REASONS TO BUY
Lightweight
Packable
Easy to use
Durable foil packaging
REASONS TO AVOID
Corrosive and harmful to humans and animals
Long purification time
For emergency use only
Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets Review
These lightweight, easy to use tablets have a long incubation time and are meant for emergency use only
Affordable, packable, and easy to use when following the warning instructions, we recommend these purification tablets for emergencies only.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Our Verdict
Due to the precautionary statements and careful handling of the Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets, our testers do not feel comfortable recommending these tablets for anything other than emergency use. That being said, they are ultralight, affordable, and come in foil packaging that is easy to throw in your backpack or emergency kit. The long, 4-hour processing time and the limited use of one tablet per one liter are a couple of drawbacks for these tablets. Our testers recommend stashing them in your backpack or emergency kit and hoping you never have to use them.
Compare to Similar Products
 This Product
Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Awards |  Best Bang for the Buck | ||||
| Price | $11.95 at Backcountry Compare at 3 sellers | $14.95 at REI Compare at 2 sellers | $8.97 at Amazon Compare at 2 sellers | $9.99 at Amazon Compare at 3 sellers | $20.00 List $14.99 at Amazon |
Overall Score  |
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| Star Rating | |||||
| Bottom Line | Stash these tablets in your backpack and hope you never have to use them | The best chemical treatment option that will kill all pathogens when given enough time | Lightweight and easy to use, these tablets can be used as an emergency backup to regular treatment | Lightweight and reliable, this chemical treatment is perfect for lightweight travel or emergency use | An on-the-go filtration system that is simple and inexpensive |
| Rating Categories | Katadyn Micropur Pu... | Aquamira Water Trea... | Potable Aqua Purifi... | MSR Aquatabs | LifeStraw |
| Water Quality (20%) | |||||
| Durability & Maintenance (20%) | |||||
| Treatment Time (15%) | |||||
| Weight & Packability (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Set Up (15%) | |||||
| Ease of Filtration (15%) | |||||
| Specs | Katadyn Micropur Pu... | Aquamira Water Trea... | Potable Aqua Purifi... | MSR Aquatabs | LifeStraw |
| Measured Weight (entire kit) | 0.45 oz | 3.0 oz | 2.3 oz | 0.1 oz | 1.75 oz |
| Removes Particulates (sediment, microplastics)? | No | No | No | No | Yes |
| Effective Against Viruses? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Effective Against Chemicals? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Effective Against Heavy Metals? | No | No | No | No | No |
| Effective Against Bacteria? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Effective Against Protozoa (Giardia, Cryptosporidium)? | Yes | Yes | Yes (Giardia = yes; Crypto = no) | Yes (Giardia = yes; Crypto = no) | Yes |
| Type of Filter/Purifier | Chemical treatment | Chemical treatment | Chemical treatment | Chemical treatment | Straw filter |
| Filter Media or Active Ingredient | Chlorine dioxide | Chlorine dioxide | Iodine and Tetraglycine Hydroperiodide | Sodium dichloroisocyanurate | Hollow Fiber |
| Filter Pore Size (Advertised) | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | 0.2 microns |
| Number of Liters/Gallons per Lifetime (Advertised) | 20 L / 5.3 gal (20 tabs) | 114 L / 30 gal (per package) | 25 L / 6.6 gal | 60 L / 16 gal (30 tabs) | 4,000 L / 1,000 gal |
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Our Analysis and Test Results
After reading the warnings and precautionary statements on the Micropur Tablets packaging, we were a little nervous about using them for anything other than an absolute emergency. Keeping that in mind, they are simple to use, require no maintenance, and remain one of the lightest filtration options we tested. However, another drawback is the treatment time which requires 4 hours to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, and cysts.
Performance Comparison
One of the lightest options for water filtration on the market, put these in your emergency kit and hope you don't have to use them.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Water Quality
When added to water, the Micropur Tablets release chlorine dioxide in order to kill bacteria, viruses, and cysts, such as cryptosporidium and giardia. The tablets do not remove dirt or particulates from your water, but our testers found that using an old dedicated t-shirt or similar material would help as an additional filter for larger contaminants. We did not give these tablets a high rating for water quality due to the chlorine flavor and particulates still present in the drinking water after the 4-hour purification time.
Not the best water quality but sufficient in case of emergency.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Durability and Maintenance
With a shelf life of up to 5 years and a maintenance-free purification system, our testers gave the Micropur tabs high scores for this metric. Katadyn recommends storing them in a cool and dry area, like your emergency kit, away from the sun. Because these tablets can be so harmful and corrosive if improperly used, we recommend placing the foil pouches inside another plastic bag to store for emergency use.
Durable packaging and zero maintenance make this a great choice for the emergency kit.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Treatment Time
The Micropur Tablets take an extremely long time to process, up to 4 hours when the instructions are followed appropriately. This long treatment time is just one of the reasons these are not practical for an extended backpacking trip.
After filling your bottle, dropping in the tablet, move your water to a dark environment, and wait 4 hours for the process to be complete.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Weight and Packability
These weigh .45 ounces for 30 tablets, or the equivalent of 30 gallons of water. It's a no-brainer to add them to your emergency kit for up to 5 years before they need to be replaced. And since each tablet is individually wrapped, you can modify the weight based on the needs of your group.
Highly packable, throw a few packages in your backpack and hope you never have to use them!
Credit: Trish Matheny
Ease of Set Up
The Katadyn Micropur Tablets are easy to use; simply fill one liter of water in a stream, remove one tablet from the individually wrapped pouch, submerge the tablet into the water, and leave the water in a dark place for 4 hours. However, despite this easy process, there is also a great caveat worth mentioning. After carefully reading the instructions, our testers noticed warnings that the tablets are corrosive and harmful to humans, domestic animals, and aquatic life. Yikes! Furthermore, the tablets should not come into contact with your bare skin or clothing so as to avoid permanent eye damage. The manufacturer also recommends handling with rubber gloves and protective eyewear, which doesn't seem practical for backpacking trips when you're trying to keep it simple and save weight.
While some other chlorine dioxide tablets offer similar warnings, these precautionary statements were a bit concerning.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Ease of Filtration
Filtration is easy if a bit time-consuming, as long as you have 4 hours to kill, a water source, and a dark location for the purification tablets to filter out harmful viruses and bacteria.
The filtration process is easy, simply fill your bottle, drop your tablet, and wait for 4 hours.
Credit: Trish Matheny
Should You Buy the Katadyn Micropur Purification Tablets?
If you're looking for a backup emergency use filtration system, the Micropur Tablets fit the bill. Easy to use, zero maintenance, and one of the lightest options on the market. Still, there are much better options there — chemical or mechanical — for whatever use case you need.
We're happy these affordable tablets are easy to put in our pack in case of emergency, however, we do not recommend them for any other purposes.
Credit: Trish Matheny
What Other Backpacking Water Filters Should You Consider?
For those after a lightweight, backup water purification system with less alarming precautionary statements, check out the Potable Aqua Purification Tablets. And if you're ok adding a little extra weight for a similar price tag, the Aquamira Water Treatment Drops are the way to go. You can also keep things light and easy with our favorite squeeze system, the LifeStraw Peak Squeeze.
—Trish Matheny
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