The 5 Best Water Purification Tablets for Backpacking and Survival

In the event you’ve ever struggled with a clogged-up water filter, the benefits of water purification tablets are self-evident. Simply drop in a tab, let it do its factor for half-hour, and your water is able to drink. However not all drops work the identical means, and realizing which has the longest shelf life or the least noticeable aftertaste can assist make sure you’re correctly geared up to your subsequent backcountry journey or pure catastrophe. That can assist you select, I examined one of the best water purification tablets and assessed them on plenty of key metrics.

How I Examined the Finest Water Purification Tablets

Whereas I sometimes use one of many best backpacking water filters when out within the backcountry, I’ve additionally turned to water purification tablets for his or her comfort and small packed measurement. I’ve first-hand expertise with all the beneath water purifiers, a lot of which I’ve utilized in backcountry settings. 

I assessed the water purification tablets on this story for each emergency and backcountry use. For emergency use, I primarily thought-about worth and shelf life, along with style, ease of use, and whether or not they’re efficient in opposition to micro organism, protozoa, viruses. For backcountry use, I additionally thought-about the time to deal with a liter of water. Worth was evaluated as the fee to deal with a liter of water assuming you bought the water purification tablets in essentially the most cost-efficient bulk possibility. 

Finest Water Purification Tablets: Opinions & Suggestions

Finest General: Aquamira

Key Options

• Price to Deal with a Liter of Water: 50 cents
• Shelf Life: 4 years
• Style: Good

Professionals

• Quickest of the water purification tablets
• Just about no style

Cons

• Comparably costly
• Course of is a bit more concerned

Aquamira remedy drops have lengthy been a favourite of backpackers and backpack hunters who’d slightly not take care of the effort of water filters in any respect, together with OL workers author Tyler Freel. (See: What’s Best for Backcountry Water: Filters or Drops?) And I can see why: Whereas these of us that use filters are hunched over and red-faced, squeezing out a liter of water from a sketchy pond, Crew Aquamira simply has to attend 20 minutes, the least of any of the water purification tablets I checked out. Even higher, it has little or no style. I personally can’t style it in any respect, though others say there’s a slight aftertaste. 

After all, there’s a catch, and it’s that the method to make use of Aquamira is relatively onerous. There are two bottles, Half A and Half B. When blended collectively, they produce chlorine dioxide, which is reactive in water, breaking the bonds that maintain micro organism, protozoa, and viruses collectively. To make use of Aquamira you combine collectively seven drops of Half A with seven drops of Half B within the bigger of the 2 caps. After 5 minutes, you possibly can add the combination to a liter of water. 25 minutes after that, your water will likely be protected to drink. Notice: You can’t pre-mix components A and B earlier than you head out in your trek. It should be achieved within the area proper earlier than you deal with your water.

In the event you’ve been burned by water filters up to now, then Aquamira is a dependable different that requires little elbow grease. Its comparatively lengthy shelf life and restricted style additionally makes it an affordable alternative for residence emergency kits the place you wish to be certain that the household truly stays hydrated for the length. 

Finest for Backpacking: Aquatabs

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Key Options

• Price to Deal with a Liter of Water: 12.5 cents
• Shelf Life: 5 years
• Style: Honest

Professionals

• Extraordinarily light-weight
• Cheap

Cons

• Noticeable style
• Not efficient in opposition to cryptosporidium

Aquatabs take about half-hour to take impact, 10 minutes longer than Aquamira, however are a lot simpler to make use of. Merely drop the tab within the water and wait. No premixing required. However whereas Aquamira has no discernible taste, there’s a slight chemical taste that goes together with the Aquatabs (though not as unpalatable a taste as straight chlorine or iodine). 

Whereas that is solely a minor concern in a real survival situation, the off-putting taste of Aquatabs can have an effect on how hydrated you might be within the area when you aren’t cautious about it. In spite of everything, who desires to drink water that tastes like a swimming pool? One resolution is so as to add different taste mixers (like Mio drops or Crystal Mild packets) to your water to masks the style. Per liter of water, Aquatabs are a few quarter of the price of Aquamira, making them a sensible alternative for backpackers on a price range. 

Finest for Dwelling Emergencies: Katadyn Micropur

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Key Options

• Price to Deal with a Liter of Water: 53 cents
• Shelf Life: 5 years
• Style: Honest

Professionals

• 5-year shelf life
• Efficient in opposition to cryptosporidium

Cons

• Most costly possibility I checked out
• Takes 4 hours to be efficient
• Noticeable aftertaste

Pure disasters is usually a hectic time, as a result of sometimes not solely are you coping with the lack of energy and potable water, however doubtlessly additionally entry to sure emergency companies. This isn’t the time to get diarrhea. So I used to be impressed to see that Katadyn Micropur was efficient in opposition to cryptosporidium, even when it took 4 hours for it to get there. 

