why not? If you are looking for a minimalist strobe, County Com has one the size of a watch. I'm thinking of getting one in a few weeks.

As for battery life, they say 120 hours (5 days continous) for the flashing mode. And since it uses two large coin batteries, a spare set is about the size of two half dollars on top of eachother. Can't go wrong with those specs, even if the side-view range is under a mile.

I can make arguments for treating any and all water. Even rain water can carry various chemical pollutants and some rocks surfaces dissolve chemical nasties. I know of one geologist who I.D.ed minerals by licking the samples, until one produced a major reaction and he almost required an emergency trach to breathe. But these are truly small concerns and again, hydration takes precedence over possible contamination. Remember the latin american proverb " when the dog is dead the fleas will leave." On your post re: Strobe lights: review Doug's article. They have limits like all tools but are usefull. If you, or anyone else meets Gene again please extend an invitation to the website. We may disagree on various details, but he seems sincere and we can learn from each other. ETS isn't some ivory tower with a gold roof that everyone needs to postrate before at sunrise. Actually, it's more like garbage bags held together with duct tape <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

If they are the same ones I bought a while ago from CC a while ago, neat toys, smaller than a dime. I would not depend upon them to be seen from very far or as a replacement for a true survival strobe. They may have a greater distance of observance on a very very dark night or if night vision devices are being used in the search. They are the same LED flashers that are sold as novelty items that teens use at raves for bellybuttons and clothing.

Pete

Chris, the only problem with treating water for the removal of chemical contaminates, the standard microbial-cidal additives or boiling will not remove them. Only, activated charcoal filters, distillation and they is one chemical product that will chelate some chemical contaminants, will work to remove those agents.

Pete

That sounds comparable to the flashing modes of the Photon Freedom keychain LED.