Compact water carrier

pict

pict

Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
2,373
I'm a big fan of knife based kits. I just oredered a BK-7 to make into a knife based survival system. The one problem I keep running into is some way to carry a compact water carrier on the sheath of the knife. I know the standard answer is the common latex condom. I could do that, however, I live in Brazil and in Brazil a married man carries a condom for one reason only and no amount of explaining it will overcome that stygma. I don't cheat on my wife, but if I had a condom in my gear everyone would instantly assume that I did and I can't afford that.

Has anyone ever come up with a better solution for a compact water carrier?
Mac
 
Try a ballon that says Over The Hill just rinse it out first, easier to explain than a condom. :D
 
Could someone explain to me how one fills a condom with water in the wilds??

I often see these mentioned,but it takes pressure to fill ballons with water,I"d imagine a condom would also need some.
 
They stretch, the more water you get in the more weight to stretch.

Just unroll, and dip into the water source, moving stream, little water fall, and the like.

Make sure it's a non lubricated one, non spermicidal one, don't forget the resevoir tip for that little bit extra. :D
 
Try a couple Gerber Seal 'n' Go Milk Storage Bags.

Fold (roll) pretty compact, making it easy to get a couple into the pouch.

Here is a link for illustration.

Hope this helps.

Mike
 
This won't work for a knife kit, but...

The most compact water carrier that I've ever used (and liked) is a "Platypus Bag." They have lifetime warranty for defects. I think they are IV bags, used as canteens. I wore out a couple of their 2-liter models (failure mode is delamination) and the company replaced them with no hastle.
 
I use a 1 gallon freezer grade ziploc bag in my Becker C/U-7s kit. They are food grade and stout enough to do the job.
 
Pict,

Ziploc bag + duct tape = repairable water carrier ;)

Do never underestimate the power of duct tape :D

I've fixed basketball sized holes in canoes with that stuff. It'll work fine for a ziploc.

Cheers,

David
 
Guys,

Thanks for the great responses. Once I get this kit set up one of my goals is to spend a long weekend in the wilds of central Brazil armed only with the BK-7 and what it carries on the sheath. A true ultra-light trip. Mac
 
Erasmus,

I am a big fan of the platypus bags but like you said not in a knife kit.

In Brazil they sell a 5 liter bag designed to carry !GASOLINE! - Please do not attempt this under any circumstances. They are made of heavy-mil clear plastic and are shaped like a gas can with a spout and five finger holes to carry them with. You're supposed to fill them with 4-5 liters of gas and hitch a ride back to your car. I call them "self-immolation" bags. They make great water carriers though. Folded up they are still kind of large, too big to fit on a knife sheath. I wish someone made them in one or two liter size.
Mac
 
I've used fish bags. (These are designed to transport goldfish home from the pet store.) They're thin, but tough, and fold down nicely. They come in several sizes. They're free from your local pet store.

The only downside is that they don't seal, so you'd have to find some way to tie the top shut for transportation.

I've read of other guys using empty 1L milk bags -- in some areas milk is sold in 1L plastic bags.

Bear

PS: I purchased a lot of 1,000 bags -- way more than I could ever use, but the smallest quantity I could get. If you'd like to try them, just send me a self-addressed, stamped envelope, and I'll fit ten or so bags into it and mail them to you.
 
Not sure if they are available outside North America, but I read a report about a tough triangular-shaped automotive emergency water carrying bag made by a Canadian company called Justin Case (Just In Case, get it? ;) ). The bag holds 1.5 gallons IIRC. The report said they got theirs from an auto parts store. I could only find it online as part of an Automotive Emergency Kit along with a bunch of other stuff. You might check to see if your local auto parts store can order this item for you.

For smaller containers, the gallon-size heavy duty Ziploc freezer bags work well or the Gerber Store 'n Go breast milk bags (about 10 oz size) as reported on the Equipped.com webpage that Martin linked are good. It is also possible to get heavy-duty reclosable poly bags as from these folks here. I haven't done business with them, but they do show 6-mil reclosable bags at the linked page.
 
I recently consulted with a company which makes garden hose. They told me that MANY plastics products (most garden hoses, many plastic bags, and I bet the plastic gasoline carrier) are made with formulations which are toxic which absolutely will leech into drinking water. Unless food-quality certified, you shoudn't assume that the "clean, clear" plastic bag or bottle is safe.
 
Naro said:
I recently consulted with a company which makes garden hose. They told me that MANY plastics products (most garden hoses, many plastic bags, and I bet the plastic gasoline carrier) are made with formulations which are toxic which absolutely will leech into drinking water. Unless food-quality certified, you shoudn't assume that the "clean, clear" plastic bag or bottle is safe.
Click to expand...

I agree and was going to respond, but you beat me to it. ;)
 
Naro,

Good point. I hadn't even considered it. I do know that often when I have gotten the bags from gas stations they smell like gasoline because the plastic picks up the smell. If they sit for a few weeks the smell goes away. I never thought that the composition of the plastic itself would be a problem. I have used them on several occasions testing their suitability as water carriers, no ill effects noticed thus far.
I imagine that to really get toxic from such a thing it would have to be a daily use habit. Still those food grade milk bottle liners are looking pretty good. Mac
 
Pict, I don't know how quickly or how long it would take to develop a problem with mystery plastic... and they don't either. Besides, the Gerber Breast Milk Storage bags recommended on the Equipped to Survive site ,.. well... they just bring up such warm and comforting images that I have to go with them.
 
Naro,

Personally I vastly prefer to explain to my Brazilian friends that I'm not actually lactating rather then not cheating on my wife. "Got Milk?" Why no, actually, I just use them like emergency canteens. Strange but plausible. A married guy who goes off for the weekend and has a condom along, all too typical I'm afraid. Mac
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top