Having a bug-out car is a great idea. It puts you one step ahead of everyone else, ready to disappear when things get critical. But what if you don’t realize your survival vehicle is missing the one thing that could actually save your life? Here’s the one thing missing from 93% of bug-out cars and it could get you killed if you’re on the run: knowing how to purify water.
Pure water is your lifeline in any crisis. Without it, your chances drop fast. Let’s break things down so you can see how to purify water even from inside your bug-out vehicle.
How to Purify Water Inside a Car: Start with what you have
If you’ve got SOME bottled water, great. That buys you time. But it won’t last long. If you don’t have a portable water filter in your car already, stop reading and go get one.
However, relying on portable water filters alone is still risky. Most have a limited lifespan and stop working after a certain number of gallons, leaving you without clean water when you need it most. Many can’t remove viruses, only bacteria and protozoa, which are highly dangerous in crowded or contaminated areas.
Filters can also clog quickly, especially when used with murky water, and a single crack or freeze can destroy their function entirely. Worst of all, some people assume one filter is enough. It’s not. You need solid backups: purification tablets, solar disinfection, and the skills to purify water without any device at all.
The Life-Saving Item That Fits in a Glove Box
These kill bacteria, viruses, and some protozoa. One tab treats 1 liter of water. Wait 30 minutes, shake the bottle, and drink. Keep these in your glove box.
Water purification tablets come with their own risks: while they kill pathogens, they don’t touch gasoline, lead or PFAs. If you still stay in the urban area even when you bug out in your car, you’ll have to be very careful as they don’t work on urban runoff, dirt, debris, or parasites hiding behind particles. In cloudy water, they’re dangerously unreliable. Not only do they lose potency quickly, but they often leave water with a harsh chemical taste. That alone causes many people to drink less, risking dehydration.
Related: Why You Should Add Alum Salt to Your Water
Since we’re talking about sourcing water off the grid, the Amish knew how to harvest, purify, heat and make a fridge out of cold water ever since they came here, hundreds of years ago.
This guy that’s been with them for the first 17 years of his life shows you here exactly how they make the ”Forever Water Trap” that basically draws drinkable water from thin air – even during the dry months. Here’s how you can make it and what you need to add to your car stash if you want to set up camp somewhere for longer periods of time.
Solar Disinfection (SODIS)
This is one of the oldest no-fuel tricks out there. All you need to have in your car is a clear plastic bottle.
Here’s how it works:
- Fill the bottle with clear water.
- Place it on your car dashboard in direct sunlight.
- Leave it there for 6 hours on a sunny day or 2 full days if it’s cloudy.
- UV rays from the sun will kill most bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
Make sure to shake the bottle for 20 seconds before placing it. This adds oxygen and speeds up the disinfection process.
Brita filters, charcoal, and a pot
You can also consider adding a few Brita filters and some activated charcoal to your car emergency stash. These items are compact, lightweight, and can be extremely useful when clean water is hard to find. While they won’t remove all contaminants, they’re great for improving taste and reducing certain chemicals like chlorine.
In addition to commercial options, even a simple, homemade water filter can help. You can make one using basic materials such as cloth, sand, charcoal, and small pebbles. This type of improvised filter won’t eliminate viruses or bacteria, but it will effectively remove dirt, debris, and many chemical residues – making the water visibly clearer and easier to disinfect with other methods.
Boiling is excellent for killing pathogens in clear water so don’t forget to bring a small pot into your car. The filter + boil or treat + boil method is fool proof.
>> Why SO MANY PEOPLE Are Learning The Hack That Helps You Boil Water with Nothing but Plants
Rainwater is your best friend
A portable water filter is critical. But what if you’re parked long-term? What if you’re home but the tap’s gone dry?
The safest option in a crisis is this specific pressurized water system that’s capable of storing 165 gallons of water that would otherwise just go to waste. Because the water is stored vertically, it’s also pressurized by gravity, and you’ll be able to use it without a pump or siphon.
You could use this project for a lifetime. And if you connect it to the water filter I’m about to show you, then you will also have clean water to drink and cook with. Here’s a video on how I made it.
This will be your backup water tank. Way better than hoarding plastic bottles.
Purifying water on the run
When you’re on the run, out of all your gear, you should know how to purify water with nothing on you.
I extracted from the Wilderness Survival Guide several methods that you should know by heart:
First, there’s moss filtration: you just have to wrap moss in cloth and drip water through slowly.
Next, if you can get your hands on some sand charcoal filter, you can use an empty bottle, layer sand and charcoal, and pour water through. However, while this can remove some bacteria, foul odors and taste, and certain chemicals, it won’t get rid of the viruses and most pathogens.
Most Filters Fail. This Tree Trick Doesn’t (Offer Clean Water 24/7 All Year-Round)
Final Thoughts
If you’re determined to get your car ready for SHTF, you a go-bag and jumper cables just won’t cut it. Inside A Navy Seal’s Bug-In Guide, a former SEAL shows you:
- How to Make Your Car Look Empty So Desperate Looters Pass It By
- What FEMA Won’t Tell You About Using Your Car as a Shelter During a Blackout
- How to Build a Car Compartment for Your Emergency Supplies That’s Hidden In Plain Sight (Not Even Carjackers Won’t Find Them)
- Why Your Trunk Could Be the Most Dangerous Place to Store Survival Gear
- The First Place to Reinforce in Your Vehicle If You’re Caught in Civil Unrest
- This DIY Setup Lets You Tap Water from the Air—Straight from Your Car Window
- Why People Are Installing This One Hidden $3 Switch Under Their Car Dashboards
- How to Turn Old Brake Fluid into Emergency Fuel
And so much more!
As good as Joel is at bugging out, he would never head for the wild in a real crisis. As he says, bugging out should be a last resort. It’s what you should do once everything that can go wrong has. So instead of teaching people how to bug out and risk their lives out there, Joel decided to do something nobody had done before. Watch the presentation he has prepared for you here.
Whether you’re stranded on the road, waiting out a grid failure, or trying to help your family through a heatwave when the taps run dry, being able to source clean water at any time becomes more precious than gas, bullets, or even food.
You may also like:
8 Myths About Storing Water That Are Actually True
Drought-Proof Your Home: 40 Gallons of Water from Air! (Video)
How to Install a Rainwater Collection System
These States Will Punish You for Harvesting Rainwater
Does Water Really Expire?
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