Water is a necessity for survival, but it&#;s also a necessity to have it clean enough to drink. We&#;ve all experienced food poisoning a few times in our lives- and impure water will make that seem like a breeze when you get sick from it. The best water purification tablets make cleaning water quick work and will get you back to other important tasks in an emergency or survival situation.
There are only a handful of brands and types to choose from when it comes to tablet-form water purifiers. Even still, you need to know what you can rely on when you need it most.
This is where we come in. We&#;ve researched the best water purification tablets, tested each of them, and now the results are in: the overall best, a budget option, and an upgrade option. If you need to get clean water that will keep you going in a survival situation, one of our suggestions will help keep you hydrated.
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Potable Aqua (with PA Plus) water purification tablets hit our top spot since they get the job done at the right price. These tablets are effective, fast, and don&#;t leave that funky iodine taste or stain that cheaper one-shot tablets have. They are lightweight enough to add to any kit and very simple to use. After just 35 minutes, you&#;ll have water that is ready to drink when it filters out bacteria and Giardia lamblia.
Many people complain about the taste of Potable Aqua, but that would be the single tablets rather than this two-tablet solution with the extra neutralizing tablet. This makes the taste of the water much more palatable. I&#;ve been using this two-tablet product for so long that I had forgotten that the single tablet was sold on its own. For the small price difference, it is worth the investment to clear the water up and neutralize the taste.
Add Potable Aqua PA+ Tablets to your kits and don&#;t look back. We use them in our kits and are thrilled to see that they easily beat out the competition when we put them to the test.
Not only are these the best tabs to use in your mobile kits, but they are also simple and thorough. You use one tab for one liter and let it react for 30 minutes to 4 hours (if the water is cold and dirty), which is one of the simplest reactions you can find for chemical water purifiers.
Many other treatment types require mixing, or multiple tablets, or aren&#;t as aggressive at cleaning up the water. The chemical disinfectant leaves hardly any trace of taste, and it performed great in my taste test.
They have an extensive shelf life and are the easiest option to spread between your family&#;s bug out bags and other survival kits. I pop off several packs for everyone&#;s bags as they are virtually weightless and take up hardly any room.
Pick up some Katadyn Micropur MP1 Water Purification Tablets for any of your kits for the best water treatment solution in tablet form and you won&#;t regret it.
Aquamira is a bit different (and it&#;s not a tablet), but we felt it was a worthy inclusion in our testing since so many people suggested it. It did not disappoint!
Use the bottle droppers to drip 7 drops into the included mixing cap, and then let the reaction happen for 5 minutes. The reaction will turn the mixture yellowish. Pour that mix into a liter of water, shake or stir, and then let it sit for 15 minutes. After that time has passed, you&#;ll have drinkable water. This is the fastest purification method I tested and is even quicker than the tried-and-true boiling method!
The downside to these is that they are liquid, and can have some related problems. For starters, you have to babysit the drop mixture while it reacts so you can&#;t be on the move or you risk spilling it. Also, the bottles are squeeze bottles so you can get some leaks if you aren&#;t careful where you pack them. After my tabletop testing, I found it best to include these as part of my home water storage solution rather than a mobile kit. They are significantly better tasting than bleach mixtures and can scale to large storage containers too.
Pick up some Aquamira Water Treatment Drops for fast water treatment at home.
Our research narrowed the field down to the several purification tablet brands and types that we tested: Potable Aqua, Coghlan&#;s, Ef-Chlor, Aquatabs, P&G, Katadyn, &#;Chlor-Floc, Colemans, and more.
Some of these brands use the same chemicals and concentrations to develop their tablets, so we ended up testing quite a lot of them looking at the differences in quality, taste, packaging, etc. You can see our full list of review criteria below in the What to Look For section, with an explanation for each.
We did not consider any in-place purifiers, membrane purifiers (like straw filters), UV purifiers, or powder and focused entirely on water purifiers in tablet or drop form. You can find examples of each of those that work well, but the purifiers with small packaging are great for portable kits.
The best filters can be found in their own review: The Best Survival Water Filters | Portable and Stationary.
A few that we compared were the same product and manufacturer- just different brand labels.
We&#;re always looking for new and better equipment, so if you have a purification tablet you swear by let us know down in the comments. We review most of our tested gear annually, so we can always get it in the next roundup round and see if it makes the cut and we can see if it will beat out our top picks.
