One of the essential items to have on any hiking or camping trip is clean drinking water. There are all kinds of systems you can use to clean your water while you’re traveling. So here are five ways to purify water while hiking, camping, or traveling.
Boiling
The first way to purify water while hiking, camping, or traveling is by boiling it. Boiling water is one of the quickest and simplest methods to remove impurities. The high temperatures of the water cause bacteria and viruses to dissipate. However, you may still need to strain the water to remove any impurities that may settle at the bottom of the water.
Distillation
Distillation is the second way to purify your drinking water. Water distillation is a purification process that involves boiling water until it turns into steam, then capturing and condensing the steam in a clean container. Impurities get left behind in the boiling chamber during the evaporation process, effectively removing them from the water. Distillation units are portable and typically include a boiling chamber, condensing chamber, and a storage container for the purified water.
Water Filters
The third way to purify water while traveling is to use water filters. There are several kinds of portable water filters that are available for camping and hiking. Some examples include straw filters, bottle filters, pump filters, UV filters, and gravity filters. Each of these filters works in a slightly different way to make water safe for human consumption.
Purification Tablets
Purification tablets are another simple way to purify water. Utilizing tablets is one of the simplest ways to get clean drinking water while you’re traveling. Purification tablets typically use iodine or chlorine dioxide and generally take around 30 minutes to rid water of parasites and impurities. However, it’s still best to wait about four hours before drinking the water after using purification tablets.
Reverse Osmosis
The fifth way to purify your drinking water while hiking and camping is to use reverse osmosis. The reverse osmosis process involves a partially permeable membrane that separates the unwanted ions, molecules, and particles from your drinking water. There are portable reverse osmosis water purification systems that you can bring traveling with you to ensure that you always have safe drinking water available to you.
Now that you know five ways to purify your drinking water while hiking, camping, or traveling, you can determine which method works best for you. Be sure to check out NuManna’s selection of water purifiers, including a bucket water filter kit.
