When I first started traveling globally, we used those iodine tablets. Yuck. The good news was, we were no longer eating live bugs. The bad news was, the dead bugs tasted really bad. So then we moved on to those hard-to-pump water filters. Over the years, thanks to lots of hikers with apparently-wimpy arms, the pumps got easier. Finally, we progressed into the current age of in-bottle filters that we just… suck on. But this is 2012. Surely there’s a higher-tech solution? Some kind of iPhone app that filters water?

 

Almost, Enter the SteriPEN Sidewinder. See it at…

 

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/steripen/sidewinder/

 

It’s a hand-powered, battery free Ultra-Violet (UV) water purifier. Simply attach the Sidewinder to the provided bottle, turn upside down and swirl the water a few times, and then crank the handle! There’s a red flashing LED light until you crank fast enough, and there’s a green light when you’re done, about 90 seconds later (for 32 ounces). It’s storable, it doesn’t break, and it connects to your iPhone! [ok, I confess: I’m joking about the last part. But everything else is true.] It weighs just 16 ounces and is only 9 inches long. And guess what, Mom: No batteries to buy or replace. And in case you were wondering, yes — the bottle is BPA-free. $79.95 — coming to a hiking store near you. Can you believe it?

 

Now — when will the iPhone version be released? Powered by long phone conversations???