*sigh* everyone says that.

Do yourself a favor and look INTO it before dismissing it.

It kills viruses and bacteria in 15 minutes. The 4 hour time is how long it takes to kill cysts (something Iodine can't kill) in the worst possible water conditions (cold and dirty). They're required to list the longest wait time for the worst conditions IIRC. If the water is not cold and dirty, it will kill cysts significantly faster (30 minutes I think)

If you're not worried about cysts in your area, you're good to go in 15 minutes.

Even if you did have to wait 4 hours, it's a hell of a lot faster than transpiration bags and solar stills <img src="/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />