I've developed a habit of carrying a few water purifying tablets in my possibles pouch plus two or three in my wallet for those occasions when boiling is not convenient. I carry a millbank bag and a pump purifier in my pack on long trips and overnighters, but when out for a stroll I like have a few tablets in my pocket to add to my water bottle when I refill it from a mountain stream. I find that I often need to drink more than the one litre I'm prepared to carry so I need some purification system for refills.
When checking over my kit the other day I found the tablets I carry are well past their sell by date. On going to buy a new supply at a well-known high street camping shop, I found that they only offered one brand at a very high price and began to think about alternatives. My wife has an iodine intolerance and I don't like the taste much anyway so I have always used chlorine based tablets. I recall that when we used to live in the tropics, we used to purify our drinking water by adding a drop or two of ordinary household bleach to a litre of suspect water. I'm thinking about carring a small dropper bottle of chlorine in the pouch, although I worry about leakage, but can't think of a substitute for tablets in the wallet.
Does anyone know of cheap source of tablets? What system of water purification do you use for short trips?
When checking over my kit the other day I found the tablets I carry are well past their sell by date. On going to buy a new supply at a well-known high street camping shop, I found that they only offered one brand at a very high price and began to think about alternatives. My wife has an iodine intolerance and I don't like the taste much anyway so I have always used chlorine based tablets. I recall that when we used to live in the tropics, we used to purify our drinking water by adding a drop or two of ordinary household bleach to a litre of suspect water. I'm thinking about carring a small dropper bottle of chlorine in the pouch, although I worry about leakage, but can't think of a substitute for tablets in the wallet.
Does anyone know of cheap source of tablets? What system of water purification do you use for short trips?
. I got one just after Christmas, yet to test it on any really filthy water but so far its great a piece of kit. I use mine with a 2l Platypus bladder the whole system rolls up into a small stuff sack and weighs next to nothing.
