Important and expensive lesson learned.

[rhino]

My contribution:

2-L soda bottles are great for inexpensive water storage. They're a lot more rugged than milk jugs or the bottles in which drinking water is sold because they have to contain contents under pressure. They will last a long time without leaking.

Compartmentalize your gear as much as possible. Smaller containers and zip top bags no only help minimize such damage, but they also help to organize items for quicker retrieval.

 

[TaunTaun]

You could also use some uncoiled rice to keep things dry as well...

 

[SSGSAD]

K W, if you REALLY need 50 .22 ammo, let me know, and I will DONATE 50 Federal, out of a bulk pak .....

 

[churchmouse]

We used to have 3 BOB's. 2 good sized ones for the food/water/gear and a smaller one for clothing etc that the spouse could haul.

Life rolls on and we got older so the BOB's are now really good totes. There are 4 of them and they are stuffed. The totes hold so much more than the BOB's.
They are well stored.
Water is in it's own container.

 

[K_W]

K W, if you REALLY need 50 .22 ammo, let me know, and I will DONATE 50 Federal, out of a bulk pak .....

It was semi-sarcasm in light of the run on .22 ammo. I actually have plenty for .22 for right now at the rate I shoot it through a single bolt action Marlin. If my wife gets her .22 pistol, that will change.

 

[Trigger Time]

I don't understand .... What is a "box" of ammo doing in a shtf kit? Load your damn mags!!

 

[Trigger Time]

And in my experience the milk jug water jugs suck. They leak. Some never leak but I don't chance it. I buy the ones with the blue handles and also flats of water bottles. Also I like the large blue water jugs that you can put in the water dispensers but they're pricey so I only have afew of that kind.

 

[K_W]

I don't understand .... What is a "box" of ammo doing in a shtf kit? Load your damn mags!!

Just a back up if I can't get my grab and go ammo can down there I have more than what's in my mags... or to barter with.

 

[K_W]

And in my experience the milk jug water jugs suck. They leak. Some never leak but I don't chance it. I buy the ones with the blue handles and also flats of water bottles. Also I like the large blue water jugs that you can put in the water dispensers but they're pricey so I only have afew of that kind.

We also had/ have 5 of the gallon Ice Mountain clear "hard" plastic ones that are made of the same plastic as small water bottles. The one and only milk jug material one was the one in the tub.

 

[nra4ever]

I just learned my lesson the hard way on the 1 gallon milk jugs type of containers. I went into my bunker a few weeks to find that several cases of water that were stacked 4 high had collapsed and leaked. I thought it was from being stacked but now I know they just gave up. I still have a few hundred gallons down there that I need to drain into a bucket and pump out. Beats pulling them up with a rope. Must have happend over the winter because it was already dry when I found it. Good thing I keep a fan going down there to keep the air moving.

Sorry about your loss but at least you were able to find it before you needed it.

 

[churchmouse]

And in my experience the milk jug water jugs suck. They leak. Some never leak but I don't chance it. I buy the ones with the blue handles and also flats of water bottles. Also I like the large blue water jugs that you can put in the water dispensers but they're pricey so I only have afew of that kind.

Yes they will fail.
We had several Milk crates with 4 ea. stacked up in a closet. I walked by said closet and got "squish" sock. 3 had failed.
Forgot about that.

 

[indyjohn]

So, now I'm confused.

HDPE is the prepper's plastic storage container of choice. Doesn't put chemicals in the water, lasts a long time. K_W refers to "gallon Ice Mountain clear "hard" plastic" containers. nra4ever & cm refer to something similar. Is this what you all are referring to?

Is this going to be a problem?

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Since we use bottled water all the time, I simply keep it in cases and rotate through it. The US&R Task Force (IN-TF1) used to use (and probably still uses) bottled water from Ice Mountain, delivered on and maintained on pallets. Ice Mountain says their water is good for 1 year. On another note, OP, perhaps it might make sense to get some 45-55 gallon lawn/trash bags and double-bag your stuff inside the container. I mention this because the bags themselves can be very useful and an extra layer of water-proofing might not hurt, especially in case the container is breached somehow. Freezer bags make excellent waterproof bags, but they can come open, especially if knocked around a bit. Just a thought.

 

[K_W]

I checked them, they #1 PETE 3 liter jugs, not 1 gallon.

They are labeled to "expire" in July 2015, but realistically, how long are they good for if never opened?

 

[Maximinus Thrax]

I checked them, they #1 PETE 3 liter jugs, not 1 gallon.

They are labeled to "expire" in July 2015, but realistically, how long are they good for if never opened?
*snip*

What is the shelf life for bottled water?
Bottled water is considered to have an indefinite safety shelf life if it is produced in accordance with CGMP and quality standard regulations and is stored in an unopened, properly sealed container. Therefore, FDA does not require an expiration date for bottled water. However, long-term storage of bottled water may result in aesthetic defects, such as off-odor and taste. Bottlers may voluntarily put expiration dates on their labels.

Source: February/March 2002 Ask the Regulators -- Bottled Water Regulation and the FDA

 

[LockStocksAndBarrel]

I buy cases of the small single bottles. I stack them 4 high. am I in danger of leakage?

 

[CindyE]

I buy cases of the small single bottles. I stack them 4 high. am I in danger of leakage?

We've had them leak. They keep making the plastic thinner. Ours aren't stored with anything they can ruin, except our floor...

 

[Zoub]

Remove
the
cat
food

And ANY cans that have pop tops. While the circumstances under which I had one fail were far more extreme, as you learned, it does not take extreme circumstances to cause a failure. Beyond that, all I lost were some paper labels on other cans stored with it (in an empty cat sand bucket no less). But 1 failure is one too many and after that happened 10 years ago, I won't store pop top cans in any kind of containers and avoid them in general. Set up a cat bucket for the cats and label it.

 

[nra4ever]

So, now I'm confused.

HDPE is the prepper's plastic storage container of choice. Doesn't put chemicals in the water, lasts a long time. K_W refers to "gallon Ice Mountain clear "hard" plastic" containers. nra4ever & cm refer to something similar. Is this what you all are referring to?

Is this going to be a problem?

boy you bet that is going to be a problem!!!

that is exactly what I have in my bunker and stacked 4 high.

it is just a matter of time before you have a mess on your hands.

Get to to it tomorrow.

if I have time I'll take a pic of the mess it's still down there.

 

[Slawburger]

It was a gallon milk type jug. The Tuna was for people, it makes our cats sick. I added it because we bought too much one time and I thought it would be a good protein source... But really too much salt.

Well that explains that part then. I am not a big fan of cats so I don't know much about their care and feeding, I thought people fed them tuna sometimes.