How to Find the Best Travel Water Filters

Portable Water Purification When Camping, Back Packing and Hiking

Sep 13, 2009

River Water Cannot Always be Trusted, Spunkyalexa

Finding clean water when traveling is not always possible, especially in less developed areas. Taking a water filter or purification tablets can prevent serious sickness.

While the water flowing in the streams and rivers of a country may look pure, it can be contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, and other contaminants.

When planning on camping, hiking or visiting different parts of the world, it is important that travelers remember their water needs. There are many approaches that can be taken to provide safe water for both drinking and sanitation.

Never take chances with the water supply. When visiting rural areas, bottled water should be taken along. If there is any indication that the water is unsafe because of oils, chemicals or poisonous substances, do not even try to purify it, stay away from it completely.

A traveler should not think that if the water is not ingested, he or she will be safe. Brushing teeth or rinsing out the mouth can be enough to cause severe diarrhea in certain areas/countries. Fresh vegetables should be washed in potassium permanganate or a similar product.

Waterborne Hazards When Traveling

The hazards from drinking unclean water include the possibility of contracting a viral infection, bacterial infection and/or the possibility of being infested by parasites. Below are just a fraction of the types of waterborne dangers lurking in unclean or stagnant water:

Parasites: Giardia, parasites that cause Bilharzia (snail fever), amoebas, guinea worms, dwarf tapeworms,

Bacterial infections: Diseases such as botulism, cholera, E.coli infection, Legionnaire's disease and salmonella,

Viral infections: Infections such as gastroenteritis, hepatitis, respiratory infections that affect the kidneys and polio.

Water Purification Tablets

These tablets typically contain silver ions combined with chlorine. Usually one tablet will purify one liter of water. A tablet should be left in the water for at least 30 minutes to kill bacteria and viruses and 2 hours if there is a danger of Giardia.

Travel Water Filter

A back packing water filter is ideal for hikers and campers. A camping water filter is portable, small and can remove some types of infectious agents from drinking water. A travel water filter comes in different forms:

Pour through ceramic filters made from stainless steel. They look like a flasks and weighs about 1 kg. (2 lbs).
Sports water bottle purifiers – They look just like a regular water bottles, they are great for hiking backpacking, kayaking or general travel and the filter is said to last for approximately 2 months or 160 refills per filter.
Pump/Filter Combinations: Pumps and pump/filter combinations usually use a technology such as carbon blocks, ceramics, porous plastic elements or membranes to effectively remove protozoan cysts and bacteria. These types of pumps may be suitable only for a group of hikers or campers due to the bulkiness and the added weight of the pump.

Other Simple Ways to Purify Water

Boiling water is the best method for making water safe to drink. Boil for at least one or two minutes. Adding a small pinch of salt adds to the effectiveness and improves the taste.

Add a simple household bleach that does not have perfumes or additives. Five drops of bleach is enough to purify 2 liters of water. After adding the bleach, allow the water to stand for 30 minutes before storing or drinking.

If water is cloudy, filter it through clean cloths or allow it to settle, draw off the clear water and then disinfect with bleach or iodine.

Iodine – 5 drops per liter of water.

Potassium permanganate - Just add three or four crystals to one liter of water, leave for thirty minutes and drink.

Bottled water from a trusted source is a recommended as an alternative to tap water. Before drinking, be sure all bottled beverages have fully sealed caps. If seals are not intact, the bottles may have been refilled. If a traveler has run out of water and there is no bottled water available, a soft drink or beer with a sealed cap is a safer alternative than attempting to find water from a potentially unsafe source.

Source:

1. enerhealthbotanicals.com, information retrieved on 11 September 2009

2. waterhealthconnection.org, informaiton retrieved on 11 September 2009