Lets get things straight, water is a necessity and when you go camping it is 100% important to stay hydrated at all times. Unfortunately sometimes the water is not of the best quality and if drunk could cause crazy D’z and V’s (diarrhea and vomiting). But don’t you worry, there are ways you can filter water right in front of your eyes so that they are nice and safe for everyone’s consumption.
Firstly there are a few ways you can filter water.
1. Chemicals- Chemicals such as Chlorine and Iodine have been used in water purification for years. They do work but one downside to them is in large quantities they begin to become bad for your health. The upside to these is that you can use it in any water making it safe to drink, they weight nothing and are fairly cheap.
2. Filters- Filters come in all different shapes and sizes. Some are more effective then others and obviously the more you pay for them the more effective they can become. As a general rule they have to comply to a standard and remove 99.99% of all pollutants in the water. The upside to using filters is that they usually make water safe to drink rapidly, use no chemicals and can be reused for quite some time. The downside to these is that they can be bulky, heavy and expensive.
3. UV light – These days you can buy UV filters which you place into a bottle of water, switch it on and then wait 60 seconds for it to work its magic. These are very effective but expensive. Another way to filter water is to filter water through a shirt first to get rid of all the larger particles and then place it out in the sun in clear plastic bottle. By leaving it in the sun for approximately 8 hours you will get the sun to do all the work for you. This way is actually advised for 3rd world countries in the middle of a disaster event. Obviously the major downside is that you have to have water standing around for 8 hours. But if you are really in need of water and have no other options this will work just right.
4. Boiling water – is by far the oldest and most effective way to filter water. Reason being is that most if not all bacteria and viruses cannot survive in such high temperatures. Boiling water although good is not used as often these days because it takes time to boil the water and then cool it down. Most people don’t like drinking hot water on hot days and you have to carry a fire kit and fuel. On the other hand you most likely would carry a fire kit (check out my list of 7 fire starters by following this link) and you would already consider it in your packing. So if you work it into your daily routine and boil some water before going to sleep then it will be perfect for the next day.
Some products that you should look into if you are thinking of buying something before your next camp.
1. The Sawyer Mini
It’s a small, super affordable lightweight filter which until recently I never knew nothing about. They say it will last me approximately 100,000 gallons which would mean a lifetime but I believe that I probably will replace it ever 5-10 years depending on how much I use it. Either way for the price that it’s going at I cant see why not. For more information and to buy the Sawyer Mini click the image(goes to Amazon).
2. Aquamira
If you don’t mind chemicals and love the simplicity and ease of use then you can’t go past Aquamira Water Treatment drops. Simply use a drop leave it to do its work for approximately 15-30 min and you are good to go. I prefer Chlorine over Iodine because it tastes much better. For more information and to buy Aquamira click on the image(goes to Amazon)
3. SteriPen
