^TM

Never get sick again from dirty or contaminated water no matter where you travel! That's the promise made by BW Technologies to users of their new portable water purification system 'Aqua-Pure Traveler'. Endorsed by everyone from NATO to the highly respected London School of Tropical Medicine, this is a fantastic new product for those whose travels take them out of reach of safe bottled or boiled water.

Compact and easy to carry, it's the size and shape of a standard half-liter sports bottle and weighs only 150 grams. And it could hardly be easier to use—simply fill the bottle with water from any source (except seawater), screw on the special 2-micron filter cap, shake the bottle and squeeze the now clean and safe water out into a cup or directly into your mouth.

The filter supplied with the bottle removes "waterborne pathogens such as crytosporidium, giardia and other cysts and spores, offensive tastes, odors and significantly reduces chemicals such as chlorine, iodine and heavy metals such as mercury and even Radon 222."

Furthermore, a 'disinfection sleeve' is also available (sold separately) which fits over the filter and makes "water that may have viruses and bacteria in it, such as Cholera and E.coli, totally safe to drink." Not only does it remove the viruses and bacteria, it also kills them, preventing them from reproducing.

Having picked up a nasty case of giardia on a trip to India a couple of years ago, I was thrilled to discover this product. Previous filter systems have always been so awkward and clumsy, while iodine tablets make the water taste awful and are not recommended for long-term use.

The Aqua-Pure Traveler filter will provide at least 350 liters of safe water (i.e. 700 refills) before the filter cap needs replacing. How, I wondered, would the traveler know when that was? Is it necessary to keep a tally of how many times the bottle is filled? Fortunately not. When the filter needs to be changed it simply stops allowing water to be squeezed through. Foolproof!

I would question, however, the wisdom of selling the bottle/filter and disinfection sleeve separately. How many people, when reading the slogan 'safe water wherever you go' will assume that the bottle and filter cap are all they need? A filter that encourages the use of 'any water source', but doesn't protect the user from cholera without an additional purchase, doesn't seem to me a very good idea…

Also, it needs to be stressed that the outer part of the cap (the part that you drink from) must never come into contact with the contaminated water source. It is so easy to become complacent and careless. Even with a great product like this, the safety of drinking water should never be taken for granted.

Retailing at around $50, the Aqua-Pure Traveler isn't cheap. However, the user will save substantial amounts of money from no longer needing to purchase bottled water, and anyway, health and peace of mind are priceless!

80% of the world's diseases are waterborne, and most illnesses while traveling are due to drinking unsafe water. The Aqua-Pure Traveler is surely set to become an indispensable travel accessory. I shall certainly be taking mine on my next trip—India again!

Photos courtesy of thirstpoint.com

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:

Back to TravelLady Magazine