water filter/purifiers (GRANT!!)
 

Anyone used one of these plastic bottle purifiers...
http://www.aquapuretraveller.com/

Just had talk with the guy at company and it seems to be the ideal solution (no pun intended) for bikers.
I am going to buy one but wondered if anyone had any experience or obvious failings of such a product.

Grant:
I guy in technical that link from here took me to his site and suggested he place an ad on H/O. He said he would certainly look into it, might be worth a call?

For 81.80 Euro (incl taxes and shipping) you can buy a lot of COLD bottled water (and beer). This unit gives you 350 liters warm water…
If you expect a hot day (need for 5 liters) you have to spend two hours (or more) to purify it….
Nope, I rather stick to bottled water and some chemicals for emergency….

We've always carried a water purification system of some sort, but used it only occasionally.

It depends on where you're going - if it's into the back woods and well away from civilisation for a while, I think you're crazy not to take one. The risk of bad water is just too great. And you can't always trust bottled water. When we were in Nairobi, there was a big scandal in the papers. Somebody had done some testing, and come to the conclusion that 98% of the bottled water brands were plain Nairobi tap water. And NOT safe.

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Grant Johnson

Seek, and ye shall find.
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One world, Two wheels.
www.HorizonsUnlimited.com

Yes I know about the water-scandal in Nairobi, and I guess it’s the same for a lot of places. If you don’t trust the bottled water I guess the same goes for soft drinks, beer, juice and food….

In Nairobi (and a lot of other places) a lot of the houses are not connected to any kind of communal waterpipes. They have watertanks which is filed up by private companies, that’s a good thing because if people get sick of the water they can change water-supplier and the water-companies know that!
Both times I have been in Nairobi all the tap-water tasted chlorine, the bottled water never did so it couldn’t have been untreated tap water… (except for the bottled water in some restaurants).

IMHO it’s not possible to make strict rules about this, nothing is safe (not filters, not boiling water, not bottled water) so you have to do what feels right. If you feel safer with your filter then carry it
I drank a lot of tap-water all over Africa (incl Nile-water in Sudan) but I didn’t get sick before I had an ice-cream at Mc-Donalds in Luxor.
Yeah I know, Mc Donalds is bad and stay away from milk-products but travelling is also about doing the stuff you like, don’t worry to much.

Your immune-system gets upgraded when you move from one place to the next, so the best way you can help it is to go slow and let it adjust:-) Pole-pole....

Hmmm, since I already have been political incorrect I will also add that I strongly doubt that there is 50 brands of bottled water available in Nairobi….

maybe I'm being a little paranoid. Put it down to ignorance but after suffering a 24hr bug here in the uk recently that had me and my wife throwing up every two hours I really wouldn't want to suffer that again in the middle of Africa on my own so I think i'll play safe this time.
My immune system can take take up the slack when I eat that tap washed fruit or salad but will get one of these for drinking on the road. After all it seems so easy to use.
Appreciate advice tho :O)

Holy Mackeral!! US$70!!

It's probably a fine product but you can get similar ones for about US$20 here in the states (I used to sell them $15 on my site, but no longer carry them).

These are great to have (I recommended them in the most useful gear thread). I filled mine each morning from the local tap- much more convienient (and cheap) than buying water. BUT the first time I filled from a stream (a clean one at that) it clogged up. (I posted the recommendation before that happened)
For US$70, I would get a "real" filter that can do much more and much dirtier water.

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Back on the road again.

sopgear.com

I'd think beer would be safe .. the beer bugs would not produce alcohol if other bugs were present. See Oscar Wild (I think) was right .. stay away from drinking water.

Go to raymears.com and he has a filter that is certified for tropical enviroments to filter everything including virus. It is the only one to pass the british ministery of health I believe. It is pricey, may may be worth it.

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John