Chemical purifier
3 oz.
0.5 liter per tablet
Lightweight and cheap.
Tastes funky and takes 30 minutes to activate.
Potable Aqua tabs are a well-known and an approach we’ve utilized as a backup filter for a long time. It’s as simple as it gets to use: simply place two tablets of iodine in one liter of water and wait for 30 minutes and then drink. They destroy protozoa, bacteria and viruses, thus purifying the water to drink. Similar to Aquamira drops Katadyn tablets, SteriPen mentioned above, keep in mind that you’ll be drinking water that has not been filtered and, therefore, Portable Aqua is best used with clean mountain water.
The main drawback to Potable Aqua is taste. There are neutralizer tablets available that provide a good job at neutralizing the chemical taste, and many people also add the mix of a drink to create more delicious concoctions. If you’re curious about the distinctions between Iodine (Potable Aqua) and chlorine dioxide (the Katadyn and Aquamira above) The one isn’t as effective at combating Cryptosporidium. The chlorine dioxide is described according to the CDC as having moderate to low effectiveness. Furthermore it is the case that Katadyn and Aquamira do not have as many problems with flavor, which is why they’re higher on our list of.
