My Car Kits Keep Springing a Leak!

Back when I created our vehicle emergency kits, I thought Aqua Literz would be the perfect water storage solution. The 5 year shelf life, compact container, and ease of use sold me on them. I wasn't long, however, before the first batch of Aqua Literz I bought mysteriously sprang a leak, leading to a comical email exchange with the retailer I had purchased them from.  I bought their reassurance that Aqua Literz are indeed ideal for car kits and decided to buy another case.

Fast forward to today. Hubby Dear was moving things around in the back of our van and found this.

Leaky and moldy! 

That's not dirt you see in the above photo! It is mold. Eeew! All five of the Aqua Literz I had in my van's emergency kit looked like this.

I never found a real hole on any of the Aqua Literz. It appears that water had been slowly oozing out, contained between the layers of cardboard of the packaging. No wonder it grew mold!  I have no idea how any of this occurred since they were all stored securely.

Not just mold but multi-colored mold. 

Obviously, I won't buy this product any more, but how should I store water in my vehicle kits?

Here are the options as I see them:

1. Commercially bottled water - This would be an easy route to go. I am concerned with the possibility of the plastic leaching chemicals in the water, especially in a hot car. I'd also have to rotate this fairly frequently. 
2. Used juice bottles - I think the plastic in these are probably better than what is used in bottled water. I can't say that for sure, though. I'd certainly have to rotate these frequently, they might leak, and I'm afraid the water would taste funny. 
3. Canned water - Canned water is relatively expensive. It is hard to think of a more durable container to store water in, however, and it boasts a 30 year shelf life. I'd have to make sure that I keep a can opener handy and it isn't exactly the easiest thing to use on the go. 

Am I missing something? How do you store water in your vehicle kits? 

Month Four: Vehicle Kit, Part Deux

Hubby Dear's Mini-Vehicle Kit: Enough to get him home. 

During the first month of my Prepping Plan, I made a mini vehicle kit for Hubby Dear's car but didn't do too much for my own vehicle, the family mini-van. I knew that we needed to stock some essentials in our vehicle, but I wasn't entirely sure how they would all fit.

I purchased the supplies for the van as part of my Month Four Preps and took advantage of a quiet evening to myself to put it all together and shoehorn it into place. I had to contort myself like I was playing a demented game of Twister, but I got it done. The workout I received from my efforts was an added bonus, I guess!

I took advantage of every available space in my van and also thought about how and when I would be likely to use each item. Take the First Aid kit, for example. I figure that the First Aid kit will see the most action of any item in my emergency kit, so I wanted to have it readily accessible. A slot in the passenger side door fit the kit perfectly and keeps it nearby. The Aqua Literz, on the other hand, I intend to use only in an  emergency. I put those, a roll of toilet paper, and a few other odds and ends in a box underneath the rear bench seat. I'll have to check them for explosions leaks periodically, as I have found out the hard way.

In various stashes throughout my van, I have:

• First Aid kit, feminine hygiene items
• LED Headlamp
• Basic survival kit stuff - multitool, matches, whistle, etc.
• Empty water bottles
• Aqua Literz
• Ration bars
• Ponchos and emergency blankets for each family member
• Hand and Body Warmers
• Fleece blankets
• Toilet Paper
• Handcrank radio, flashlight and cell phone charger
• Road Atlas
• Duct Tape
• Roadside kit - jumper cables, tools, etc.



So true, isn't it?

• Foldable shovel

I have two children in diapers, so I always bring a fully stocked diaper bag with me.

I also made an inventory sheet to place in my glove box that lists all of my items and where they are located. I'm bound to forget where I put some of that stuff, especially if I'm under stress.

If you haven't seen it already, take a look at one of my favorite channels on YouTube, AnalyticalSurvival. He modified the trunk in his wife's car to hold an extremely complete vehicle kit. That won't work in my situation, but it may in yours. Plus, it's just cool!

If you are like I was and think you don't have room in your vehicle for some preps, take another look. You might appear as graceful as a hippo doing the cha-cha while you stash them away in every nook and cranny, but you'll be thankful in the long run that you have your preps in place.

Does Amelia Bedelia work at Emergency Essentials?

I drove Hubby Dear's vehicle when I went shopping this week. As I was loading my groceries into the vehicle, I noticed this inside his car kit:

This Aqua Literz had somehow leaked out all of its water, drenching the contents of the car kit. A couple of items were ruined, but for the most part everything survived. The strange thing was that the container wasn't opened and hadn't been ripped, torn, shredded or otherwise mutilated.