The best water purification tablets have several important features to look for:
When you get the right blend of these, you can find reliable tablets that will keep you hydrated through an emergency. Below, we break down what each of these features means for truly dependable tablets that you can trust with your life:
The amount of money you spend on something like purification tablets shouldn&#;t blow out your budget. Having one is better than having none, but the same applies to other tools and gear you may need for an emergency. Budget according to your risk and your needs rather than just spending lavishly.
On the flip side, you don&#;t want to go too cheap. Luckily, every tablet we tried was effective when the instructions were followed correctly, but there are still benefits to spending more. Cheap tablets require more time to purify the water and often leave a chemical taste. Don&#;t get too frugal when it comes to something you will rely on in an emergency.
You never want to spend too much money on one resource, especially something like tablets. It&#;s better to diversify your tools and preparedness gear to make sure you are covered for a wide range of scenarios. There is a sweet spot where you get high value out of the best features with not too high of a price, which is where our top pick sits.
The effectiveness of a purification tablet is tied to the contents and quality of the tablet. Several different chemical compounds can be used to purify water, but only a few of them come available in tablet form. Water purification tablet chemicals typically include:
These vary in effectiveness and have their strengths. Chlorine dioxide is the most powerful of the three listed here and is one of the most effective at killing a wide range of microorganisms, including viruses and protozoans. The downside to chlorine dioxide is that it requires a much longer treatment time than both chlorine and iodine-based tablets.
Speed is important in an emergency and important for clean water in an emergency. Four hours becomes a much longer time to wait for water purification than 30 minutes since water purification tablets are an emergency solution.
In-place and bulkier water purifiers are expected to take a little longer, but water purification tablets are meant to be fast and easy. If you wait around all day for purified water, you may as well be boiling water to purify or using other solutions. In the military, we called this a &#;fire and forget&#; method &#; add a tablet to your water bottle and keep on moving. Then you can drink it after the short time limit of at least 30 minutes. This lets you stay mobile and concentrate on other tasks.
A few of the treatment options can leave the water with an odd flavor. Some iodine treatment tablets also come with iodine neutralizer tablets to eliminate the unpleasant taste with a two-part tablet treatment. Chlorine tablet-treated water can be left exposed to air to allow the chlorine to evaporate over time to reduce the odd taste.
Unpleasant taste isn&#;t the only concern. Those with thyroid conditions, iodine allergies, and pregnant women should avoid iodine water purification tablets.
The packaging and composition of purification tablets can provide some versatility when you need to use them outside of your regular function or in unique scenarios. Individually packaged tablets are amazingly convenient for bug out bags and everyday carry, and one of the reasons we love our upgrade pick.
Water purification tablets are very easy to use, and they come with instructions printed right on. Take care to read them and it&#;s hard to go wrong. You&#;ll need to know how much water you are purifying, usually listed in liters.
Before you start tossing tabs in, you&#;ll also need to filter out any debris and sediment in the water. This is not necessary with all water purification tablets, but it is good practice since it will speed up the process and require fewer tablets.
Once you&#;ve discovered how many tablets you need to treat your membrane-filtered water, you just add the tablets and wait for the time listed on the packaging.
The CDC and FEMA hope everyone has water purification tablets on hand. There is not enough in the strategic stockpile for everyone, and distribution would be a massive challenge. Membrane filtering isn&#;t clean water, and you&#;ll need potable water no matter what emergency you encounter.
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This is why you&#;ll find it suggested for almost every kit.
Water purification tablets are essential for:
We suggest at least a few tablets for these kits as well:
Of course, you can always use the tablets for things beyond emergencies and survival kits too- like rugged camping and bushcraft. We actually encourage it- don&#;t let them sit in your bags and kits without knowing how they work or how to use them properly.
All of our experience and the testing we do to determine the best water purification tablets is useless without listing our research sources and references. We leaned on these for the book knowledge that we paired with our hands-on testing and practical military and prepping experience:
Gerba, C., et al. (). Efficacy of iodine water purification tablets against Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine. Volume 8, Issue 2, Pages 96-100. (Source).
