Mainstay Emergency Drinking Water 4.225 oz (60 Pack)

Interesting product, not necessarily in a positive way.I purchased these for an emergency ditch bag on my sailboat. The price seemed reasonable and I need the product to pass pre-race safety inspection. They will serve for that purpose but I wonder about the water inside them...Why?First off the Mfg. claims good for 5 years. Well, since the lot number and the manufacturing date are missing on the units I purchased, who knows when 5 years is up. The terms LOT and MFG DATE are printed on the pouch, there is just no entry of the relevant data. The opened and re-taped box they were delivered in has a stamp on it which says "replace in 2011" what the heck does that mean? Is this the original product box or something they picked up on the shop floor when hey packed my order???I am operating on the assumption there is good water in the pouches and that expiration dates are pretty loosey goosey ianyway. I have some ten year old Tylenol on the boat which still kills a headache so what the heck. Assuming Armageddon comes along, the last thing we'll worry about is the expiry date of water pouches, right? But two stars off for putting the tags on the packet and not including any information.I'll report back on my survival should I wind up having to abandon my boat.Review updated to five stars. After looking more closely at the packets, I found the expiry date and lot number had been pressure printed into the mylar. Kind of hard to see unless you really inspect the packet because the indentations are printed in the outline of the packet. signage. Mine are dated 10/16 so that is reasonable with me receiving the order 06/17. I just drank a packet and water quality is about what you would expect out of a mylar bag. A little bit of taste but certainly fine for emergency use. I am pretty sure you would be absolutely delighted to drink these if the alternative was slow and agonizing death by dehydration.

I bought this product to go along with my disaster kit I keep at home. It's a good addition to anyone who is looking to have a clean source of drinking water in case something happens where water is cut off. That being said, this should not be your only means of drinkable water. Iodine tablets, filters and boiling should be considered as an alternative in case of a severe emergency. But at the very least this item suits a specific need, as it is efficient in packaging and doesnt take up much space as they are flat packages stacked on top of each other.Their 5 year shelf life is more then adequate for an emergency kit. To be honest though, I'm not sure what would happen if you left it for 10, 15 years. But for the price of the water and the durability, if you had to replace it every 5 years that wouldn't be the worst thing. The packages are sealed very well.I'd definitely keep a couple of these in the car as well if you have a kit for emergencies. Other then that, this is a good component to a disaster kit. And as people say, better to have it and not use it, then need it and not have it.

I gave this 4 stars because I got a box of 60 today and it's dated 4-2011 for the manufacturing date. The product itself is worth 5 stars. These are designed to be emergency rations, two packets of water a day per person. This is for people who are sitting in life rafts or some other survival situation where they aren't moving around.I bought one of the three day, 1 person kits a while back to try these. I've had a couple of these packs riding around in my emergency bag I use for traveling and some in a back pack I use for kayaking. So far I haven't had one break, and they have been through a bit of abuse. The packages are not really puncture resistant, I did poked at one with an unfolded paper clip and it made a small hole with little effort. They do hold up well to pressure though, I put one on the floor and stepped on it standing on one foot and it held my weight without breaking. The water itself tastes alright, it's got a bit of a metallic and plastic taste to it, but it's no worse than water that has sat in a camel back for a few hours. The price is a bit high for the amount of water, but it's really more about the packaging being able to stay in a car and not break from extreme weather.

This is (my opinion) a must have item. Get a case and distribute in your Med-Kit, your vehicle(s), bug-out bag, fanny-pack. These 4 oz. sized packs are light weight, fairly sturdy. They open easily. In case I have a senior moment, forget to toss a water bottle in the car, all three of my dogs will drink directly from the packet. Noticed several of the reviews with opinions regarding small size/volume of water. Intended purpose is for an EMERGENCY - (i.e., short term). These packets fill that requirement nicely. Longer term needs will require other (obvious) sources. A little pricey, but better to have a little water than none at all. 5 year shelf life, but not sure I'd go quite that long with the pouches that get stored in the car/trunk... SoCal desert gets pretty hot.

Piece of mind. Thank you for making such a product available. I'm a person with arthritis so my to emergency "to go bag" can't be to heavy. These packets of water are just perfect. They fit great in my back pack, I put in just enough that I can still carry it, and not be to big of a burden to anyone else who might be around me in a time of need. Great price. Bought two boxes already one for hubby's bag one for mine. Will be purchasing more for our "in place" emergency bin. Thank you for giving me a little piece of mind and also my dignity! (Sounds corny I know, but nobody wants to be dependent on someone else in an emergency, and water is life!)I love the idea of individual packets.