Hi all,
My girlfriend and I are putting together our first survival packs and one of the problems we are having is that my girlfriend is allergic to iodine. I know chlorine tablets exist but they have a short shelf life. The LifeStraw is pretty neat, but it too has a shelf-life of three years. Those fancy ceramic water pumps cost a lot of money, especially if you want one that removes viruses as well as bacteria and protozoa. So what are the options for an emergency water filtration that shelf-stable? Boiling is best, but not always possible.
I have found several things, and would like your opinions:
If there is anything I missed, please let me know!
Thanks in advance,
Sam
My girlfriend and I are putting together our first survival packs and one of the problems we are having is that my girlfriend is allergic to iodine. I know chlorine tablets exist but they have a short shelf life. The LifeStraw is pretty neat, but it too has a shelf-life of three years. Those fancy ceramic water pumps cost a lot of money, especially if you want one that removes viruses as well as bacteria and protozoa. So what are the options for an emergency water filtration that shelf-stable? Boiling is best, but not always possible.
I have found several things, and would like your opinions:
- Potassium Permanganate - This seems to have the downside of being rather scary stuff. Over-mix it into your water and you can kill yourself which makes me wonder what the long term side-effects of drinking PP purified water are. It seems as though it is even dangerous to touch. On the plus side it is dirt cheap, shelf-stable, purifies quickly, can be used to start a fire, and makes lovely shades of pinks and purples.
- Colloidal Silver (or something like ASAP Silver Sol, etc) - The biggest downside I can see here is that finding information on using it in an emergency situation is hard to come by. Also, it is a liquid so it will be heavy. It seems with enough time it kills everything of concern though.
If there is anything I missed, please let me know!
Thanks in advance,
Sam