Portable Water Purifier

Water from a natural source should be decontaminated with a portable water purifier, bleach or iodine tablets before consumption. Also called "point of use" water disinfecting systems, these convenient purifying units make it possible for you to survive following a disaster by drinking water found in lakes, ponds, rivers or other natural receptacles.

Few places on Earth provide pure drinking water that does not contain some kind of industrial pollution, sewage, animal wastes, parasites, toxic surface runoff, and pathogens capable of making you extremely ill. Industrialized countries like the U.S. spew millions of tons of pollution into river and lake water from factories, landfills, chemical plants, oil refineries, and even littering.

Natural water sources found in underdeveloped countries that experience constant tropical conditions and poor sewage systems are filled with parasites, protozoa and bacteria that cause numerous gastrointestinal illnesses, typhoid and cholera.

While a portable water purifier is capable of removing pollutants and microorganisms from untreated water using ceramic or activated charcoal filters, the removal of viruses in water thought to contain them will need to be decontaminated with ultraviolet light or chemicals. In addition, some water filters have nanoparticles made from silver metal bonded to the ceramic element to enhance the filtration process and inhibit pathogen growth that sometimes occurs on ceramic or charcoal filters.

Currently, the World Health Organization blames nearly 80 percent of all diseases suffered by travelers to countries other than the U.S., Canada and most of Europe to water-borne pathogens. This percentage would undoubtedly rise to a full 100 percent following a large-scale disaster event, especially in those nations used to just turning the tap to have potable water.

Katadyn Water Purification Products

Katadyn is a Swiss company famous for manufacturing a wide variety of water treatment devices for anyone concerned about the quality of their drinking water. International travelers, hikers, campers, relief groups, preppers and survivalists will all find a water filtration system to suit their needs at Katadyn.

Mini Ultralight

The Katadyn Mini Ultralight portable water filter is compact, weighs only eight ounces and comes equipped with a 0.2 micron ceramic filter that effectively eliminates protozoa and bacteria from contaminated water.

Vario Backcountry

Katadyn's Vario Backcountry point-of-use water filter offers three different kinds of filter levels: an active charcoal system for ridding water of bad smells, a glass fiber filter and an adjustable, ceramic pre-filter accommodating varying degrees of cloudiness in water.

If the water is extremely cloudy, the ceramic pre-filter can be fitted in a moment in order to extend the service life of the glass fiber filter. The Vario is compatible with most standard outdoor bottles, weighs 15 ounces, and has a two-quart output.

Hiker Pro

Katadyn also reports that their Hiker Pro portable water filter is the most popular and widely sold device of its kind in the U.S. Features of this water filter include a large filter area that facilitates pumping, elimination of sediments, bacteria and cysts via glass fiber and active carbon filters and two hose sets that quickly connect to the bottle.

Base Camp

Base Camp hanging water filters provide a safe and convenient way to allow groups of campers to access clean water whenever someone needs it. Just fill the two and a half gallon bag and hang it from a sturdy support such as a tree branch to obtain clean water via a hose equipped with an off/on valve.

Found at the Katadyn website, Base Camp hanging water filters also provides .3 micron technology to efficiently remove pathogens and sediment; a pleated cartridge for fast water output and removable filter protector that lengthens the life of the cartridge is also available.

We can live for a month or more without food but only a few days without water. Environmental conditions following a natural disaster necessitate having a portable water purifier on which to rely for long-term survival in a land where clean water will probably not exist.

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