Customer Reviews

Mainstay Emergency Drinking Water (60 Pack)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

This is in response to T. Vadney who said that during a disaster there is usually water, it just needs to be filtered. This all depends on your area and the nature of the disaster. In a city, it's possible that there may be water, if emergency services have not used it all for fire fighting or shut off most pipes due to breakage and leakage. In some cases (Earthquake, Tsunami) all water can become contaminated with sewage, in which case you better be sure your filtering can handle all those forms of contamination (charcoal filtering is NOT enough). Also, you sometimes must leave a disaster area and move to a safer area, in which case water may not be available en route and you do not know what the situation is at your destination. Many water purifiers (MSR MIOX, STERIpen and others) require time to purify 1-2 litres of drinking water, and if you use two forms of purification (my choice), you need double the time, and time is a luxury you don't always have in a disaster situation. Clean drinking water in pouches that you can use until you get water filtered, or you get to the FEMA shelter, or the fires die down, or you get to Grandma's house in the safe area is not a bad idea! I don't advocate having a months worth of water in pouches, but to have emergency water to use until you get somewhere safe and can secure water that you can then use your purification system on is much better than just waiting and hoping. Also, wounded people may need water sooner to either drink and/or clean wounds, and you can NOT use filthy water for that if you expect them to live. Just something to think about for those of you doing some planning! :-)

The thing about being prepared for an emergency of any type is to be flexible. You don't know if you will have to evacuate, or lay low for a while. This emergency drinking water is great because it gives you flexibility. Need to get away for just a few days? You can grab a few of them and add them to a bug out bag or throw the whole box in the trunk of your car.
The packaging is durable and can take a lot of abuse like in the bottom of a back pack.

I have not tried this product because I am reserving it for an emergency.
However, I love the way it is packaged. I love that I can keep some packages in my car without having to worry about whether the temperature in my car gets warm. I love the fact that it has a 5 year shelf life.
I may or may not need to ever use this product but for the price, it is going to give me some peace of mind knowing that I have emergency water
in my car, at my workplace and at home and I have plenty if I have to share it with others. Everyone should have this product especially because bottled water should not be stored in an automobile.

I purchased a case in order to test for suitability for emergency kits for cars. Each pouch is made from a heavy foil/mylar(?) material and contains 4.225-oz. I placed 15 pouches into a 1-gallon resealable freezer bag. I put the bag of pouches outdoors for several days in below-freezing weather (~25 deg. F daytime and ~10 deg. F at night). A few of the pouches froze but most did not.

I drank a pouch so that I could check the taste. The water is from the Oxnard city source. I did not experience any unpleasant taste.

Since this is shipped directly by Amazon, you can get the free "Super Saving Shipping." This make the cost per pouch less than some other merchants since they will charge shipping and water is heavy (about 17-lbs for the 60 pouches). I didn't have any problem with broken pouches that another reviewer complained about.

Yes, this is an expensive way to purchase water. However, for keeping a minimum supply of potable water in an environment with temperature extremes (like inside a car), this is a good idea. You could buy a couple of gallon jugs of water for much less money, but I wouldn't want to try to melt a gallon block of ice in an actual life-threatening emergency. Also, if one pouch develops a leak that is not such big problem compared to a gallon or liter bottle leaking.

The manufacturing recommends 2 pouches per person per day but would be if you weren't exerting yourself at all. I think 15 pouches per person per day (that's almost a half gallon) would be more realistic.

I've had a supply of these for many many years. In the early 1970's they came in soda sized steel gray cans.

Except for foods like milk and certain organics that obviously decay and putrify, certain freeze dried foods, MRE's and especially emergency water packets like theys have a much longer usable shelf life that the expiration date. Crackers stored in the mid 1960's, as I recall, for Cold War "fallout" shelters, if not exposed to water, are edible, today. Much of the original flavor might have been lost, but they still supply nourishment in an emergency.

