Water purification is the process of removing contaminated matter from water so that it is safe to drink or use for cooking. Some examples of contaminants are parasites (such as Giardia), bacteria, fungi and dangerous minerals such as copper or lead. Remember, it is not possible to tell if water is clean just by looking at it. Treatment by boiling is enough to make your water safe unless you maintain the boil for at least one minute. In any case, no amount of boiling will remove dangerous minerals.
If you’re camping, then one of your prime concerns has to be clean water. Even if your campsite has tap water, you can never be certain about the source of the water or the condition of the water pipes. If you’re accessing creeks or rivers for water, then there is no choice. You must purify the water. Some campers use purification tablets. These are efficient, but they are most commonly iodine tablets, and they leave an unpleasant taste in the water. In addition, they most definitely must not be used by anyone who is pregnant or who has a thyroid condition.
So, the question is: How do I purify the water? For campers, what you use is determined by three things:
Bulkiness,
Speed of delivery of clean water, and
Cost.
Take these three things into consideration and the answer for campers is a combination of the SteriPEN (UV type) The SteriPEN uses an ultraviolet light to sterilise the water in the same way that boiling works, except that there is no waiting for cooling, and no unpleasant taste that is always associated with tablets. Transfer your purified water to a water bottle and you’re set to go.
