Water Purification Tablets, an Essential in Every Bug out Bag

Water Purification Tablets, an Essential in Every Bug out Bag

How much water can you really carry with you in your Bug out Bag?  Our list recommends an 8 liter container, whereas the US recommended amount per person per day is almost 4 liters.  That gives a person two days of survival water, not including what you use for preparation of meals or in cases where it is needed for other things, such as cleaning a wound.  When your need goes beyond your supply, you will need to be prepared for plan B – seek, purify, survive.

Water purification is the process of removing undesirable chemicals, biological contaminants, suspended gases, and solids from contaminated water.  The goal is to turn any water into water suitable for safe consumption.  There are several different methods to accomplish this goal, including physical processes like filtration, sedimentation, and distillation; biologically natural processes such as sand filters or active carbon; or chemical process such as flocculation and chlorination.  After water has fallen as rain, it makes contact with surfaces and is the recipient of undesirable deposits that make it unsafe as a result of suspended particles, parasites, bacteria, algae, viruses, fungi, etc.  All of these things can create a disease process in the body that can jeopardize your ability to function or even your survival as a whole.  Visual inspection where water looks “safe” is a mistake.  Simply boiling water will not remove or kill all of the diarrhea inducing contaminants.  Water purification tablets are a must for effective health and survival when using found water sources.  When searching for water, you may be faced with many different sources, or only limited to one.  Either way, it is best to know what you are faced with each. 

While not intended for long term use, water purification tablets can provide peace of mind that when all else fails, you have them on hand when needed.  When a clear water source is found, they can provide the final disinfectant step to having drinkable water.  After a filtration technique, all visible contaminants may be removed, but invisible and harmful microbes remain behind.  These can cause anything from mild illness, diarrhea, to death.  When survival depends on you being at your very best, you cannot afford to have any health issues.  Simply follow the instructions carefully on the container for use of the water purification tablets.  It is a good idea to research other methods of water purification that are available and could be helpful in addition to the water purification tablets.