Water is the second thing you need to maintain to ensure your survival in the wild or in an emergency. The rule of three dictates that humans can’t survive without water for three days! It’s important to find a water source as soon as you’ve built your shelter. Then after you find it, let’s hope you have the means to purify it before start drinking it. Let’s hope you have the best water purification tablets ready in your gear. Need to start stockpiling? Check out our recommendation!
How To Choose The Best Water Purification Tablet
There aren’t many competitions when we talk about water purification tablet Amazon sells. Albeit the smaller pool, it could be hard finding the best water purification tablets that suit your occasion because the products have their own pros and cons. To help you find the one, consult the pointers below before you get started.
Weight
Weight matters especially when you’re mobile. What type of activity will you engage in? If you’re traveling by plane or like to pack light when hiking, the best purification tablets for you are in a form of strips. You can slip in these tablet strips in your travel gear easily. But if you don’t mind carrying a tiny bit of weight for longer backpacking or camping trip, you’d want to have adequate tablets in a bottle (glass bottle preferable) or watertight strip.
Taste and Smell
Water purification tablets Amazon sells can be based on different materials to chemically purify your water. The most common ones are iodine and chlorine that are effective against a lot of pathogens. The drawback of these materials is they leave a distinct smell and taste to the water that some people are sensitive to. Interestingly enough, some people appreciate it because it gives them some sense of safety. Which type are you?
Effectivity
Can we all agree that the best water purification tablets are those that kill most pathogens? We believe that safety always comes first when we talk about anything we put inside our bodies. While some of the best pathogen killers make less pleasing taste and smell in your water or require more time to treat the water, it outweighs the risk of getting sick in the middle of nowhere.
Do water purification tablets really work?
Yes! They may come in different shapes (tablets, powder, drops) but they all work the same: to chemically purify water so it’s safe to drink. It’s a great alternative for any water filter for backpacking.
How long does it take for water purification tablets to work?
Depending on the brand, water temperature, and ingredients, it can take 30-minute to 4-hour time to treat non-potable water.
How to use water purification tablets?
Take the tablet out of the packet and drop it into the prepared water reservoir. You’ll see dirt and other contaminants start clumping together and create sediment at the base of the reservoir. Let it do its job for 30 minutes to 4 hours (see instruction) until the water is safe to drink.
Coleman Potable Aqua with PA Plus
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Coleman Potable Aqua with PA Plus kick starts our list solidly. The water purification tablets industry is getting stronger with the arrival of this product. These tablets could be your entry product if you want to get the gist of the hype and to see if you really dig it. It comes from a renowned, trusted brand you’re already familiar with in collaboration with an established water purification company.
This product consists of two kinds of tablets that act differently. In a way, they’re supporting each other to give you the best tasting purified water possible. Each bottle contains 30 tablets to treat 25qt of unpurified water. How to use water purification tablets? Take one iodine tablet from the white-capped bottle, drop it into a quart of water, and drop one from another bottle after 30 minutes.
What We Love
The best water purification tablets for a starting user.
Pros:
- Iodine tablets
- 2 packs of 50 tablets
- Glass bottle
Cons:
- It’s pricier than its non-branded version.
Ef-Chlor Water Purification Treatment
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Want to go out but wary about the quality of the water you find? Bring Ef-Chlor Water Purification Treatment with you! These powerhouse tablets are getting popular these days due to their practicality in bulk form. These are cost-effective water purification tablets that purify water just as same as other big brands without the price! It’s one of the best water purification tablets that doesn’t rip your wallet!
You’ll get 100 tablets in one portable packaging that you can use to treat up to 100-liter worth of water (105 quarts). Such quantity from a small package! This is the tablets you need at ready especially if you’re leaving in a disaster-prone area that often got struck by hurricane or floods. The newly produced tablets can be safely used for 4 years on your shelf.
What We Love
The portable water treatment for your longer camping trip.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Compact packaging
- Cost-effective
- Eliminate bacteria and virus
Cons:
- It may have a strong chemical smell
Ef-Chlor Overhead & Underground Water Tank Purification Tablets
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If you ever need some heavy-duty water purification tablets Amazon provides, check out the Ef-Chlor Overhead & Underground Water Tank Purification Tablets. These tablets not only process non-potable water into decent drinking water, but they also do it for the entire water system in your house! Made to be used in a water tank, these tablets are crucial to keeping your water reservoir clear of harmful bacteria and viruses.
Problems like yellowed water, odor, and icky taste can be removed with only a tablet of this product. Simply take one tablet out and drop it into your water reservoir and let it do its job. Please be cautious as one tablet is meant to purify 1,000 liters of water. The tablet vs. water quantity ratio makes it perfect to take into a cabin lodging where you need to purify the entire water system.
