Amanda Rae Was Here...

On any given day, this is me. 

Not exactly, but I drink a lot of water—tap water, which I filter through a trusty Brita fridge pitcher and then pour into a portable bottle.

Since I’ll be on the road for the next few months, I decided to streamline this process and purchase bottle with a built-in filter to refill on-the-go.

Already on a roll at Target one afternoon, I snapped up the BPA-free, spill-proof, cup-holder friendly CamelBack Groove (right) …but it wasn’t until I got home that I realized it’s not exactly a purifier. It does filter chlorine to reduce odor and taste, turning tap water into “fresh, great-tasting water anywhere you go,” but it doesn’t remove the microscopic virus, bacteria, or protozoa that can cause illness (or even rust and sediment, which the Brita Bottle claims to remove).

So I did some research. I liked the sculptural shape of the Bobble (left; it’s designed by Karim Rashid, natch), but its specs just didn’t cut it in terms of water safety. On the other end of the spectrum are the various bottles available though outdoor supply shops: they filter water from suspicious sources, but, how do I put this? Most are clearly not designed for taking out of the wilderness.

Then I discovered a decent compromise: the Pure Water 2 Go BIO bottle (right), which has a dual filter to remove taste, odor, grit, contaminants, and bugs “from water of suspect quality….drink right from the stream!”

I hope I don’t have to resort to that, but it’s nice to know I’ll have the option.