The Real Cost of Dirty Water: Why Black Friday is the Time to Upgrade

Just because water comes from a running source like a river or a clear lake on a mountaintop doesn’t make it exempt from disease and bacteria. Clean water is a necessity for any hikers, campers or adventurers. Even if you consider yourself an expert outdoorsman, a situation can always arise where clean drinking water is no longer as easily accessible. Increases in climate change and population pose serious threats to the safety of our water. Rainfall that builds up, pollution and outdoor traffic all threaten our natural water resources, creating dirty water. With Black Friday around the corner, now is the time to make purchases that can make your life more convenient and safe. It’s better to prepare with travel essentials for your next outdoor adventure before you’re actually out there. 

The Real Cost of Dirty Water

There are many dangers of untreated water. While it can seem harmless to grab a handful of that clear water from the river, there are unseen risks that can cause permanent harm. 

1. Health impacts

Contaminated water can hold a number of different diseases, bacteria and other health risks. E.coli and giardia are very common in unclean water and can cause severe side effects. Germs from animals and humans travel fast, especially in popular hiking and outdoor locations. Dehydration is also a large side effect of water that isn’t safe to drink. The anxiety of not having drinkable water can also impact one’s decision to spend longer durations outside. Getting sick even one time from contaminated water can negatively affect not only one’s health,  but also their attitude toward hiking altogether. You don’t want to have to cut your travel day or hike short because you didn’t come prepared before you started. 

2. Financial impact

Bottled water is always an option when going on long hikes or camping trips, but the cost can start to add up quickly. The less drinkable water there is, the more people rely on buying water for their excursions. Additionally, if hikers or campers do get sick, the financial burden of medical bills or having to potentially pay for equipment replacement, is bigger than the risk is worth. The illnesses that can come from contaminated water can be serious, and could require long term care or treatment. Consuming unclean water has the potential to cause many financial burdens. Investing in the proper equipment to clean dirty water pays for itself the first time you use it and will cost a lot less than a trip to the hospital would. 

3. Environmental impact

Plastic bottles also impact more than just your wallet. Plastic water bottles end up getting left on trails or during travel a good amount, and have serious consequences on our environment. Single use solutions and consumption pile more onto our climate change issues, then in turn creating a harmful cycle that affects the water even more. If hikers were to get sick from unclean water, this would mean there is an increase of human waste in the wild areas, which can contaminate nearby soil and water resources. With the less clean water available, there becomes less hikers and less people enjoying nature, which could cause closures. This could mean new impact zones, management, and more negative impacts to the wildlife. Unclean water doesn’t just affect you as an individual, but can change the health of an entire ecosystem. 

Are Water Purification Tablets Worth The Investment?

When buying long term water cleaning equipment, you ensure that there is a solution to dirty water wherever you go. Purifiers and purification tablets aren’t just gear or things to carry around, they can bring reassurance that there will always be a healthy way to clean dirty water.  Portable water treatment doesn’t have to be a hassle. Being able to have a reliable source of clean water, can bring peace of mind in potentially stressful situations. Good travel essentials for hikers and campers include Aquatabs, filtered water bottles and more. In addition to saving money down the line, avoiding single use plastics does wonders for the environment and can help mend the damage that has been done to the water cycle. 

Choosing the right water solution

It’s not necessarily a decision of if to buy clean water solutions, but also which kind to purchase. For hikers and campers, using as little weight as possible is always the best option, especially for filling your packs. Any weight that can be taken off your shoulders is important, especially when you’re hours away from a trailhead or summit. Aquatabs water purification tablets are a great travel essential and way to ensure convenience and also not take up too much weight or space in a backpack. They dissolve in 30 minutes and don’t need additional equipment to be effective. Aquatabs are also great for emergency kits because of their long shelf life. They’re easy to buy in bulk because they don’t expire for a while and they’re compact enough to keep in a kit. Filters can require a lot of maintenance or even batteries, where tablets are much more straightforward and reliable. 

Why Black Friday?

Outdoor Black Friday deals are a great time to stock up on travel essentials and products that can potentially save your life down the line. Creating travel emergency kits with water purification tablets, can help in situations where boiling water isn’t accessible. Business Connect Adventure will be having a number of sales this Black Friday, to ensure that safety and health can come at a fraction of the cost. Having a chance to prepare for the unexpected that can happen with any travel is not something to take for granted. 

Your Investment in Resilience: A Final Thought

Dirty water can have a number of different risks, not just on your health. Every adventurer needs to be equipped with ways to drink clean and safe water, and not have to break their backs carrying everything. Whether you’re traveling abroad, backpacking or just going for a day hike, expecting and preparing for the unexpected can help save you. This Black Friday, use the outdoor deals to your advantage and stock up on what’s important. Waiting until it’s too late can be dire- stock up now!