Disaster Planning and Survival Product Recommendations by Our Members and Friends

Lighting and Power

LuminAID Portable Solar Lanterns – Use the sun to recharge in 10-14 hours. Depending on lantern type, light shines for 10-24 hours on a single charge. Collapsible design fits in a backpack, glove compartment, or other small storage space. Purchase at LuminAID, Amazon, your local sporting goods store.

LuminAID 2-in-1 Power Lantern & Phone Charger – Lightweight, inflatable, and portable. Provides over 130 to  300 lumens of LED light (depending on model) and can recharge your smartphone or tablet. Purchase at LuminAID.

Donate to sponsor a LuminAID light that will provide disaster relief or refugee relief. A $10 sponsorship provides 1 solar lantern. A $20 sponsorship can cover 2 solar lanterns or 1 solar lantern/phone charger. This is a sponsorship only; you will not personally receive a product. Note that you are donating for lighting.

Solar Cooking 

How to Build a Solar Cooker – Student lesson plans for building 3 basic types of solar cookers (box, parabolic reflector, and panel cooker).

Do-It-Yourself Solar Cooker – Construct a Simple Solar Cooker from 2 boxes to use the sun’s energy to cook.

All American Sun Oven – ready to use oven  that can reach temperatures of up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, which makes it versatile enough to cook pretty much anything. Purchase at SunOven,  Off-Grid Cooking Warehouse, or Amazon.

The Sunflair portable oven is smaller in stature than some of the other models, but it is significantly cheaper too. Purchase at Sunflair, Amazon.

Water Collection and Filtration

Solar Desalination for Drinking Water – Simple instructions for turning salt water  into drinking water using sunlight.

How to collect and purify water with a simple distiller – Student lesson plan for collecting and purifying water. 

LifeStraw Water Filters – additional information available at Lifestraw.com

• Family Filter – Up to 3.1 gallons (12 liter) per hour, provides up to 4,755 gallons of safe drinking water. 
• Community Filter – High-capacity, holds 13 gallons (50 liters),  lifetime of 26,000 gallons, enough for 100 people for 3-5 years. 
• Personal Water Filter – Removes bacteria & parasites: The microfiltration membrane removes 99.999999% of waterborne bacteria (including E. coli and salmonella), and 99.999% of waterborne parasites (including giardia and cryptosporidium).Removes the smallest microplastics found in the environment (down to 1 micron), and reduces turbidity down to 0.2 microns. 
• Family 1.0 Portable Gravity Powered Water Purifier – Purifies 18,000 liters/4755 gallons without iodine, chlorine, or other chemicals; Clean drinking water for a family of four for 3 years. 
• Community High-Volume Water Purifier – Purifies 70,000 -100,000 liters of water, enough to serve community settings for several years. Hollow fiber filtration technology converts contaminated water into safe drinking water without chemicals or batteries.

Sawyer Water Filtration Products – additional information available at Sawyer.com

• Tap Filter can be attached to a standard faucet or hose to filter up to 500 gallons per day to 0.1-micron standard. 
• Mini Water Filtration System – Removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera, and E.coli; removes 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium, and 100% of microplastics. Filter rated up to 100,000 gallons; includes 16-ounce reusable squeeze pouch, 7-inch drinking straw, and cleaning plunger. 
• Micro Squeeze Water Filtration System – Enjoy clean and safe drinking water wherever you roam with the ultra-compact, lightweight, reusable Sawyer Micro Squeeze Water Filtration System — from backcountry adventures to everyday office work and from domestic and international travel to emergency prepping. With a total field weight of 2 ounces, this tiny filter fits in the palm of your hand. 
• Sawyer Products SP191 Point Zero Two Bucket Purifier Assembly Kit with Faucet Adapter – Filter output is 1-liter per minute with gravity, and with faucet water full facet pressure. Instructions for Sawyer bucket filter assembly and maintenance video. Read cleaning and maintenance instructions here (available in several languages).