Storing water in vehicles.

[jerrymrc]

I'm running into the same issue with storing water, don't want to lug it in and out all the time.
Anything in my truck freezes, wife's car is safe in the garage at night and she still has me warm it up for her in the morn so it is nice and toasty!
Me and the boy have our teeth chattering all the way to his day care!
My truck is a rolling Panic Room anyway so I never get caught in a tight spot.
My favorite game is "What If?"
I will think of a scenario then add to the tool box in back.
Right now if a fishing derby broke out, Im in!~

Liquids are kicking my ass this time of year.
Thought about a small heater with an extension cord. Just enough to keep light heat. Anyone try this?

Two ways to go. Block heater or interior heater. Block heater helps with starting and you get heat faster from the truck. they range from 400W to 1200W depending on what ya have. takes 20-60 min to install. When my diesel was my daily driver and I only had 8 miles to go to work it was the way to go. I had mine on a timer so it came on at 3AM and warmed for two hours.

You will not like your bill if you leave it on all night. The interior heater just blows warm air and does nothing for the heater but it does make the interior toasty for the short trip. Here again it needs to be on a timer.

Have not tried my block heater in my 06 GP because it has a remote start. but it did have one from the mfg.(rare option) I may start trying it out with the timer just to see how it acts. Some thoughts.

[gnihcraes]

these are the jugs I'm talking about. (don't turn this into a porn thread)

extremely thick plastic, very tough.

[Beprepared]

Or for "money is no option" dreamer,
http://www.espar.com/html/applications/automotive.html
This is an independent air/coolant heater tapped into the fuel system. Uses minuscule amounts of fuel. Last I checked they where like a grand.

[Ah Pook]

I have a 5gal water jug in the truck. It was frozen solid last week and probably still is.

I've been trying to figure out a way to keep water from freezing, in my winter car bags, for several years. No luck yet.

[Irving]

If it is only a liter, can you put it inside a cooler at a warmer ambient temp? Like when it is inside the house maybe?

Along the same lines, a very large thermos is probably your answer.

[2008f450]

I decided to put a 2.5 gallon jug in wifes car. So far so good. For my pack i put 2 1.5 liter bottles in and placed them in the center of pack with other items around them . Maybe it will help some. We shall see. Makes it a little harder to get to them if im hiking but hopefully they wont be solid ice if and when I need them.

[thecatsfan]

I live between Fort Collins and Greeley right on the Poudre River. Our overnight temperatures in this little river valley are frequently 15 to 20 degrees colder than Denver. Some mornings we even rival Gunnison and Craig. Below zero is frequent, 15 below is occasional, and almost every night this time of year it gets well below 20 degrees.

It doesn't matter what type of water or other drinks I leave in my car, or what container it is in, or what's wrapped around it. It will be frozen solid most mornings. Some days it never thaws out. So, I just make sure to use containers that won't break and don't fill them all the way. 2 liter bottles work great. Have done that for more than 20 years and have needed them a couple of times. So far it has always worked out.

If SHTF, I would rather have frozen water than nothing at all. If I end up bugging out on foot in January, I am going to be looking for heat and shelter pretty fast anyway.

[Irving]

Older thread, but here is an idea. Not as much water as you'd like to store, but probably enough to hold you over while you melt the other stuff.

http://www.countycomm.com/militarycanteen.htm

[ChunkyMonkey]

FYI, in Canada, folks are using engine heater and battery heater to prevent water/oil etc from freezing. I have seen a jerry can bracket with a battery heat pad on the bottom, and I have seen canteens being stored where the spare tire was in the trunk along with the 2nd battery on top of a heating pad. Obviously you plug in your car every night.