MSR Aquatabs Review

These treatment tabs are ultra lightweight and relatively inexpensive. While they do have their place purifying against bacteria, viruses, and giardia cysts (but not crypto), they taste like a chlorine pool after treatment, but, if you are okay with the taste and want the lightest and most packable purification option, the MSR Aquatabs is our recommendation.

Water Quality

These super lightweight tabs are sufficient for treating bacteria, protozoa, and viruses. The active ingredient, Sodium dichloroisocyanurate, kills these organisms. We are sad to say that it does not treat Cryptosporidium, a protozoan known to be present in backcountry water sources in North America. Most filters will not eliminate viruses, which are so small that they pass through many filter elements; for this reason, chemical filtration is often appropriate for viruses.

Also, this treatment does not filter out particulates because you are just adding a tablet to the water. If you find yourself in areas with lots of silt or sediment, bring along a buff or handkerchief to filter this stuff out of your water.

This treatment system gets such a low score in this category because of the taste. Unlike filtration systems and some of the chemical treatments out there, the flavor is pretty awful. In a blind taste test, our testers concluded that water treated with the Aquatabs is the worst, offering a gross chlorinated taste, synonymous with drinking pool water — not our first choice regarding chemical treatment, simply because of the taste. However, if lightweight is what you're after, this will do it.

Our latest round of testing included feedback from SGS Labs, a third-party lab that created a custom test to provide more objective water quality results that we could compare with the manufacturer's claims. The Aquatabs were 99.9% effective at eliminating harmful viruses and bacteria, although the tests don't currently demonstrate results for tablets and treatment drops that don't physically remove protozoa but rather destroy the component inside your water bottle.

Ease of Use

These tabs are one of the easiest methods; simply rip open the package and drop them into your water bottle. Our only caveat to the tabs is the number of tabs per package. These come individually wrapped, and each package contains two tabs. One tab can treat 2 liters of water. Since many people carry a Nalgene or a bottle of a similar size, this means breaking a tablet in half to treat just one liter of water. If you use the whole tablet, the chlorinated taste is super strong. For situations where you just want to treat one liter of water, it's a bit of a hassle. However, if you often carry more than one liter, it's pretty convenient. All you have to carry with you is a water storage container and the water sources you can access depend on the container.

The package of 30 tablets will treat up to 60 liters, meaning that one packet (which contains two tablets) can treat four liters total. Filtration is painless; drop it in, mix, and wait. The only bummer is you might need to pre-filter your water to remove larger particulates, which can take some time.

Durability & Maintenance

Aquatabs come pre-packed individually. Just ensure they don't get wet, as they can dissolve if the packaging gets saturated. Toss them in a mini plastic bag, and they'll be fine. Super reliable. An entire package can treat up to 60 liters.

Treatment Time

These tablets take 30 minutes to purify your water effectively. Other chemical treatments are similar. This is relatively slow on the spectrum of water filtration and treatment systems in general, considering you can filter a liter of water in roughly a minute using a gravity filter.

Weight & Packability

Aquatabs are the lightest method of purification in this entire review. Their weight is a negligible 0.2 ounces for all 60 tablets. The weight of an individual packet didn't even register on our scale. If you're looking for a lightweight and reliable water treatment method or need a backup emergency system, it's a great option.

Should You Buy the MSR Aquatabs?

The best and primary purpose for MSR's Aquatabs is as a backup or super lightweight travel purification method widely available for an affordable price. While we don't like the chlorinated taste they leave in your mouth, we appreciate that each packet is seemingly weightless, making it a great option for those needing a super light purification method or an emergency backup on long trails.

What Other Backpacking Water Filters Should You Consider?

MSR's Aquatabs are lightweight and affordable backcountry purification tablets that make them perfect for emergency use. They do not eliminate cryptosporidium, which limits their functionality, but they do treat viruses, unlike many other filtration systems. If you're interested in other tablet purification options, we liked the water quality of the Potable Aqua Purification Tablets a little better than the Aquatabs. And if you don't mind investing in a collapsible bottle that remains lightweight and functional beyond single use, check out our favorite, the LifeStraw Peak Squeeze. The LifeStraw personal water filter is another great option for those seeking to carry minimal weight during extended trips into the backcountry.