How To Purify Water While Camping

Let’s face it.  Water is heavy.  If you’re planning on spending an extended amount of time camping or backpacking in the wilderness, it’s going to be difficult lugging gallons of water around to sustain yourself for days on end.  In this article, we discuss how to purify water while camping so you don’t have to rely so heavily on your water jug.

What to know about purifying water while camping while camping?

Disclaimer:  Drinking water found in the wild always poses risks. Drinking contaminated water can result in sickness and even death.  The following techniques are not guaranteed to purify your water and should only be considered as a last resort.

Before you attempt to purify your water, you must first select a water source to draw from.  You might think that any old puddle will suffice. You would be wrong.  When choosing a water source to draw from, you need to be selective and try to find a source that already has clean properties.  Think about it.  You wouldn’t try to purify water from a public toilet for drinking purposes.  You need to be aware of your surroundings and consider the location where you are collecting your water.  

Try to find a running water source such as a river or stream.  Preferably, try to find one with a lot of rocks and boulders that can serve as a natural filtration system.  These are better to pull water from in comparison to small ponds and stationary water bodies.  These stationary bodies of water can be a cesspool for bacteria and contaminants to congregate in.  Running water bodies are more inclined to naturally filter out a lot of the natural muck. 

Additionally, you should check upstream a bit to see if there are any rotting animal carcasses floating in the water from which you are about to drink.  Any contaminants that could have traveled downstream to where you are collecting water need to be avoided.  Also, you need to know if there are any manmade contaminating agents upstream. What is the source of the river or stream you plan to drink from?  Does it begin with a toxic waste facility?  These are the things you will need to know about your water supply before even considering a filtration process. 

What are the different ways to purify water while camping?

Boiling – 

Before you going drinking your freshly boiled water, one important thing to know is that boiling your water alone is NOT ENOUGH to prepare your water for consumption.  The whole point of boing your water is to kill off bacteria and harmful pathogens living in the water and you can believe that boiling it will accomplish this.  However, boiling your water does not remove harmful sediments and particles that my be floating in the water.  

Before you boil your water, you must filter it through a clean white cloth such as a fresh t-shirt or towel.  Remember, these need to be clean.  Pouring your water through the cloth will filter out dirt and harmful particles that might be contaminating the water.  Once the water has passed through the cloth and dripped into your boiling container, you can now begin to boil the water.

Using a clean container that can sustain high temperatures (ie you can place it in fire and it once melt or break) fill the container with the water you intend to purify.  You can use a metal can with any labeling removed. Fill the container to the desired level. Once you’ve done this, you are ready to subject the water to your heat source.  If you are using an open flame such as a campfire, make sure you level out a place to sit the can within the flames.  You don’t want to sit the container directly on top of a burning log that could potentially shift and spill all of your water.  Use a stick to move the fire wood around until you have a level spot directly within the fire.  Once you’ve done this, you can sit the container in the fire and wait for it to boil.

DANGER:  When you remove the container from the fire, it will be HOT.  This should go without saying but you need to be sure not to remove the container from the fire with your bare hand.  If you have anything that can be used as makeshift tongs, you can remove the container with that.  You can also use a tree branch that forks at the end to pick the container up from the fire. You can also use a towel or piece of clothing as a makeshift oven mitt to pick the container up from the fire. Just be sure remove the container from the fire quickly so as not to allow the garment to catch fire.  

The overall boiling process should last 3-5 minutes depending on the size of your container and thus the amount of water you are boiling.  A larger amount of water should be boiled slightly longer that a small amount of water to ensure that all the bacteria in the water has been killed of.

Once you’ve allowed your water to cool, it is ready for drinking.  Remember though, there are no guarantees in the wilderness and this technique should only be considered when normal clean drinking water is not accessible.

What are the best water purification systems for camping?

Portable Filters – 

If you plan on going on a long camping trip, one of the best things you can pack with you is a portable water filter.  These are ingenious devices that can filter and purify your water on the spot and leave it ready for immediate consumption.  These devises are great because they require no fire or messy boiling techniques. Simply operate the devices as instructed and you have immediate clean drinking water.  One such example is the LifeStraw which can be pointed into a stream or body of water and literally functions like a straw as you suck the water directly from the water source.  The LifeStraw instantaneously filters the water as it passes trough so by the time is enters your mouth it is clean and ready to drink.  This is by far the best option when camping.

Portable Purification Treatment Chemicals –

These are portable, lightweight and very convenient.  These can come in the form of drops or tablets.  When dispensed into your intended drinking water, these chemicals kill many bacteria and harmful organisms that might be polluting the water. When selecting a water purification kit, be sure to check the label for any limitations or harmful organisms that the product might fail to kill.  Then cross check these bacteria or organisms against common contaminants in the area you intend to camp in.  You can search the Internet for known contaminants in your intended campsite before you embark on your camping trip.

To summarize, you can never be too careful with purifying your water.  Drinking dirty or contaminated water can result in serious health risks and even death.  Always be sure to take extra care when purifying water in the wild for consumption. If you wish to maximize the effectiveness of the purification process, you can always double up on purification techniques.  For example, try boiling your water first, wait for it to cool, then pump it through a portable filter.  No matter the means of water purification, if you take extra care with your water then you’ll have a wonderful camping adventure.