What We Love
The best water purification tablets for a massive quantity of water.
Pros:
- 3-year shelf life
- Fast-acting
- Cost-effective
- Kills bacteria and virus
Cons:
- Your water may taste chemical
Blueahead Aquatabs
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Aquatabs Blueahead comes one of the prominent distributors of these little magic tablets. Being around nature is a strong call for some of us that’s hard to ignore. But to go out and thrive in nature isn’t going to be a walk in the park. It takes some planning and knowledge to help you tackle the worst. And these tablets are a must-have item to put into that.
The tabs are small; so small that you might be mistaken from a regular medicine tablet. But these tablets are effervescent, meaning they will fizz when in contact with water. When it fizzes, it releases substances that will purify your water. Inside the resealable packaging, you’ll find 100 water purification tablets on amazon fitting for up to 100 liters of non-potable water. This product can stay on your shelf for 5 years.
What We Love
A legendary product in shelf-ready packaging.
Pros:
- Works in 30 mins
- Resealable packaging
- Kills bacteria and virus
- Long shelf life
Cons:
- Doesn’t come with a more compact pouch
Coghlan’s Drinking Water Tablets
9
Coghlan’s Drinking Water Tablets is so easy to use but has a tremendous effect on your survival rate. Take one of these tablets and dump it into a quart of non-potable water, and you got yourself drinkable water! Even though it’s easy to use, you’ll also get clear instructions on how to use water purification tablets on this product. Instruction is often overlooked but it’s a crucial part of a product especially when it’s about something you put in your mouth.
The tablets are housed inside a tempered glass bottle to keep them cool and stable. The bottle houses 50 tablets that can be used up for 25-quart of non-potable water. Like other iodine-based tablets, the purified water may taste a little off, and the water is slightly tinted yellow. While some people are sensitive to this, we think that it’s a surefire sign to tell that the water is safe to drink!
What We Love
The iodine-based water purification tablets you can count on in the wild.
Pros:
- Kills protozoa, bacteria, and virus
- 1 tablet for 25-quart of water
- Less chemical taste
- 50 tabs
Cons:
- It may stain your canteen
Aquatabs Travel Packaging
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Some of the best water purification tablets are now packed into travel-convenient sizes. Water purification tablets aren’t normally something in your mind when you travel, but the stories about travel failures and—knock on wood—accidents will convince you that traveling isn’t complete with some of these little tablets in your gear. It’s always better to accompany your water filter bottle with these tablets.
Aquatabs Travel Packaging is here to make your travel at ease and worry-free, knowing that even in an extreme condition, you’ll still have some potable water to ensure your hydration in check. Upon your purchase, you’ll get 2 packages with 50 tablets each (5 strips of tablets). It’s lightweight and slim so you can slip it into your carrier without a problem. Get it while it lasts because it runs out fast!
What We Love
A travel-sized water purification tablet perfect for your bug-out gear.
Pros:
- Neatly packed
- Kills protozoa, bacteria, and virus
- Fast-acting
- 5-year shelf life
Cons:
- It’s a little heavy
Potable Aqua Germicidal Water Purification Tablets
7
Potable Aqua Germicidal Water Purification Tablets created a solid ground for their long-standing quality back in the 1940s. These smart iodine tablets have created countless gallons of potable water for people from all walks of life. No matter where you are, either in the desert, the tropics, or even the tundra, rest assured that you will have safe drinking water if you got these tablets in your arsenal.
These effervescent tablets are housed in a tinted glass bottle to keep them protected against temperature drops and UV lights. Drop one iodine tablet into a liter of non-potable water and let it fizzle for 35 minutes. Once the bubble dissipates, you can either purify the water further by boiling it or drink it as is. One thing for sure, the water will already be free of bacteria, viruses, and Giardia!
What We Love
The best water purification tablets to make unboiled water drinkable.
Pros:
- Kills bacteria, giardia, and virus
- 35 minutes acting time
- Iodine-based
- Glass bottle
Cons:
- It’s more effective on unboiled water and less on contaminated water
Rothco Chlor-Floc US Military Water Purification Tablets
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When in doubt, use Rothco Chlor-Floc Us Military Water Purification Tablets. If you need more convincing on the efficacy of this product, just ask the U.S. Military that has been prepping their members with this mighty water purifier. That’s because this product simply works for most types of water. Mind that the tablet version isn’t recommended for a pregnant or allergic person.
The tablet works like magic once it’s dropped on a liter of water. It decontaminates and purifies water within minutes (15-30 minutes depending on the water temperature). The tablet releases 1.4% chlorine while collecting pollutants into clumps that sink into the bottom of the container, leaving the water ready to drink. Always have these tablets in your emergency kit or outdoor gear, it could be a life-saving decision!
