Best Water Purification Systems for Preppers in the UK

In any survival situation, in the UK or abroad, access to safe drinking water is crucial. Whiling having a system for storing food supplies is hugely important – nothing really beats having a water purification system AND plan, ahead of a disaster. As highlighted in our previous article, “Easy Purification Techniques for Safe Drinking Water in Emergencies” various methods can ensure you have clean water when you need it most.

Water Purification System Introduction

This article will take those techniques and delve into a selection of top-rated products available on Amazon, categorised into the four essential purification methods: Boiling Water, Chemically Treating the Water, Using Water Filtration Systems, and Distillation of the Water. These products are not only effective and highly rated, but also relatively cheap and accessible, ensuring you’re well-prepared for any emergency.

The importance of a good water purification system is the reliable removal and neutralisation of water-borne bacteria, viruses, pathogens, pollutants and other nasties. Such as Escherichia Coli (E.Coli), Giardia Lamblia, Cryptosporidium, Vibrio Cholerae, Salmonella, Shigella, Norovirus and Legionnaires.

1. Products for Boiling Water

Boiling water is obviously one of the simplest and most effective ways to purify water. As discussed in our earlier article, boiling can kill most pathogens and make water safe to drink. Boiling water has some great benefits in a survival situation:

• Reliable, tried and true method of making water safe to drink
• Often, the secondary objective is to heat the water as well, for food or hot drinks.
• People are familiar with boiling water, safety precautions etc
• It’s simple, reliable and easily assembled system
• Boiling water requires only a few small items

Drawbacks of going down the boiling water as your water purification system – it requires times (not much, but it isn’t instant either), may not be suitable in cramped conditions especially if children are around, has a danger of burns etc.

Suitable Products for Boiling Water

Here are two excellent kettle solutions for boiling water in a disaster scenario:

Overmont 1.6L Kettle

• Description: This aluminium kettle is lightweight and perfect for camping and emergency kits. It features a quick heating time and a sturdy handle for easy pouring. I’ve picked this one because it also has a large opening, a short spout and a large volume. Unlike this Overmont, lots of stove kettles have a smaller volume. A small volume is quicker to boil, but once you’ve boiled it, you won’t have much remaining to store once you’ve had a coffee while its hot.
• Key Features: Lightweight aluminium, quick heating, durable. Suitable for boiling a large volume in one go
• Price: £20.43
• Overmont 1.6L Purchase Link

Base Kelly Rapid Boil Kettle

• Description: A super cool design this one. The water container (1.2L) is removable and has a void in the centre, allowing a chimney to run through the container. This design makes it boil super quickly, using just a small fire at the bottom.
• Key Features: Energy efficient / rapid boil. Requires a small wood fire. 1.2L of boiling capacity
• Price: £64.95
• Wood Burning Base Kelly Kettle

Other sources, such as AccuWeather and the USA’s Government CDC, also recommend boiling water as their number 1 water purification method during an emergency.

2. Chemically Treating the Water

Chemical treatment is an effective method for purifying water, particularly when on the move. Refer to our previous article for detailed instructions on using purification tablets.

Major benefits of using chemical tablets to treat water are that they are portable and easily stored (tiny tablets!), can make water safe while on the move, and completely safe from burns and scoldings.

Here are two cost-effective chemical treatment solutions. The main difference is the concentration of the tablets, whether a single tablet purifies ONE or FIVE litres of water.

Oasis Water Purification Tablets for 1L

• Description: These tablets, which we’ve mentioned in numerous articles already, are designed to purify small quantities of water quickly. Perfect for individual use as you can pop a single tablet into a water bottle while you’re on the move.
• Key Features: Treats 1 litre of water per tablet, easy to use, compact packaging.
• Price: £7.99 (Pack of 50 tablets. Produces 50L of safe drinking water)
• Purchase 50x Oasis Purification Tablets

Aquatabs Water Purification Tablets for 5L

• Description: Ideal for treating larger quantities of water, for example if you’re bugged-in. These simple tablets are a great addition to any family emergency kit where quantity of clean water is preferable to portable smaller quantities.
• Key Features: Treats 5L of water per tablet, effective against bacteria and viruses, long shelf life.
• Price: £12.99 (Pack of 80 tablets. Produces 400 litres of safe drinking water!)
• Purchase 80x AquaTabs Purification Tablets

3. Water Filtration Products

Water filtration systems provide a reliable and efficient way to purify water. Our previous article highlighted the advantages of using these systems.

Here are three top recommendations that utilise water filtration at the 0.2μm scale or better:

LifeStraw Filtration Straw

• Description: A portable filtration straw that allows you to drink directly from nearly any water source. Perfect for hikers and backpackers as it doesn’t require any setup. (Origin story for the LifeStraw company is a really cool read)
• Key Features: Portable, filters up to 4,000 litres, removes bacteria and protozoa. Obviously no storage capacity, so requires a physical source any time you need a drink
• Price: £20.68
• LifeStraw Filtration Straw

WaterDrop Gravity Fed System

• Description: This system uses gravity to filter water, making it effortless to use. Ideal for home use or long-term camping. Allows you to filter 5.5L of water in one go, at ~0.7L/minute.
• Key Features: No power needed, filters large volumes, easy setup. Perfectly safe to walk-away while it works. Not usable while bugging-out or on the move.
• Price: £34.99
• WaterDrop Gravity Fed System

Lacucino Hand Pump Filtration System

• Description: This hand pump filter is ideal for filtering water from lakes, rivers, or ponds. It’s compact and easy to use. Comes with two different length hoses to make it more convenient. Also has a nice (albeit small) pre-filter.
• Key Features: Manual operation, up to 1.5L per minute! Filters bacteria and protozoa. Replaceable filter and active-charcoal cartridges (After 450,000L). Super lightweight and compact.
• Authors Recommendation: Even though all these products on this page are recommendations, we would single out this one product if you were sat on the fence.
• Price: £49.13
• Purchase Lacucino Hand Pump

4. Distillation Type Water Purification Systems

Distillation is a thorough method of purifying water by removing impurities and pathogens. For a detailed explanation of distillation, refer to our previous article on water purification techniques.

Here’s a highly recommended product, that is not only robust, but about as safe and sturdy as you can get for this technique. In my previous article about water purification techniques, I commented that these distillation systems can be cumbersome and complex, however this KITCHEN CROP VKP1208 setup is actually very simplistic. One down side with it, is that it has quite a large footprint, making it unsuitable while bugging-out

Stove / Hob Top Heating Distiller

• Description: This distiller is designed for use on a larger topped stove or hob, producing up to 1 litre of distilled water per hour. It’s perfect for ensuring pure water in any emergency.
• Key Features: Produces 1L/hour, stainless steel construction, easy to use. Has three chambers: cooling water (unsafe or safe), distilled water (safe) and then the water to be heated (unsafe).
• Price: £120
• Purchase Link

Summary: Water Purification Systems

Each of these products offers a reliable solution for ensuring safe drinking water in an emergency. Depending on your needs, you can choose the method that best suits your situation.

Here’s a quick summary reference table to help you compare the water purification systems we’ve mentioned.

Given the benefits and drawbacks of all these great water filtration systems, if we had to pick one method to put in our gear for both bugging-in and going mobile during an emergency, we’d recommend the Lacucino Hand Pump.

It is hugely important to have a first-aid kit at all times during an emergency, even more so when dealing with water purification systems that can easily burn or scold if handled incorrectly. Check out our articles on the 4 best cheap first-aid kits to have during an emergency.

Conclusion

So there we have it, 5 of the best water purification systems you can purchase on Amazon at the moment. Remember, preparing for any emergency means having access to clean drinking water. There is no real work-around or further deliberation required – you need water – fact!

By choosing from these recommended products, you’re ensuring your water is safe to drink, pretty much regardless of the situation you find yourself in.

Stay prepared, stay safe, have a good water purification system!

Side Note; while researching these water purification systems, I came across this VERY niche British Government management resource for ‘UK Recovery Handbooks for Radiation Incidents 2015 – Drinking Water Supplies Handbook‘. If you want a 98 page PDF on that very specific, have a look what the British Government and Public Health England (as it was known then), have to say on the matter.