Nakamura, S., et al. (). The impact on health and risk factors of the diarrhoea epidemics in the Bangladesh floods. Public Health. Volume 116, Issue 2, Pages 68-74. (Source)
Powers, E. (). Efficacy of Flocculating and Other Emergency Water Purification Tablets. Army NATICK Research Development and Engineering Center. (Source)
Water is essential to survival, so you&#;ll need several ways to store, collect, and treat water in a wide range of situations. Whether you are staying put to bug in or hitting the road to bug out- water purification tablets should be a part of your survival kit.
To go along with solid treatment tablets, you should also consider a few other water storage solutions:
We presented quite a lot of information, but as always: if you have any questions let us know and we would be happy to help. Our research and testing found that the Potable Aqua Tablets are the best option given their value, effectiveness, speed, taste, and versatility. If you take our suggestion and grab these purification tablets- make sure you try them out and know how to use them before an emergency.
Keep exploring, stay prepared, and be safe.
If you&#;ve ever struggled with a clogged-up water filter, the advantages of water purification tablets are self-evident. Just drop in a tab, let it do its thing for 30 minutes, and your water is ready to drink. But not all drops work the same way, and knowing which has the longest shelf life or the least noticeable aftertaste can help ensure you&#;re properly equipped for your next backcountry adventure or natural disaster. To help you choose, I tested the best water purification tablets and assessed them on a number of key metrics.
While I typically use one of the best backpacking water filters when out in the backcountry, I&#;ve also turned to water purification tablets for their convenience and small packed size. I have first-hand experience with all of the below water purifiers, many of which I have used in backcountry settings.
I assessed the water purification tablets in this story for both emergency and backcountry use. For emergency use, I primarily considered price and shelf life, in addition to taste, ease of use, and whether they are effective against bacteria, protozoa, viruses. For backcountry use, I also considered the time to treat a liter of water. Price was evaluated as the cost to treat a liter of water assuming you purchased the water purification tablets in the most cost-efficient bulk option.
Aquamira treatment drops have long been a favorite of backpackers and backpack hunters who&#;d rather not deal with the hassle of water filters at all, including OL staff writer Tyler Freel. (See: What&#;s Best for Backcountry Water: Filters or Drops?) And I can see why: While those of us that use filters are hunched over and red-faced, squeezing out a liter of water from a sketchy pond, Team Aquamira just has to wait 20 minutes, the least of any of the water purification tablets I looked at. Even better, it has very little taste. I personally can&#;t taste it at all, although others say there is a slight aftertaste.
Of course, there is a catch, and it&#;s that the process to use Aquamira is comparatively onerous. There are two bottles, Part A and Part B. When mixed together, they produce chlorine dioxide, which is reactive in water, breaking the bonds that hold bacteria, protozoa, and viruses together. To use Aquamira you mix together seven drops of Part A with seven drops of Part B in the larger of the two caps. After five minutes, you can add the mixture to a liter of water. 25 minutes after that, your water will be safe to drink. Note: You cannot pre-mix parts A and B before you head out on your trek. It must be done in the field right before you treat your water.
If you&#;ve been burned by water filters in the past, then Aquamira is a reliable alternative that requires little elbow grease. Its comparatively long shelf life and limited taste also makes it a reasonable choice for home emergency kits where you want to make sure the family actually stays hydrated for the duration.
Aquatabs take about 30 minutes to take effect, 10 minutes longer than Aquamira, but are much easier to use. Simply drop the tab in the water and wait. No premixing required. But while Aquamira has no discernible flavor, there is a slight chemical flavor that goes along with the Aquatabs (although not as unpalatable a flavor as straight chlorine or iodine).
While this is only a minor concern in a true survival scenario, the off-putting flavor of Aquatabs can affect how hydrated you are in the field if you aren&#;t careful about it. After all, who wants to drink water that tastes like a swimming pool? One solution is to add other flavor mixers (like Mio drops or Crystal Light packets) to your water to mask the taste. Per liter of water, Aquatabs are about a quarter of the cost of Aquamira, making them a smart choice for backpackers on a budget.
Natural disasters can be a stressful time, because typically not only are you dealing with the loss of power and potable water, but potentially also access to certain emergency services. This is not the time to get diarrhea. So I was impressed to see that Katadyn Micropur was effective against cryptosporidium, even if it took four hours for it to get there.
While the Katadyn Micropur is promoted for outdoor use, the 4-hour activation period makes it a better choice for home emergencies.