What We Love
The water purification tablet is trusted by the U.S. army.
Pros:
- Chlorine-based
- Decontaminate water
- Eradicate virus, bacteria, and protozoa
- 2-year shelf life
Cons:
- It has a shorter shelf span
Potable Aqua Twin Pack
5
What’s better than a bottle of the best water purifier tablets? The Potable Aqua Twin Pack! The legendary water purifier now comes in shelf-worth quantity but at a lower price – as if the single bottle version wasn’t affordable enough. There isn’t any change in the ingredients as it’s produced just the same.
This product is your best bet if you’re planning to have a long session of camping for a hunting season or bushcraft practice. But if those activities aren’t your cup of tea, you can utilize this product for a couple of backpacking where you’ll require more than a bottle of water purification tablets Amazon offers for the trip. We believe that we have to always prepare more for the best result and this product is a great item to start with!
What We Love
Traveling in two? Then this is for you!
Pros:
- Great for traveling with a companion
- Kills protozoa, bacteria, and virus
- 35-minute action time
- Glass bottle
Cons:
- It’s not the best for decontaminating water
Katadyn Micropur MP1 Purification Tablets
4
Katadyn Micropur MP1 Purification Tablets are something you don’t want to miss in your traveling gear and at home. This is more than just a purifier, it’s a life-saving device in your journey and in an emergency that deprives you of a clean water source. If you’re an avid traveler or adventurer, this is the compulsory item.
This product kills known pathogens that live in your water. Bad bacteria, Giardia, virus, and even cryptosporidium cannot escape the force of these tablets. Each tablet is individually wrapped in a watertight strip package so it decreases accidental contamination of the tablet. The best water purification tablets eradicate all harm in your water, and these tablets are your best shots.
What We Love
The all-kill water purification tablets you can carry everywhere!
Pros:
- Comes in watertight strips
- Fast-acting (in temperate water)
- Filters protozoa, bacteria, virus, and cryptosporidium
- One tablet for one liter of water
Cons:
- It takes a long time to purify water at cold temperature
Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets With PA Plus
3
Let’s say you’re enjoying your hike and came across a stream. You’re not that thirsty but figured that getting your throat wet a little wouldn’t hurt. You took out your survival water filters and realized something has broken in while it was sitting in your carrier. Boiling the water isn’t an option since you need to reach your checkpoint while there’s the sun. What to do? You took out the Potable Aqua Water Purification Tablets With PA Plus.
Having this duo in your bag turned out to be a great decision because now you can have drinkable water anywhere, anytime. The two bottles contain tablets with different effects. How to use water purification tablets is easy, you only need to drop the germicidal tablet into a liter of water. After 35 minutes the water will be purified and already safe to consume but it may look and taste chemical. Then you drop in the PA plus tabs to clear up the water. Now you have some great-looking and tasting drinking water on the go!
What We Love
Water purification without the smell or the taste!
Pros:
- Dual-acting system
- Fast action
- Makes purified water looks and taste like clear water
- Filters bacteria, protozoa, and virus
Cons:
- It doesn’t kill cryptosporidium
Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets
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People from different walks of life know Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets. Whether you’re a housewife, an avid traveler, a hunter, a camper, or a scout, having these little magic tabs is one of your best weapons of survival. Users argue that these are the best water purification tablets in the world – and we might agree on that. Besides, it’s now packed in an even more compact packaging!
A strip of these tablets can slip into just whatever such as your dry bag, your carrier, or your survival canteen pouch to name a few. When you’re out there, you can’t be too sure that an emergency never happens. Knowing that you can always get 1-2 liter of potable water using one of these tablets will put you at ease when you’re out and about.
What We Love
A trusted product used by all walks of life.
Pros:
- Fast-action
- Neatly packed
- Kills virus, bacteria, and protozoa
- Perfect for light packers
Cons:
- The strip is made of paper-like material that soaks up water
Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets
1
It’s hard to decide which product deserves the throne of this list. Each of them has a unique quality that’s sometimes absent in the other. We reached our decision by making the Potable Aqua Chlorine Dioxide Water Purification Tablets the one that rules them all. Its ability to kill most pathogens won us over.
However, it’s not the only thing that made up our minds. When we tested out this product, we can conclude that the result is one of the best tasting and smelling water among other water purified by other products! It’s insane how it purifies and decontaminates water to that point. This product deserves a definite spot in all of your gears in case of a drinking water emergency!
What We Love
The best water purification tablets in the market today.
Pros:
- Filters bacteria, protozoa, virus, and even parasites
- Less smell and taste
- No aftertaste
- Fulfill EPA standard (Environmental Protection Agency)
Cons:
- Long treatment time (4 hours)
