My family and I used them in Australia on a weekend river trip (saved lugging massive amounts of water) they work fantastic!!! I was so impressed , as was my friends, I joined the company in a effort to get them out into the general populas. They have been tried and tested in some of the worlds harshest environments. light weight, robust, inexpensive, simple to use and instant! there is a massive amount of technical info available from the website also links to the inventors. http://www.lifestraw.com.au or lee@lifestraw.com.au

The makers offer extensive facts and information on their website if you have a look at this link http://www.lifestraw.com.au/page/LifeSt ... efault.asp you may find there is also a "family" lifestraw available which is more suited to the base camp, the straw is perfect for its application, as you mentioned if something was to happen I think "permanent" will be erased from the dictionary, the Lifestraw is instant, effective and most of all simple to use and maintain for the young and old alike. I am led to believe, it does remove Giardia aswell, you can d/load their PDF follow the links, research as much as you can!!! thanks for the comment

Good article on using 55 Gallon barrels:

http://www.2012prepared.com/water-storage-solution-55-gallon-barrels/

I already mentioned this lead in another post in this same section...

ozone generator

Ozone = 03 is an unstable molecule, made from 3 oxygen atoms. The third will detatch and try and find any other molecule to attach too and break its molecular bond; rapid reactive oxidisation. This goes for the molecular structure of bacteria/viruses. Ozone generators are used in cancer therapy, open-office deodourising and aquariums.

An ozone generator uses either UV lamp or oxygen plasma (corona discharge method) to generate ozone gas from ambient air. A fan will pump the air into a chamber where the UV lamp or corona discharge component is located, and any air passing through is converted into ozone gas. The air is then either pumped out to purify the environment you are in, or pressurised into a chamber and released through an air outlet, which can be concentrated e.g. ozonating liquids like water and oil. There are a few youtube videos on how to DIY your own ozone generator; using neon lights or automobile spark plugs.

Therefore ozonate any bacteria contaminated water. Some ozone generators, particular for domestic might have a 'bubbler-stone', specifically to ozonate water in a glass. I sprayed ozone gas for 30 seconds over a bunch of grapes, and they have kept for 5 weeks in the refridgerator, no mould (though they are pretty ripe internally).

Take note of the bromate product of ozonated water relative to bromine (type of salt) levels in water.