That length of time makes it a non-starter for backcountry use, but it is a reasonable choice for use in home emergency settings, where it is reasonable to be treating one batch of water while consuming a second that has already been treated. It also isn&#;t as complicated to use as Aquamira (which is also able to neutralize cryptosporidium if left for four hours to treat).
The downside to Katadyn Micropur is that it was, by a hair, the most expensive option per liter of use.
It used to be that &#;water purification tablets&#; meant one thing: iodine. It was a standard in backpacking kits of yore (especially when the old pump filter models were less reliable than they are now), but I always dreaded having to pull it out. Not only does iodine taste terrible, but it also lingers. Whatever Nalgene you used to treat your water would permanently smell like iodine. Granted, these days, you can purchase iodine tablets that neutralize the taste, but I&#;d still think twice before adding these to your backpacking kit. That&#;s because the other problem with iodine is that, when taken in larger quantities for long periods of time, it can cause issues with your thyroid or even cancer. Current recommendations are that you stick to about a milligram a day. Potable aqua contains about 8 milligrams per tablet.
But there is one situation where potable aqua is still your best bet: if you are packing up an emergency kit that you don&#;t plan on refreshing periodically. Potable aqua, if unopened, has an indefinite shelf life, making it the only option on this list that is safe to crack open a decade from now and add to your water.
The first person I ever met who used bleach as their primary method of purifying their water was a nurse on the Pacific Crest Trail. While everyone else was struggling with backed-up squeeze filters or carefully mixing their Aquamira solutions, she simply pulled out a small bottle of chlorine and a medicine dropper. We watched her add a couple of drops to her bottle and be on her way while we were still messing around trying to get our Steripen to work. This, she reminded us, was how most municipalities disinfect their water. It&#;s also extremely cheap compared to other water purification tablets. Given these pros, you might be wondering why all backpackers aren&#;t out there using chlorine to disinfect their water.
Well, first off, most people find the taste to be pretty off-putting. After 1,000 miles or so, the thru-hiking nurse said she&#;d stopped noticing the taste, but I could smell it coming off her bottle. Also, there is a reason that the idea of using chlorine in your bottle is giving you the heebie-jeebies: You have to add enough chlorine to disinfect your water, but adding too much can lead to chlorine poisoning, including burning in the mouth, stomach pain, and vomiting. Also, there is some debate as to whether or not using chlorine in the water supply can increase your long-term risk of cancer, with some suggesting that it can lead to an increase in bladder cancer. (If this has got you wondering about what&#;s coming out of the tap, consider picking up one of the best filtered water bottles.)
If you are going to use chlorine to disinfect your water during a backcountry or emergency situation, be sure to acquaint yourself with the EPA&#;s guidelines on how much to use.
If you&#;re purchasing water purification tablets for a home emergency kit, keep a sharp eye on the shelf life. While some water purification tablets do last indefinitely if unopened (like iodine), others have a shelf life of five years or less.
If you&#;re purchasing water purification tablets for an overnight backpacking trip, then the cost per unit is typically insignificant against your other costs. But if you&#;re planning a thru-hike or for a week-long emergency kit for the whole family, it can start to add up.
The taste difference between different water purification tablets is wide, from no taste at all to so foul it&#;s hard to drink it. Consider how important taste is to you (as this can have an effect on your ability to keep yourself hydrated) before making a final choice.
Most water purification tablets take a half hour to work, although Aquamira can be effective in as little as 20 minutes.
Q: Can you use water purification tablets long term?Chlorine dioxide is safe to use long term; however, individuals should limit their use of chlorine and iodine to disinfect their water. Sodium dichloroisocyanurate, which releases chlorine in a controlled manner when dissolved in water, is a safer (albeit more expensive way) to use chlorine to purify your water long term.
Q: Which water purifier method is best?The best water purification method depends on your needs and tolerance. If price is your motivating concern, go with Aquatabs or household bleach. And if it&#;s ease of use, Katadyn Micropur. If taste is most important to you, then pick up some Aquamira. If shelf life is your priority, go with Potable Aqua.
Whether you are looking for an alternative to the best backpacking water filter or planning your home emergency kit, there are a variety of water purification tablets available. Consider your priorities, be it price, taste, shelf life, or active ingredient, before making a final purchase.
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