I would not hesitate drinking this water 15 or even 20 years from now, if I were surrounded by sewage or chemically tainted water around me. I'd have to pour it into a cup and sniff it befors taking a sip. If there is no smell of decay or poor taste, I'd go ahead and drink it.

Certain canned foods from the turn of the 20th century, that did not swell up or contained chemicals that would react with the metal or the soldered seams , have been analized and found to be completely "eatable" and not harmful by scientist over a century later. Canned foods or even meat and crackers left by both the Scott and the Shackleton Expeditions in the early 1900's have been tested to be not harmful, if consumed.

So, I wouldn't throw them out, if the date is expired.

I used these for a camping trip a few months ago. I liked them quite a bit as I able to accurately measure the water for cooking, and measure how much water I was drinking throughout the day, and they were very convenient for packing in my backpack. My only complaint was that I was able to taste the plastic a bit in the water, so -1 star.

If you're building emergency supply kits for a life raft, or stocking a space ship, OK. Those particular scenarios would require careful packaging consideration, and 4-ounce servings in individual foil pouches might make sense in these scenarios. If that's the market you're working for, 5-stars, awesome product. Outside of those extreme cases, this product is ridiculous.

If your intention is to create a storeable supply of potable water, go down to the grocery store, pick up some bottled water. It's sold from half-pint to 5-gallon jugs and just about any size in between. You'll pay FAR less than you would with these little packets, and you'll get FAR more use out of them.

Plus, you'll have the flexibility of actually being able to regularly use the product you purchased. I regularly use the water bottles in my Jeep for cleaning up, hand washing, first aid, refilling radiators... (Yeah - I can't think of how mad I'd be if I found myself needing to pour $100+ in my radiator to get back on the road.)

And yes, you can safely store plastic bottled water in your car. I won't refute the claims here, but please feel free to read up on them (and on the people making them) before repeating these urban legends. Google and peer-reviewed journals are your friends. Well-meaning but ignorant individuals and conspiracy theorists with half-baked ideas are not.

But, if you still have an irrational fear of plastic, you can buy water in anything from aluminum cans (beer cans) to #10 steel cans, and glass bottles from pint sized to gallon sized. The cost will be FAR less than these pouches, leaving you with plenty of cash to purchase more water, or more useful supplies.

I mainly brought this water because of the temp range, I didn't want my water spoiling or bursting in extreme temps.So far I've had it in my "OMG" bag in my truck in as cold as 1 degree and it wasn't even frozen?? I'm not saying this is typical results but I unzipped the bag and the pouch wasn't frozen! Yes three days of water is a lot to carry around but it'll be worth it during a situation.They say 1 pouch (8oz) is one days worth,but I go with atleast 16oz and that's because anymore would be crazy heavy! Other companies have kind'a the same stuff but without the temp guarantee.For my money I'll go with this as well as their 3600 cal bars.

It's emergency water in durable foil bags. If that is how you wish to pack away some survival supplies, it's perfect. (Great for car, cabin, backpack) 5 Year shelf life, expiration dates stamped on the bags. Helpful instructions on how to ration water printed on each bag.

One imagines an emergency as something big, earthquake, terrorist or whatever. I have experienced an emergency where I needed both water and food. 7 or 8 years ago I was caught in a freak snowstorm in Arkansa right after Christmas in my car alone on I40. Traffic stopped bumper to bumper for almost 6 hours. There was no way to turn around or get off freeway or even for help to whoever or whatever caused the stoppage. I had no water, no food and think about it no way to use the bathroom. Everyone around me was in the same spot, I watched some people try to get out of their cars just to see what was happening and the ice was so thick they fell and some hurt themself badly from what I could see. I had just filled up the tank with gas but I had to be careful to not run the car too long for fear of running out of gas but enough to keep from freezing. Ever since I carry a sleeping bag, a case of water and energy bars in both of my cars summer and winter as well as a small first aid kit. I never want to be unprepared again. This water in the bags are so much better because you don't have to worry about temp and they take up less room than bottles. Cost is no object in an emergency.