Use a Canteen for Early Water Collection
Choose a craftable Canteen for early groundwater collection, a Water bottle for carrying drinking water, and an IV bag for intravenous liquid storage or delivery. Canteens and Water bottles can collect directly from liquid tiles; use a transfer into medical storage rather than treating the IV bag as an interchangeable collector.
The water-preparation route below follows demo 7.0.1 guidance, while the comparison also includes older Scav Prototype item values. Check your installed build's tooltips when choosing equipment. Use the full game's own descriptions for its balance and available interactions.
Compare Named Liquid Storage Options
| Option | Capacity | Listed Weight | Collection or Use | How to Obtain or Fill It |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canteen | 300 mL | 0.6 units | Direct tile collection; early drinking-water preparation | Craft a Canteen, then collect groundwater |
| Water bottle | 500 mL | 1.25 units with contents | Direct tile collection; carrying usable drinking water | Search water-item loot; refill through collection |
| IV bag | 750 mL | 1.1 units | Intravenous liquid storage or delivery | Transfer collected fluid into medical storage |
| Liquid pouch | 1000mL | 1.60u | Liquid storage in the Torso front slot | Search container crates, drop capsules and life pod chests |
| Water jug | — | 2.5u | A drinking-water item for hydration | Search medical crates, Food box, drop capsules and life pod chests |
Larger found bottles or cartons can also serve as practical groundwater collectors. Keep the collection task separate from the delivery task: an ordinary drinking vessel gets the fluid out of the environment, while medical storage serves a different purpose. Choose the interaction you need before comparing capacity.
Collect Groundwater and Prepare Clean Water
- Choose a Canteen or Water bottle for direct groundwater collection, giving yourself a vessel suited to the collection interaction.
- Collect groundwater into the chosen drinking vessel, keeping it separate from the clean water you already intend to drink.
- Boil the groundwater with a Campfire to turn it into clean water before relying on it for hydration.
- Inspect the receiving container before transferring the prepared supply, so you know what you are adding it to.
- Keep drinking water and injectable medicines in separate containers, preserving a clear distinction between hydration and medical supplies.
If you are still assembling the equipment, open crafting with C and inspect the recipe you need. Dragging an item onto the crafting button shows recipes that use it, and pinning a recipe keeps its ingredients visible. You can use nearby materials on the ground without first carrying everything.
Compare Weight With the Supply Inside
The Canteen holds 300 mL, the Water bottle holds 500 mL and the IV bag holds 750 mL. Those capacities do not make their uses interchangeable. Choose the Canteen for early craftable water collection, the bottle for drinking-water storage, or the IV bag when intravenous storage or delivery is the task.
The Water bottle's listed weight includes its contents, so do not read that figure as an empty-container weight. Compare the amount and type of liquid currently inside your containers before deciding which load to keep. Reserve carrying space for the supplies your next move actually needs.
A Liquid pouch adds another consideration because it occupies the Torso front slot. Check that slot as part of your equipment plan. More liquid capacity is useful only when you still have the storage arrangement and carrying room you want.
Transfer Liquids Without Mixing Useful Supplies
- Inspect the source container before transferring, checking that it holds the supply you intend to move.
- Inspect the receiving container and its existing contents before committing, so clean water, groundwater and medicine stay separate.
- Use the inventory's container-to-container transfer interaction to move liquid into the intended vessel.
- Use the ordinary transfer popup when you want to review the transfer instead of immediately moving all contents.
- Shift-drag a container onto another only when you intend to transfer all its contents; this shortcut bypasses the ordinary liquid-transfer popup.
- Inspect both containers afterward before discarding either, checking where your remaining useful supply now sits.
Treat a Mixture as Its Separate Ingredients
Mixing liquids does not safely convert them into a new substance. The components remain active, and consuming the mixture applies their effects proportionally. Keep clean water, groundwater and injectable medicines separate instead of combining them merely to free a container.
If a container already holds something you want to preserve, choose another destination before transferring. Avoid the all-contents shortcut while you are still deciding what belongs together. After an accidental transfer, inspect the mixture before treating it as drinking water or medicine.
When your character becomes Encumbered, stamina and mobility are reduced. Reconsider the liquid load alongside the rest of your equipment before collecting more. Keep the water you need accessible, and make room by reviewing the entire kit rather than automatically filling every vessel.