Water purification is a vital survival tool for adventure travel, humanitarian relief, and urban junkets to the developing world. On recent trips to Everest Base Camp in Nepal, Asia Pacific Travel Health Conference in Ho Chi Minh City, and Haiti, I had plenty of opportunity to test the latest techniques. Here are three options for efficient disinfection.

Dioxide tablets such as Potable Aqua (Wisconsin Pharmacal, 30 tablets, $12.95) are light, compact, and inexpensive. One tablet purifies a liter of water in four hours, including the hard-to-kill giardia and cryptosporidium cysts. Chlorine dioxide kills parasite cysts a bit better than iodine tablets, and chlorine doesn't taste as bad as iodine.

Ultraviolet C light is a great option. For use in clear water, SteriPEN (SteriPEN Ultra, $99.95) purifies a liter in 60 seconds. Depending on the model, it uses AA batteries or a battery rechargeable with USB cable. Using USB cable, the batteries get 40 treatments per charge. Although a bit heavy and bulky compared to tablets, the SteriPEN is instant.

A filter is a third option, such as the portable Katadyn My Bottle (Katadyn, $59.95). The My Bottle has three stages: a pleated filter for bacteria and protozoa cysts, an iodine impregnated cartridge to kill viruses, and a charcoal canister to improve taste. I used this on a trip to Haiti and found that because the filter sits inside a one-liter water bottle, there's only 750 cc of drinking water. And, it is bit hard to suck water through the filter.

Posted on March 2, 2015