Survival Equipment for Water Purification

A clean supply of water is the most important resource to have in a survival situation. In most wilderness areas, water is not considered safe to drink because it may be contaminated with bacterial parasites or chemical pollutants. Keeping water purification tools on hand will ensure that you will not find yourself in a situation where you are forced to drink unclean water.

  1. Filters

    • There are a number of water filters that are specifically designed to filter water to prepare it for drinking. These filters typically use a pump that forces water through a filter cartridge and into a storage container. The filter cartridges must be replaced after a specified number of uses. Note that some water filters are only designed for filtering pre-treated water from a city's water supply. These filters should not be used in the wilderness. Inspect your water filter's instructions to verify that it is designed to filter the potential contaminants that you will encounter.

    Chemicals

    • Iodine or chlorine tablets can also be used to treat water. The tablets simply need to be added to a container of water and left to sit for a set amount of time. The tablets' container should specify the number of tablets to use for each liter of water. These tablets are ideal for emergency situations because they take up very little space. Store the tablets properly. When handled roughly or exposed to light, the tablets may crumble or lose their potency. Check the expiration date on the container before taking it on a trip.

    Stove

    • Virtually all water contaminants cannot survive in boiling water. Survivalists can exploit this fact by boiling all of their water for one minute before consuming it. Boiling requires a heat-proof container for holding the water; a backpacking pot works very well for this. Ideally, you should also have a cooking stove and extra fuel with you in order to heat the water. If this isn't available, you can heat your water over a fire.

    Emergency Methods

    • If you find yourself without a stove, a filter or chemical water treatments, you can build a natural water filter. This method is slower and less effective than other filtering methods, but it is better than nothing. You will need flexible tree bark such as birch, stones, sand, grass, charcoal and string. To construct this filter, roll a strip of birch bark into a cone with a small hole at the bottom. Wrap string around the cone to hold it together. Add a few small stones to the base of the cone. Then add alternating layers of grass, sand and charcoal until the cone is full of filter material.