Polar Pure – What You Need To Know
Polar Pure has been prized for years as an almost foolproof water treatment option. The little brown bottle is a common sight in backpacks everywhere, largely due to the low cost and almost endless shelf life.
In 2011, the small family run business that makes Polar Pure ran into problems with new laws designed to make it harder for folks to make illegal drugs. However, after four years of effort, they worked things out with the DEA, so that it was once again available for sale, but with a few restrictions. In short, they can sell it directly to consumers and just ship one bottle at a time. The only outlet where you can currently get Polar Pure is from Amazon for just over $20 a bottle.
This is a great “just in case” product to keep around as a backup to emergency water storage. To get Polar Pure ready to use, just fill the bottle with water and then set it on a shelf. It will automatically create the correct iodine solution for water treatment after sitting for one hour. This solution will still work just as well after sitting untouched for a year and is effective against most bacteria and viruses.
When needed, the cap of the Polar Pure bottle is your measuring device. The side of the container tells you how many capfuls of solution to add to your questionable water. The thermometer next to the directions helps adjust for temperature in the cold. After a twenty minute wait, the water is treated.
The contents of the Polar Pure jar do not have or need an expiration date since they are pure iodine crystals. It would not be a good idea to drink the iodine crystals, but the jar is designed with a lip inside to limit this possibility. The treated drinking water, surprisingly, does not have a strong iodine taste for most people.
Polar Pure works better on water that is not full of floaties. So, if needed, pour the water through a bandana, clean sock, folded t-shirt, etc to filter solid bits out before treating. If the source is really questionable, as in third world country quality, you can always double down and treat it two different ways, such as first using a chemical treatment like a bottle of Polar Pure, then running it through a filter. But, unless you are trying to drink from a known poluted source like the trash filled Ganges River, this is likely overkill.
