I just put together a couple Get Home Bags for the wife's car and mine.  They've got the usual survival stuff tayored for 1-3 days(sleeping bag, space blanket, food, Esbit stove and 6 fuel bricks, lighters, flashlight, 1st aid, multi-tool, compas/whistle, etc, etc).  I had 2qts of water in them, but that had to come out because it's getting into the 20's some nights.  How can I store water and have the container survive many freeze/thaw cycles???

The scenario is playing out in upstate NY right now with people stuck in their cars for 2 days.  Getting out and lighting a fire in 3-5 feet of snow isn't viable and I'm assuming the fuel tank will be pretty empty.

In case you're wondering, I checked.  Wine freezes at 15F-20F so I can't substitute that for water :-\ .

Freeze and thaw cycles are fine as long as your container is able to withstand that and you have enough headroom in the container. I left a glass bottle in my car overnight once in Rochester NY. Never again did I do that. It was messy.

In a case where you would be stuck, melting the water in the container with one of those fuel bricks may be a pain, but it is possible. Being stuck in severe cold without snow can happen. In that case, melting snow is not possible. That is where your water would be useful.
Luigi

I've frozen my Nalgeen and Camelback bottles more times than I can remember, not because of my ultra preparedness, but simply because I forgot them in the car.......doh! They're none worse for the wear and as Luigi pointed out, as long as there's a little room for expansion they'll be just fine. Ditto el cheapo bottled water bottles, no damage.

Now, as to converting solid dihydrogen oxide into a drinkable liquid, that one's simple. All you have to do is raise it's temperature to above 32 degrees Farenheit (0 degrees celsius) and....... wallah! Instant water. (Hey, I said it was simple, I never said it was easy 8) )

I use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.  It comes packed in wax coated boxes and so far has survived 2 winters in my vehicle.  Last winter I decided to open one box while it was frozen and thawed it in a stainless cup heated over my trangia spirit burner stover.  I just tore the box off the block of ice and put it in the cup to melt it.  Tasted just fine and has never caused a mess (yet).

QuoteI use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.

Humm, water lasts forever... Maybe the 5 years shelf life is for the container...

Gil.

Rotate the water supply if needed. Same thing for food and fuel.

Quote from: gil on November 24, 2014, 04:27:12 PM

QuoteI use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.

Humm, water lasts forever... Maybe the 5 years shelf life is for the container...

Gil.

I was thinking the same thing..... how exactly does water expire? We're all literally drinking the exact same water that the dinosaurs drank millions of years ago. It may have been evaporated and condensed eleventeen bajillion times since then and been contaminated with every single contaminant on earth, but it's still the exact same water.

The shelf life of water is almost up there with twinkies. :)
Water does not go bad unless you contaminate it.
Luigi

Quote from: Luigi on November 26, 2014, 12:40:32 AM
The shelf life of water is almost up there with twinkies. :)
Water does not go bad unless you contaminate it.
Luigi

True, but even when contaminated, water doesn't go "bad". It's still H2O, remove the contaminants and it's "good".

Quote from: gil on November 24, 2014, 04:27:12 PM

QuoteI use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.

Humm, water lasts forever... Maybe the 5 years shelf life is for the container...

Gil.

You ever hear about bacteria growth ?  The water itself doesn't go bad, but bacteria growth can make it unsafe to drink without some sort of treatment like boiling or chemical purification.  Save an unopened bottle of water for a few years and put it where it can constantly heat up and cool down and maybe even get some sunlight from time to time.  Over time you will see a plume of bacteria growth start to form in a couple of years - not a good thing to ingest my friend !

Quote from: gil on November 24, 2014, 04:27:12 PM

QuoteI use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.

Humm, water lasts forever... Maybe the 5 years shelf life is for the container...

Gil.

You ever hear about bacteria growth ?  The water itself doesn't go bad, but bacteria growth can make it unsafe to drink without some sort of treatment like boiling or chemical purification.  Save an unopened bottle of water for a few years and put it where it can constantly heat up and cool down and maybe even get some sunlight from time to time.  Over time you will see a plume of bacteria growth start to form in a couple of years - not a good thing to ingest my friend !

Quote from: Lamewolf on November 26, 2014, 07:39:30 AM

Quote from: gil on November 24, 2014, 04:27:12 PM

QuoteI use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.

Humm, water lasts forever... Maybe the 5 years shelf life is for the container...

Gil.

You ever hear about bacteria growth ?  The water itself doesn't go bad, but bacteria growth can make it unsafe to drink without some sort of treatment like boiling or chemical purification.  Save an unopened bottle of water for a few years and put it where it can constantly heat up and cool down and maybe even get some sunlight from time to time.  Over time you will see a plume of bacteria growth start to form in a couple of years - not a good thing to ingest my friend !

But if it's sealed there's no way for bacteria to contaminate it.

Quote from: KK0G on November 26, 2014, 08:42:46 AM

Quote from: Lamewolf on November 26, 2014, 07:39:30 AM

Quote from: gil on November 24, 2014, 04:27:12 PM

QuoteI use emergency lifeboat water with a 5 year shelf life that I get at a local milsurp store.

Humm, water lasts forever... Maybe the 5 years shelf life is for the container...

Gil.

You ever hear about bacteria growth ?  The water itself doesn't go bad, but bacteria growth can make it unsafe to drink without some sort of treatment like boiling or chemical purification.  Save an unopened bottle of water for a few years and put it where it can constantly heat up and cool down and maybe even get some sunlight from time to time.  Over time you will see a plume of bacteria growth start to form in a couple of years - not a good thing to ingest my friend !

But if it's sealed there's no way for bacteria to contaminate it.

I would not bet my life on that !  One little, microscopic organism can multiply into thousands over time, and with packaging plants not being as clean as they should be, then its very possible for bacteria to be present when its packaged.  Look at all your bottled water - it does have an expiration date on it for a reason. 

And bacteria need food.  I would just put a jug of distilled water in the car if I thought it was durable enough.

I guess in a life raft you can't boil water! For most other situations, just make a good cup of tea and you're good..

Gil.