I had just received a large supply of Aqua Literz to put in my vehicle and I wanted to make sure that that the same thing wouldn't happen again. So I shot off an email to Emergency Essentials:

"I purchased one of your Aqua Literz for my husband's vehicle kit in May. I stored it in a plastic container along with the other items of the kit. I was dismayed to open up the kit yesterday and find that the Aqua Literz had exploded and ruined a couple of the items in the kit.

Are Aqua Literz and Aqua Blox truly OK for car kits as advertised?"

I received (promptly I might add) the following reply:

"Thanks for your email. I am so sorry to hear of any damages or complications. I have never heard of the Aqua Blox or Literz exploding. They only contain water which is not combustible. In our experience, the only way they would break, leak or damage is if they are not secured in the trunk of the car and thus thrown around until they are damaged. Sincerely, Scotty"

This cracked me up. "Scotty" is either extremely literal or has a wicked sense of humor. In fact it reminded me of something Amelia Bedelia would write.

Instead of describing the Aqua Literz as exploding, I guess should have said, "oozed out its contents in a manner that cannot be determined". I probably also should have mentioned that the Aqua Literz had been very carefully packed in a hard plastic container. Oh well.

There are two lessons to be learned from this episode:

1. Be very careful and specific with your word choice!

And more importantly

   2.  Check your inventory periodically to make sure it is in good condition and ready
        to go. I'd rather find out about this problem now rather than when Hubby Dear
        needs to use his car kit.

Month Four Preps

I keep going back and forth on what I want to buy in the next month. All the economic indicators point to a very long road before we get to real recovery. I'm worried about inflation, which means that I want to buy as much food as I can. It's almost feeling like a Sophie's Choice deciding which items to buy! (Yes, I can be overly dramatic. Why do you ask?)

These are the preps I have lined up for month four of my prepping plan:

1. More $ for BOBs. Add $ to our vehicle kits.
2. The items I postponed buying from Month Three: butane refills for my Zippo lighter, the remainder of the items for my van's vehicle kit.
3. Buckets, mylar bags, oxygen absorbers, etc. so that I can package bulk amounts of flour, beans and rice.

And something a bit different:

   4.   Exercise at least 3 times per week.

This last one may be the toughest one of all. Ack!

Month Three Preps

I've spent my money for Month Two so it's time to think about spending next month's money!

1) Get more cash and add it to our Bug Out Bags (BOBs).
2) Buy a box of trash bags.
3) Get a roll of heavy mil plastic sheeting and a roll of duct tape. Use it to prep for possible sheltering-in-place.
4) Buy butane refills for my Zippo lighter.
5) Buy maps for both vehicles + BOB.
6) Buy the remainder of items for my van’s emergency kit.
7) Continue to buy items for food storage.

My original plan for Month Three had me buying a bunch of food storage containers for my pantry and a Brother P-Touch label maker. That's the OCD organizer in me.

I decided that it was probably more important that I store up food. With my luck, TEOTWAWKI would happen and all I'd have to show for it would be a bunch of plastic with nothing in it! And with the threat of hyperinflation looming, food prices are only going to rise. It's best to stock up NOW on the essentials of life. However much Snapware makes my soul sing, it will not sustain me in an emergency. :)

Month One Preps, Part Two: Vehicle Emergency Kits

Having survival supplies in your vehicle is important. Hubby Dear works long hours at work and would likely be away from home should an emergency occur. I am home with our four offspring most of the time, but with my luck I'd be at a ballgame or at the local megamart when SHTF.

I bought a few items from Emergency Essentials to throw in the back of Hubby Dear's vehicle. They should enable him to make it home on foot or survive in his car for a while. 99% of the time he is alone in his car, so I only included enough supplies for one person.


Contained an a plastic tub:

1. Aqua Literz - Enough water for one person for one day. I have read reports that bottled water isn't safe to store in hot vehicles, but this boxed water should be OK.
   
2. Premier Bottled Emergency Kit - Packed in a water bottle, it contains many different survival items including a poncho, water purification tablets, first aid kit, etc.


3. Emergency Road Side Kit - Jumper cables, tools, etc. My one complaint about this product is that the plastic container it is housed in is pretty flimsy.
4. Tri-fold shovel - A shovel could be handy in an emergency. There were times this past winter that Hubby Dear really could have used one.
5. Some Millennium bars - 400 kcal each, these food bars last up to 5 years and can stand the heat of a vehicle during summer.

I also want to make a more extensive emergency kit for our family mini-van. I went ahead and bought a shovel and Emergency Roadside Kit. The problem I'm encountering is that our family fills up our vehicle already. Add in a typical load of groceries and I simply don't have room for an emergency kit. I'd like to store items under the seats, but nothing will fit underneath there. I'm still thinking of the solution to this problem and welcome ideas.