The Best Purifying Water Bottles Make Sketchy Water Safe to Drink

Whether you're drinking from a river in the backcountry or suspect tap abroad.

To understand the appeal of purifying water bottles, just think: What well-traveled person doesn’t have a story about tangoing with local water or ice in another country? You can't find reliably-clean drinking water flowing out of every faucet. And the danger of drinking tap water abroad is often much higher for incoming visitors: Pathogens that the locals have acquired immunity to can ruin a traveler's vacation in a hurry.

The usual way of going about things is to rely on bottled water. This works, but there are some obvious downsides: It's inconvenient to carry around all the water you need, especially if you plan on a hike or other long adventure. And it can be hard to escape the feeling that all of that plastic is going to end up choking a sea turtle down the line. Another obvious obstacle is finding it; not everywhere you travel will have convenience stores with cold water for sale.

The good news is that these days, purifying water on the go is as simple as filling a water bottle. While the only options out there used to involve boiling water, dabbling with chemical tablets, or relying on UV light, modern versions let you fill up from just about any water supply—from a river to the hotel sink. (Freshwater, specifically, of course—removing salt is much more complicated.) The purifier cleans the water inside the bottle as you sip, suck through a straw, or squeeze out a stream. And thankfully for you, we've tested a bunch of them to see which ones are actually worth investing in.

Continue reading the full article, written by Sal Vaglica and Liv Birdsall here.

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