 
I'm teaching my fam everything I know.. and finding others to instruct us in the things that I don't. It's long.. arduous.. and time-consuming, but in my opinion, invaluable and worth it. The ultimate goal: to give them the means to continue.. thrive.. flourish.. no matter what comes. And to help others do the same.

I'm slowly starting to plan out my aquaponics system. The thought of having fresh fruits and vegetables, along with a sustainable source of fish is very attractive to me, and from what I've studied, very practical. Self-sustainable sources are something needed in this day and age.

I hope to find a place relatively close to a water source in the future. It would really allow my inner-engineer to experiment to my hearts content when it came to alternative energy resources and sustenance :-)

I haven't decided on which emergency filter system to choose yet.. but I'll definitely let ya know what I pick.
 
Ta2warrior said:
Hiya folks.

Here especially within the JK forum, I sincerely value everybody's opinions on the myriad of topics here. And because such a high percentage of you all are avid outdoorsman and self reliant folks, I was wondering if anyone had experience with Berkey water filters, or any equivalent equipment? What are your opinions on the best models, or even a better company that sells portable or compact survival/emergency filter systems?
I'm looking for one that can be used efficiently, easy to store, simple setup and maintenance, reasonably sturdy, and effective. I have lifestraws for each member of my family, but they are specifically for temporary emergency use in each of their personal emergency packs. Has anyone used anything like the dedicated water filtering systems?

Also.. has anyone had any long term success with hand crank/solar AM/FM/SW/WX/ flashlight emergency radios? I've been through Kaito's, Eton's, Grundig's, and Ambient Weather brands.. and none have lasted longer than a few days. All have not impressed me so far, and seem to be nothing but glorified cheapo asian made gimmicks, and lack in one of the major functions. Most plastic cranks break with light use.. others don't charge or the solar is useless.. some have the crappiest RF reception properties.. and all of them stop functioning altogether after moderate usage.

Has anyone had any luck with anything of the like.. without having to resort to milspec expensive stuff?
Click to expand...

Planning to buy a water filter needs to know what you need in a water filter. In my case I use Crown Berkey because it can accommodate my big family. Depends on your needs
 
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