Whether you’re riding bike on a rail-trail, hiking on mountain path, or backpacking through Europe, water is a necessity. But sometimes, carrying a big water purification system with all its tubes and filters and accessories can be a pain to pack and a hassle to set up. So I was pleased for the recent opportunity to demo the PurifiCup Portable Water purifier. I started out by testing it at home with good old tap water. Then I took it on the trail for a trial-by-stream test.
Portable Water Purification
My first impression of the PurifiCup was a positive one when I saw how compact it was. I was pleased to note that it could easily fit in a daypack or even a bicycle seat-pack. From the outset, this meant that the PurifiCup was the best choice for shorter outings such as sight-seeing tours or day trips. As a regular bike rider, I can imagine just keeping one of these water filters in my bicycle pack so I could always be assured of safe drinking water on my cycle excursions.
Easy to Assemble Water Purification
I was a bit worried about assembling the PurifiCup. You see, I’m not the most mechanically inclined person on the planet. I never finished a single shop project in my high school days. However, between the clearly written instructions and the nicely
engineered product, I had no problem with the assembly and had it ready to test in a matter of minutes. Of course, my next worry was whether I could take the PurifiCup apart for storage… No problem! That was just as easy.
Trail Test
Once I was satisfied that the PurifiCup was easy to assemble and reassemble at home, I took it on the trail. In this case, I tried it on one section of the Colorado Trail. So once again, I took the PurifiCup out of my day pack and assembled it. Easy Peezy!! Then it was time to field test the unit. We were resting near a beautiful beaver pond, very near the portion of the trail where the Colorado Trail spurs off to a side trail for climbing Mt. Elbert. This would be the test: cold water, short period of time, and no countertops, sinks, or faucets like I had at home. Would it work?
Absolutely no problem.The filter worked, the water tasted great, and not one hint of stomach discomfort afterward. So now I knew that the PurifiCup worked both at home and on the trail. I guarantee you, this won’t be the last time I use this handy, portable water purification system. I would not use it as my only source of water on a very long, self-contained back-packing or snowshoe trip. It ‘s fantastic for producing easy, tasty and quick drinking water. It probably wouldn’t be ideal for producing large amounts of cooking water for a big group of people. Oh, I would still take it on those trips as my source of drinking water. In fact, I’d probably convince someone else in the group to bring the cooking water filter. I think I’ll be happy to carry the PurifiCup on all my biking, hiking, & backpacking trips. It’s fast, it’s easy, and it works.
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4 comments
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This sounds like a great device. My old purification system is outdated and I’m in need of replacing it. Maybe this is the ticket.
Author
I recommend it, Steve. Let me know if you want to give it a try. It’s by far the easiest, quickest & most portable purification system I’ve used.
I have to agree it is very portable and easy to use. I have a background in water treatment and was excited when I saw this new product come out because of its use of silver. Silver is a great way to purify water, so I did a bunch of research on the cup before I bought one. Really glad I did it has worked great and I have used it in some very questionable water sources.
emergency preparedness
Author
Thanks for that information, Tim. It’s nice to know that the PurifiCup will work in more adverse conditions, also. I’ve only used it on fairly reliable water sources, so far.
BTW, I like your website. I didn’t notice if you have a Twitter account. I have a special list for fellow Colorado Tweeters.