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CamelBak All Clear Water Purifier

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It works like a bug zapper for water-borne bacteria, killing 99.99 percent of harmful critters, the company claims. The CamelBak All Clear microbiological UV water purification system uses an ultra-violet (UV) light bulb that’s said to last for more than 8,000 cycles — which the company equates to purifying three liters of water per day for 6.5 years.

CamelBak All Clear water purifier shown with the rechargeable battery kit

The basic idea of this technology — UV light to kill bacteria — has been around for years, including in large-scale municipal water-purification facilities. In the outdoors industry, SteriPEN has several UV-based purification products.

What CamelBak offers is a convenient package. The contraption secures to a 1-liter (32-ounce) CamelBak Better Bottle. It will also fit most non-CamelBak bottles with a 63 millimeter opening. A small LCD screen on the cap shows when the purification is done. Press a button and light floods the suspect water for 80 seconds, zapping the microbiological life to purify the water. For adventure racers or backcountry-bound backpackers, this has awesome potential.

The All Clear uses two 3.0-volt lithium batteries that will last for about 80 purification cycles. An optional rechargeable battery pack, which costs $30, lasts for 40 uses between recharging, the company says.

Keep in mind, the All Clear can’t deal with big floating debris. You need to pre-filter out the large stuff. The All Clear, which comes with a protective cover, weighs 9.8 ounces with batteries (just 3.4 ounces more than a Better Bottle with the Classic Cap). The All Clear will be available in October for $100 without the rechargeable battery pack or $130 with it. www.camelbak.com

—Ryan Dionne

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