Whereas the Katadyn Micropur is promoted for outside use, the 4-hour activation interval makes it a better option for residence emergencies. 

That size of time makes it a non-starter for backcountry use, however it’s a cheap alternative to be used in residence emergency settings, the place it’s cheap to be treating one batch of water whereas consuming a second that has already been handled. It additionally isn’t as sophisticated to make use of as Aquamira (which can be in a position to neutralize cryptosporidium if left for 4 hours to deal with). 

The draw back to Katadyn Micropur is that it was, by a hair, the most costly possibility per liter of use. 

Finest Shelf Life: Potable Aqua

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Key Options

• Price to Deal with a Liter of Water: 43 cents
• Shelf Life: No expiration date if unopened
• Style: Dangerous

Professionals

• Unopened containers could be saved indefinitely
• Simple to make use of

Cons

• Horrible style
• Lengthy-term use may cause points along with your thyroid and even most cancers

It was once that “water purification tablets” meant one factor: iodine. It was a normal in backpacking kits of yore (particularly when the previous pump filter fashions have been much less dependable than they’re now), however I at all times dreaded having to tug it out. Not solely does iodine style horrible, but it surely additionally lingers. No matter Nalgene you used to deal with your water would completely scent like iodine. Granted, today, you should buy iodine tablets that neutralize the style, however I’d nonetheless suppose twice earlier than including these to your backpacking package. That’s as a result of the opposite drawback with iodine is that, when taken in bigger portions for lengthy intervals of time, it might probably trigger points along with your thyroid and even most cancers. Current recommendations are that you simply keep on with a few milligram a day. Potable aqua comprises about 8 milligrams per pill.

However there may be one state of affairs the place potable aqua remains to be your finest guess: in case you are packing up an emergency package that you simply don’t plan on refreshing periodically. Potable aqua, if unopened, has an indefinite shelf life, making it the one possibility on this checklist that’s protected to crack open a decade from now and add to your water.  

Finest Price range: Household Bleach

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Key Options

• Price to Deal with a Liter of Water: 0.05 cents
• Shelf Life: 1 12 months
• Style: Poor

Professionals

• Extensively obtainable
• Very value efficient

Cons

• Noticeable, off-putting style
• Shorter shelf life

The primary individual I ever met who used bleach as their main technique of purifying their water was a nurse on the Pacific Crest Path. Whereas everybody else was fighting backed-up squeeze filters or rigorously mixing their Aquamira options, she merely pulled out a small bottle of chlorine and a medication dropper. We watched her add a few drops to her bottle and be on her means whereas we have been nonetheless messing round attempting to get our Steripen to work. This, she reminded us, was how most municipalities disinfect their water. It’s additionally extraordinarily low cost in comparison with different water purification tablets. Given these professionals, you is likely to be questioning why all backpackers aren’t on the market utilizing chlorine to disinfect their water.

Effectively, first off, most individuals discover the style to be fairly off-putting. After 1,000 miles or so, the thru-hiking nurse mentioned she’d stopped noticing the style, however I might scent it coming off her bottle. Additionally, there’s a purpose that the thought of utilizing chlorine in your bottle is supplying you with the heebie-jeebies: You need to add sufficient chlorine to disinfect your water, however including an excessive amount of can result in chlorine poisoning, together with burning within the mouth, abdomen ache, and vomiting. Additionally, there may be some debate as as to if or not utilizing chlorine within the water provide can improve your long-term threat of most cancers, with some suggesting that it might probably lead to an increase in bladder cancer. (If this has acquired you questioning about what’s popping out of the faucet, contemplate choosing up one of many best filtered water bottles.) 

If you’re going to use chlorine to disinfect your water throughout a backcountry or emergency state of affairs, make sure you acquaint your self with the EPA’s guidelines on how a lot to make use of. 

Methods to Select the Finest Water Purification Tablets

Shelf Life

In the event you’re buying water purification tablets for a house emergency package, maintain a pointy eye on the shelf life. Whereas some water purification tablets do final indefinitely if unopened (like iodine), others have a shelf life of 5 years or much less. 

Price

In the event you’re buying water purification tablets for an in a single day backpacking journey, then the fee per unit is often insignificant in opposition to your different prices. However when you’re planning a thru-hike or for a week-long emergency package for the entire household, it might probably begin to add up. 

Style

The style distinction between totally different water purification tablets is vast, from no style in any respect to so foul it’s onerous to drink it. Take into account how necessary style is to you (as this may impact your skill to maintain your self hydrated) earlier than making a remaining alternative.

FAQs

Last Ideas

Whether or not you might be searching for an alternative choice to one of the best backpacking water filter or planning your house emergency package, there are a number of water purification tablets obtainable. Take into account your priorities, be it worth, style, shelf life, or energetic ingredient, earlier than making a remaining buy.