Which device and method is most suitable for your adventure or situation?
If you are planning a trekking or camping adventure, an adequate supply of drinking water is essential. However , clean water is not always available. Even water from remote areas can be contaminated by pesticides or heavy metals or invisible microorganisms. A mountain stream that appears clean could still be contaminated by, for example, extremities or carrion. For this reason, you should never drink untreated natural water.
The best water treatment method for you depends on the following factors:
1 ) How long does your tour last?
2) Where is your tour going – are you staying in Europe or are you heading to more exotic regions?
3) How large is the group for which water is to be filtered - are you traveling alone or are you a group of 3-4 people?
4) Should drinking water be obtained from clear/clean water or, if necessary, from cloudy water?
If you are moving within Europe, water treatment that combats bacteria and protozoa is usually sufficient. Outside Europe, you should use a system that also works against viruses, chemicals and heavy metals. With the help of high-quality water treatment - be it filters, UV radiation or the use of chemicals - you can obtain drinkable water from practically any water source while on the go. Water treatment on the go should not only be safe and efficient, but also as light and compact as possible: We recommend the GRAYL GEOPRESS ™ water filter with a drinking bottle or the Katadyn Vario filter , which can also be used to filter cloudy water, or the lightweight Steripen UltraLight and Steripen Ultra , which can be charged with our OnFire solar charger . Micropur Forte tablets are suitable for emergencies.
To help you make your decision, we have created a comparative overview of the products offered in our online shop:
Finally, a few tips on boiling water:
Boiling water removes a variety of bacteria (protozoa) and germs. However, you need a suitable fire pit for this and this is cumbersome with large amounts of water. In addition, it should be taken into account that water at higher altitudes has a lower boiling point (at 900m 97 degrees Celsius instead of 100 degrees Celsius). However, protozoa and other bacteria are only killed at 100ºC. That's why at higher altitudes you should let water boil for at least 10-20 on our OnFire gas stove, for example, to be on the safe side. Unfortunately, boiling alone does not remove all harmful components (such as heavy metals and toxic non-volatile organic substances).
