How Many Ways Can You Heat Your Water?

             Before I left my comfy house with all it's functioning utilities and cooking devices, I asked a guy who I saw living in his RV down the street from my friend for any advice he could give me on my upcoming adventure.  His best advice:  Have five different ways to heat your water.

            At the time I hadn't really thought about heating water.  Most survival advice focuses on getting water and filtering water.  However, the more I thought about having access to hot water, the more it started to make sense to me.  Now that I'm living the adventure, I totally understand his advice - and mine would be having a lot more than five.

            When you are used to just turning on a faucet or shower or washing machine, you are just as used to having the option between hot and cold water.  But try going a few days with no hot water and your eyes will be opened to a whole new set of problems.  Not only is there the issue of trying to drink only cold water when it's really cold outside, there is having to put cold water on your body to wash it, clean your dishes in cold water that won't cut oil or grease, and don't even think about washing your hair with cold water on a very cold day - no thank you!

            Here's the short list of options:  fire, electricity, sun, or batteries.  Heating water takes an energy source and it's the energy source that becomes the problem, not the device to heating the water itself.  My own list consists of an electric hot pot I got for $2 at a thrift source - but it's a 600 watt draw, so it only works when I'm plugged into the grid.  I also have a 12-volt heater that can go into my battery pack or car battery plug - which I just discovered doesn't work.  There is the propane stove I can use to boil water or some type of fire - google search rocket stoves for a small and efficient way to boil water quickly with minimum resources.  But any fire outside needs a source of fuel and wet or green wood isn’t going to burn.  I've also got a solar shower for a pinch, but I haven’t actually used it yet….not while it's 30 degrees or colder outside!

            But what is even more important than having multiple ways to heat your water is the recognition that it is essential to be able to problem solve under all circumstances.  As much as we'd all like to believe we're able to prepare for all contingencies, the reality and a very nature of a crisis or disaster is that we can never be fully prepared.

            Survival is said to be 90% mental by most experts.  I believe it's 100%, but I'll cover that on another day.  It's not enough to have enough tools or skills.  You have got to be able to be creative in how you solve a problem.  Should you be prepared?  Yes.  But it's not enough on its own.

            In many parts of the world, hot water is a luxury.  Most of us take it for granted.  But the day may come when you reach to turn on your faucet and only cold water comes out or even worse, no water at all.  What will you then do?  As a beginning step I'll give you the same advice the RV guy gave me, start with five ways to heat water and then you'll be a lot more comfortable in the crisis sipping your tea than a cup of cold water.