More water! If you're looking for an alternative to manual pump water filters, the Potable Aqua PURE water purifier is a great choice. We've found this and the LifeStraw Mission reviewed earlier to be a great pair. Where the LifeStraw is a great standing solution for large groups who need frequent access to large quantities of treated water, the PURE is a compact electric device weighing less than four ounces that can treat anywhere from one to twenty liters (five gallons) of water on the go. It's even got a killer feature: read to the end you short-attention-span freaks.
The PURE is a purifier, mo bettah than a filter because it kills virtually all viruses as well as bacteria and protozoa. It's essentially a very clever chlorine purifier that works by using electricity to turn water plus salt (a.k.a. brine) into chlorine, which is then poured into the water to be treated.
The salt is stored in two onboard compartments that each hold about 3/4 teaspoon (4ml) of table salt, and there are a few steps involved that you can clearly see in the videos on the PURE site. It takes just a few minutes to prepare the treatment, although you do have to wait from 30 minutes to 4 hours for the treatment to take effect; the longer wait time is if you suspect the presence of cryptosporidium, in which case the PURE comes with chlorine test strips to test for residual chlorine, just like the test strips for hot tub chemicals.
The PURE seems tough enough; there's a video of it being run over with a car, and it's supposed to be freeze/thaw proof. We did manage to pull out the plug covering the USB port, but hey, we're mostly lower primates around these parts. The PURE comes in a pouch that also contains a wrist lanyard, USB full to micro cable, a plug adapter, brief and detailed instruction manuals, chlorine test strips and a one-ounce squeeze bottle for making the brine.
The non-replaceable rechargeable battery should be good for at least 500 charges, and each charge should be good for 150 liters (40 gallons) of water. And we've saved the best for last: on the flip side of the unit is a small solar panel, which is capable of charging the unit sufficiently in one hour to treat two liters (1/2 gallon) of water. So basically all you need is salt, and not very much of that. Very nice.