I live in California so we have plenty of seawater but fresh seems to be in short supply. When the shtf, I suspect a desalination system will be necessary. Any tips on how to build one? A solar still isn't sufficient for me and my family.

You can get a reverse osmosis at Sams club for around $150.0 to treat several hundreds of gallons of sea water, a commercial one for the house will run in the thousands.
But if you're desperate and need to haul sea water home, this is pretty cheap.
I have one here in my place, just for the heck of it.

Quote from: Solar on August 31, 2014, 10:33:40 AM
You can get a reverse osmosis at Sams club for around $150.0 to treat several hundreds of gallons of sea water, a commercial one for the house will run in the thousands.
But if you're desperate and need to haul sea water home, this is pretty cheap.
I have one here in my place, just for the heck of it.

I guess this is where I differ from most preppers and such. I'm not interested in stockpiling a lot and setting my house up so much as getting ready to live in the wild. So light, portable, and reusable is of the essence. I've also considered the possibility of bugging out on a boat so desalination would be necessary.

Don't get me wrong, I have some things in place at home but I just want to make sure I have a sound worst-case scenario plan in place.

Quote from: Dr. Meh on August 31, 2014, 10:52:34 AM
I guess this is where I differ from most preppers and such. I'm not interested in stockpiling a lot and setting my house up so much as getting ready to live in the wild. So light, portable, and reusable is of the essence. I've also considered the possibility of bugging out on a boat so desalination would be necessary.

Don't get me wrong, I have some things in place at home but I just want to make sure I have a sound worst-case scenario plan in place.

Both Motile and Nonmotile bacteria can be killed by solar energy in a variety of ways.  Solar power cookers can be constructed from all sorts of materials.   As I remember something has been posted on this in Survival Tips.

Quote from: Dr. Meh on August 31, 2014, 10:52:34 AM
I guess this is where I differ from most preppers and such. I'm not interested in stockpiling a lot and setting my house up so much as getting ready to live in the wild. So light, portable, and reusable is of the essence. I've also considered the possibility of bugging out on a boat so desalination would be necessary.

Don't get me wrong, I have some things in place at home but I just want to make sure I have a sound worst-case scenario plan in place.

Then if you have a boat, a reverse osmosis system is perfect for you.
Otherwise just get a cheap portable filtration at REI.

Quote from: Solar on August 31, 2014, 02:20:46 PM
Then if you have a boat, a reverse osmosis system is perfect for you.
Otherwise just get a cheap portable filtration at REI.

"Cheap" and "REI" in the same sentence? That's a first. Do they have some for saltwater?

Quote from: Dr. Meh on August 31, 2014, 06:31:23 PM
"Cheap" and "REI" in the same sentence? That's a first. Do they have some for saltwater?

You're right, nothing is cheap at REI, especially portable drinking water filtration.
There are a ton of options out there, but they all cost over $150.0

So lets start with dirt cheap, a 5 quart boiler pot from a yard sale, stick a hose on it and capture the steam, fail safe, but no minerals, it's distilled water.

Orrrr...two pots, one full of water, the other empty, place them side by side, drape a clean washcloth between the two, the water will wick up the towel to just over the edge , dripping into the empty pot.
Simple reverse osmosis, but you may die of thirst waiting on the process.
That one only works if you expect to need water in the next couple of days. Oh,, and it never worked for me.

Next, and it's a big jump, is the reverse osmosis I mentioned earlier from Sams club, you could get a Shurflo 12 volt DC pump and run that thing off your car battery.
So for around $200.0 you could generate enough water for more that 20 people to survive for a couple of weeks.

The next option is rather costly at nearly four hundred bucks, is the Water Honcho.
http://www.purestfilters.com/portable-solar-water-desalination-filter.htm

Or if you don't mind springing nearly a grand, you have Ampac Pure
http://www.ampacpure.com/emergncy_portable_sea_watermaker

Good luck, hope this helps.

Quote from: Solar on August 31, 2014, 08:21:25 PM
You're right, nothing is cheap at REI, especially portable drinking water filtration.
There are a ton of options out there, but they all cost over $150.0

So lets start with dirt cheap, a 5 quart boiler pot from a yard sale, stick a hose on it and capture the steam, fail safe, but no minerals, it's distilled water.

Orrrr...two pots, one full of water, the other empty, place them side by side, drape a clean washcloth between the two, the water will wick up the towel to just over the edge , dripping into the empty pot.
Simple reverse osmosis, but you may die of thirst waiting on the process.
That one only works if you expect to need water in the next couple of days. Oh,, and it never worked for me.

Next, and it's a big jump, is the reverse osmosis I mentioned earlier from Sams club, you could get a Shurflo 12 volt DC pump and run that thing off your car battery.
So for around $200.0 you could generate enough water for more that 20 people to survive for a couple of weeks.

The next option is rather costly at nearly four hundred bucks, is the Water Honcho.
http://www.purestfilters.com/portable-solar-water-desalination-filter.htm

Or if you don't mind springing nearly a grand, you have Ampac Pure
http://www.ampacpure.com/emergncy_portable_sea_watermaker

Good luck, hope this helps.

Thanks!