Hi,

I always carry my crusader cup and canteen when I leave my house for any reason. Therefore, I always have a container to boil water should I need to. However, what if my canteen cup is missing or gets smashed by some four headed monster with one big eye? The only backup I have presently is iodine (and I'm certain THAT has expired.)

So, what about these Portable Acqua tablets? Has anyone here used them?

I did a search here first (Shoot! I didn't do that much reading during my whole educational career!) So, that's why I'm asking now. Just a quick note or two would suffice for now. I guess I'm looking for real life experience here and not trusting the company's websites.

Thanks.

Mike

Sounds a bit paranoid there but I guess security blankets can take any form and of the things one might compulsively schlep around a canteen is more benign than many others. You could compulsive about dragging around the rotting corpse of your dear aunt.

Most patent water treatments have expiration dates, compounded iodine tablets last for several years, chlorine dioxide tablets might be listed for six months. This assumes you buy them fresh. Be sure to read the directions and check the expiration dates on any you buy.

You might consider something like Polar Pure. This is essentially pure iodine crystals in a small bottle that makes it easy to create and use a saturated solution. Being pure elemental iodine Polar Pure has no expiration date, ever. One small bottle of Polar Pure will treat a very large amount of water.

Also many filters, as long as they remain unused, last a very long time.

Never thought of myself as paranoid. People have labeled me with a few other choice descriptive words though. I just love that canteen and cup! I think you are correct though, it could easily pass as my security blanket....along with my 9mm that I never leave home without.

Thanks for the suggestions. I don't venture into some of the remote places people here venture into. I mean, it is southern Michigan after all. However, I learned here to be prepared (and in Boy Scouts....my other nick name.) I will check into that Polar Pure product. Sounds like just the ticket for me.

Again, thanks for your input. I appreciate it very much.

Mike

Consider a steripen. Pricy, but just about as fool proof as boiling.

til your batteries die.

It's Michigan - worry about cold weather killing the batteries.

That is precisely why I like boiling, which is also a good bit cheaper, but at least the steripen will kill all the bad guys in the water.

I am not sure where you got this information from. Chlorine Dioxide tablets originally had a shelf life of 3 years. That was increased to 4 years about a year and a half ago.

It should be noted that iodine treatments are not generally effective against Cryptosporidium, whereas Chlorine Dioxide is effective. That may or may not be an issue for the user depending on their concerns. Iodine has been used pretty effectively for a long time.

There's also the taste issue. Most folks find that Chlorine Dioxide has no taste whereas iodine tastes like, well, iodine. That can be solved with addition of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) after the treatment regime is done.

Every purification method has its pros and cons.

I agree. It is Michigan and we get hit at least once with some force of nature that causes us to say, "Next time we're getting one of those things!"

That said, we also do a lot of backpacking and two day hunts where things sometimes do not go as planned and I just thought it was high time I trashed that Iodine bottle in both my FAK's (but I'll keep the Vitamin C tablets.) I've never had to use any form of water purification in all my years of being outdoors, but that shouldn't stop me from being "Equipped to Survive."

Thanks all for the suggestions. Your time means a great deal to me.

Mike

Key is to use lithium batteries. Work in frigid cold and shelf life is 10 years +/-

I base this upon the manufacturers recommendation of storage temperature of 60F to 86F. Air temperatures in the shade in summer here can push 100F and I've recorded temperatures in my storage box on my truck at better than 140F. It was hotter still in the cab.

I e-mailed Potable Aqua a long time ago asking for guidance for shelf-life at temperatures outside the recommended range but they never got back to me. So, for now, and until I get more information, I figure chlorine dioxide based treatments are only reliable for six months under local conditions. Given that decomposition for temperature are often exponential curves and given the summertime temperatures in Florida and the SW, six months might be optimistic.

Of course in those location where 86F is a hot summer day this is less likely to be an issue.