There are so many options out there and there is such a wide price range. What is a good option that is reliable, easy to use and fairly inexpensive. I don't want to jeopardize my health, but I can't afford a $200 filtratio system either.

I can't afford the expensive filtration systems, plus they're bulky to carry around and require the purchase of replacement filters.

I avoid iodine pills because they turn everything a reddish brown color.

I prefer to use the purification tablets such as MicroPur. There are several brands available and most camping/sporting goods stores have them for sale.

From the REI.com website: http://www.rei.com/product/695229

Purifying water couldn't be easier, simply drop a Micropur tablet into a quart of water; drink with confidence and no chemical aftertaste. Features the same proven technology used in municipal water supplies; effective against viruses, bacteria, Giardia and Cryptosporidium
Destroys viruses and bacteria in 15 minutes, Giardia in 30-minutes and Cryptosporidia in 4-hours Meets the US EPA purification guidelines; active ingredient is chlorine dioxide
Each tablet is individually wrapped and sealed While a 4-hour wait time may be inconvenient, alternative disinfectants do not claim to destroy Cryptosporidium.

They're pretty cheap too at around $12 for 30 tablets. I also like to use my colapsable nalgene bottle with these tablets to purify water while I'm using my regular nalgene for my drinking water. That way I always have a source of safe water.

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If it's in your pack, but you don't know how to use it...it's useless. So, always test your skills as a form of preparation...Don't wait until your life depends on it. That's a lesson you don't want to learn the hard way.

the simplest way is to use alum (hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate)

boiling.....

i use all of the above. I have a sweetwater system with virus guard that is field cleanable. i have and use iodine when I'm doing an ultra light back pack trip. If I know that the water is going to be boiled for cooking or coffee or such, I'll just take it out of the stream and boil it without other treatment.

I'll have to check out hydrated aluminum potassium sulfate and / or Micro Pur tablets. Thanks for the suggestions

When I went backpacking the only feasibly lightweight water purification option I had were water purification tablets. They make the water taste a little odd at first but you get used to the taste after a while and it's fine. Better than catching some tropical water-borne disease anyway!

Katadyn mini filter. An awsome product that takes care of everything. Its worth teh investment and its field cleanable.
http://www.rei.com/ComparisonChartDispl ... oreId=8000

Its the blue squarish one on the right.

julie

I've started using the purification tablets and couldn't be happier. They are relatively cheap, take up practically no space, and very effective. The new tabs even purify without that funny aftertaste.

The Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets are a prime example of Katadyn’s reputation for quality and usability and are some of the best on the market today. Gone are the days of the old basic chlorine tablets. These water purification tablets take care of the disease causing critters that the old water purification tablets cannot.

The Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets provide fresh drinking water anywhere you go and are the only disinfection system effective against viruses, bacteria, Giardia and cryptosporidium. Unlike the older, less effective tablets, Katadyn Micropur MP 1 Water Purification Tablets produce fresh tasting drinking water with no unpleasant taste, are easy to use and meet EPA purification guidelines.

Using Chlorine Dioxide as an active ingredient, these water purification tablets treat about 30 quarts of water. The Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets are a valuable addition to any survival kit, pack or camping kit.

Check out http://www.katadyn.us/brands-products/katadyn/micropur-purification-tablets.html for more info.

If I'm heading out on a hike, I take the tablets. They're small and light and take up practically no space in my pack. In my bub out bag, though, I have a filter set up to use. But for a hike, the purification tablets can't be beat.

i have used the purification tablets mentioned above as well. like some have said, the water tastes sort of funny at first, but it is tolerable and allows you to quench your thirst