camping-water-purifierWhy do we need a camping-water-purifier method? Water sources in the wilderness are not as clean as they used to be. You can no longer trust that crystal clear mountain spring water to be clean. There are potential protozoa, bacteria, viruses and chemicals in that thirst quenching, innocent looking H2O. So how do you protect yourself? Bring your water with you or Purify your water on site Bringing is feasible if you are driving right to your camp site like with tent camping. Hauling safe drinking water is easiest this way.
One set back to boiling your water for safe drinking is that it has to cool down. Boiling does not remove chemicals in the water such as pesticides, mine tailings and chemical contaminations. Be aware of the area you are drawing water from and any potential toxins that may be present.
You've seen one camping-water-purifier, you've seen them all. Wrong. What is the difference between filters, micro-filters and purifiers? It boils down (no pun intended) to the size of the microorganisms and particles needing to be removed. Protozoa like Giardia and Cryptosporidium measure 5 microns or larger. Water filters will catch particles measuring as small as 1.0 microns. However, bacteria like Cholera, E. coli, and Salmonella measure 0.2-0.5 microns and they will get through a regular filter. Micro-filters catch particles measuring down to 0.2 microns. Viruses like Hepatitis A, rotavirus, Norwalk virus measure really small, 0.004 microns. Only a water purifier will catch particles this small through filtration or through a combination of chemical and filter treatment. Most filters and micro-filters do not remove chemicals from the water. There are purifiers that do remove some chemicals.
Chlorine treatments are a good substitute for persons with Iodine issues. However, chlorine will not kill Cryptosporidium.
Mixed oxidants is another approach to water purification. This system, originally developed for municipal water treatment systems, has been reduced to a smaller version for backpackers. The MSR Miox pen uses basic salt (sodium chloride) in fresh water to create a salt solution. Then electricity is added to the solution, it is broken up into an oxidant solution of chlorine and hypochlorite. Then you add the oxidant solution into your water to destroy any microorganisms. It takes about 15 minutes to complete. Test strips are then used to verify the water's cleanliness. Cryptosporidium is a tougher bug to kill. It takes up to four hours to eliminate it. The MSR Miox pen uses batteries and salt. It is small, about 6 inches long, and has been used by the military because of its convenience and effectiveness.
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Boiling. The Wilderness Medical Society says that water temp. above 185 F kills all microorganisms within a few minutes. 5 minutes of a full rolling boil is enough to kill the cooties in your water.
Ultraviolet (UV) light water purification. UV radiation at certain frequencies kills microorganisms. There are battery operated UV units called Steri-pens that when immersed into the proper amount of water, will kill all of the beasties. However, it will not remove chemicals and is not as effective if the water is cloudy or contains a lot of particulate matter.
