Water Purifiers for Camping: Have Clean Water Anywhere

By Avalanche Creative

Having a water purifier for camping is essential on almost any outdoor trip, especially purification tablets like Aquatabs. It’s especially important if you’re camping in the backcountry and don’t have easy access to anything other than a stream or lake.

Learn why so many hikers and campers keep a packet of Aquatabs handy, and how vital clean water is for making the most of any trip.

Why You Need a Water Purifier for Camping

Having a water purifier for camping on your next trip is essential. It helps you guarantee you’ll have access to safe drinking water no matter where your adventure takes you. Even more, you’ll also prevent dehydration and waterborne diseases that can ruin your whole trip or even send you to the hospital.

While many campers know to boil their water before using it to kill pathogens, campfires aren’t always available. Even more, if it’s the middle of summer and you’re camping in an area with uncomfortably warm temperatures at night, it’s impractical to wait for a campfire to get hot enough for boiling water. Therefore, it’s often easier and more convenient to use a water purification system instead.

Signs of Dehydration While Camping

Experiencing dehydration while you’re camping or hiking can be particularly dangerous. When you’re so far away from civilization, there are not as many guarantees that you’ll be able to find drinkable water as you would in a city, town, or even an established campground. Therefore, it’s important to know the signs of dehydration—you and anyone traveling with you will thank you for it.

These are some of the signs and symptoms of dehydration to watch for while you’re camping:

• Dry mouth
• Dark-colored urine
• Needing to urinate less often
• Lightheadedness
• Headache
• Lethargy
• Dry skin
• Chapped lips
• Generally feeling weak
• Delirium
• Fainting

It’s also important to know that dehydration can happen more quickly depending on where you are and the weather conditions. For example, if you’re hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, you’ll likely feel dehydrated much faster than you would at lower altitudes because the air is much thinner and has less oxygen. If you’re camping in the high desert areas of New Mexico or Arizona, you’ll also feel the effects of dehydration more quickly due to both the altitude and the dry air. Keeping clean drinking water with you at all times can help prevent this.

Symptoms of Waterborne Illnesses

Even if that stream or lake near your campsite is so clear you can see the bottom, you should never assume any untreated body of water is safe to drink. Numerous types of waterborne bacteria call rivers and creeks home, including E. coli, norovirus, Vibrio cholerae, shigella, and many others.

Waterborne diseases can sometimes show different symptoms. Here are some of the most common signs of waterborne illness:

• Diarrhea
• Nausea and vomiting
• Stomach cramps
• Fever
• Muscle aches
• Fatigue

The safest way to protect yourself from waterborne illnesses is to purify your water before drinking it. Either boiling your water for at least a minute or using water purification tablets for camping can kill the bacteria that can make you seriously ill while you’re in the wilderness and can’t easily get to an urgent care clinic.

The Best Filters and Water Purifiers for Camping

Aquatabs Water Bottle

This portable water purification system allows you to stay hydrated and keep your water safe in style. Made with stainless steel and using the same tablets recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Aquatabs Water Bottle can make your water safe and drinkable within 30 minutes.

The Aquatabs Water Bottle holds just the right amount for a single water purification tablet to work. Every 40-ounce bottle comes with 50 perfectly dosed purifying tablets, measuring 49 milligrams each. The tablets and the stainless-steel water bottle also eliminate any unpleasant flavors and make your treated water taste much the same as the water from your tap at home.

49mg Water Purification Tablets

Each 49mg tablet purifies up to a half-gallon of water within 30 minutes and is available in a pack of 30, 50, or 100. A single packet of 30 tablets is small enough to fit in your pocket but can purify enough water to last an average-sized adult 17 days. 

Our 49mg tablets are perfect for purifying a large bottle or jug of water that you’ve filled at a lake or stream on your long-distance hiking trip.

397mg Water Purification Tablets

Need to purify enough water to supply your RV and everyone staying in it? Or maybe you’re just stocking up on water for your campsite for the next several days? Our 397mg water purifier tablets can disinfect up to 4 gallons of suspect water per tablet within less than an hour.

Like all our water purification tablets, the 397mg tablets are effective against giardia cysts, bacteria, and viruses that may be living in untreated freshwater. With a pack of 100, you can supply safe drinking water for yourself and your family for over 470 days.

These tablets make it easier to go on long hiking and camping trips because they’re more portable than other water purification systems for camping. They come in a small, portable bottle while still purifying enough water for you to drink and stay safe for days to come.

How to Use Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets for Camping

To use Aquatabs water purification tablets, you’ll need to follow a few simple steps:

• Pre-filter: Before you start using your purification tablets, remove any suspended material like leaves, pebbles, mud, or other debris with a funnel, sieve, or nanofiber filter designed to filter up to 0.035 microns. 

• Move to a new container: Transfer your pre-filtered water to a new, clean container such as a bottle for treatment.

• Add tablet: To avoid having to pre-filter your water again, quickly insert one Aquatab into the contaminated water. Our 49mg tablets can purify a half-gallon of water, or just under 2 liters. For larger dosages with our 397mg tablets, insert one Aquatab into 1.5 gallons, or 5.8 liters, of water.

• Mix well: Mix the tablet into the water continuously for at least 10 minutes, then allow it to stand for 30 minutes before drinking so the tablet can kill 99.99% of microorganisms still in the water. 

Order Aquatabs Water Purifying Tablets for Camping

Need a reliable water purifier for camping on your next adventure? Order an easy-to-carry packet of 30 Aquatabs and you’ll have access to safe, clean drinking water for 17 days. Order even more and have enough to last through all your camping trips.