Choosing a Water Treatment

Which water purification method is best for you? Safe drinking water is essential for good health - but when you're travelling, how can you be sure the water you're drinking won't make you ill? Our water treatment comparison gives you the information to choose the best way to ensure your drinking water is safe.

Tablets & Drops		Filters & Purifiers
Tablets and drops work through a chemical process. After adding the tablets or drops to the contaminated water, the chemicals neutralise the viruses, bacteria and other harmful organisms contained within. Because of the way in which these products work, it can take upwards of 20 minutes for them to be fully effective. They can also alter the taste, smell and colouration of the water after they are added. Unlike filters, tablets and drops will not remove particle matter such as silt or harmful chemicals from the water.		At its simplist, these work by straining water through them. They trap and remove silt and particle matter, some right down the size scale to bacteria and water-borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid. Some filters use activated carbon to further remove chemical and organic compounds to make water even safter and taste better. Purifiers frequently incorporate an extra chemical stage to kill organisms too small to be filtered. Many filters and purifiers can be damaged by high dirt loads or salty water.

Water Filtration and Purification Products stocked by SafariQuip

Name	Method	Method
AquaVenture Drops	Drops	Fast, easy to use (15-20mins) Leaves no smell or taste Treats 120 litres Effective against a wide range of hard-to-kill viruses Recommended by SafariQuip
LifeSystems Chlorine Dioxide Tablets	Tablets (30)	Very safe and highly effective Leaves no taste or smell Better protection than ordinary chlorine tablets
LifeSystems Chlorine Tabs	Tablets (72)	Suitable for long term use Efficient killing of organisms Treats up to 72 litres per pack
LifeSystems Neutralising Tablets	Tablets (72)	Removes colour / smell / taste from treated water Treats up to 70 litres per pack
British Berkefeld Gravity Filter	Filter	No need for electricity or chemical treatment Up to 80 litres of safe water per day Used by many of the worlds major aid and relief organisations
Platypus Gravityworks Filter	Filter	Very portable Cleanable by back-flushing Can handle dirty water
A quapure Traveller Purifier	Purifier	Very simple to use. Bottle stores 750ml Up to 350 litres of drinking water per cartridge No treatment chemicals left in the water Low cost per litre
MSR Miniworks Microfilter	Filter	Very robust Field-serviceable Can handle dirty water
LifeSystems Iodine Tabs	Tablets (50)	Discontinued 2009 because of new EC regulations
Trekker's Well Purifier	Purifier	Discontinued 2009 because of new EC regulations
Pocket Well Filter	Purifier	Discontinued 2009 because of new EC regulations