Water Purifying Methods

 In Uncategorized


Water is probably the most important substance that we as humans need. Back in the “Good ol’ Days” you would be fine just drinking out of a stream and not have to worry about what could have been in the run-off that leaked into your drinking water. Luckily for us technology is advancing it this field making it easier and more convenient for hikers and preppers to achieve clean drinking water on the go and for storing  



Boiling: Kills about 90% of bacteria and other pathogens that might have leaked into the water source and is probably one of the most reliable process of purging water. If you boil your water with camp rocks make sure you don’t use quartz or any other river rock as these can explode. Since boiling is probably the most common way for sterilizing water there are scores of different ways to complete this process from simply filling up the cooking pot to using a tea kettle over a fire

Distillation: is the process to use when there is only dangerous water around. You heat the water into steam, you then proceed to collect the steam to get the cleanest water under the circumstances. Distillation will purge radioactive fall out but won’t filter out volatile oils and some organic compounds. If you’re stuck out in an open area try building a solar still. You would go about this by first digging a hole about three feet deep, you then put ,preferably a square piece, a sheet of clear or milky plastic, it may be beneficial to have a drinking tube coming from the bottle underneath so you aren’t having to constantly having to take the still apart, put a rock in the middle of the plastic to make it as close as you can it to a downward 45 degree angle. In order to secure the plastic place dirt around the edge and maybe a few rocks on the corners. For optimal results dig the still in a sunny area with a plethora of damp sand or dirt even adding vegetation and urine can increase results. Unfortunately unless you build your own system portable distillers and fairly pricey.


   Survival/Life Straws: Very LIght and compact perfect for a typical backpacking trip and will also work in a pinch after a natural disaster or societal collapse. These straws are very effective but won’t make the water 100 percent pure, bodies of water to particularly avoid is any tepid or stagnant water as bacteria and parasites flourish and thrive in these settings. Newer versions of the straw make it so you can dip it into your water source and just drink, many are also coming with an attachment to hook it up to a hose or faucet making it even easier to attain quality drinking water.  

Filters: There are two types of water filters that are worth using today, pump-action filters and drip filters. The pump uses force to shift the water through a filter cartridge, the force is usually generated by human power manning the pump. The drip filters work very similarly to a IV Bag, if placed in line on on hydration bladder hoses the person would simply suck water through the filter as need. The drip filters are particularly convenient for providing water for more than one person in a camp scenario.    

UV Light Devices: are a recent development, at least portable versions, in water Purification. It’s a bottle with an ultraviolet light source that is inserted into the water and after waiting about 80 seconds, the radiation will kill most of the bacteria in the water. Ultraviolet won’t remove metals or chemicals that are in the water so it’s probably a good idea to use another water purifying method in addition of the UV treatment.    

Recent Posts
Contact Us


Not readable? Change text. captcha txt

Start typing and press Enter to search