Clean, drinkable water is critical to life on this planet and is a resource that those of us in first world countries often take for granted. That is, unless you’ve traveled far enough to know otherwise.

In the past, though, portable options for purifying fresh water while traveling have been pretty dismal. Boiling, of course, is the fool-proof method, but that takes time and fuel for heat. Iodine tablets are easy, but using one leaves a horrible aftertaste and the CDC does not recommend drinking water treated with them for more than a week at a time. Plus, as a key ingredient in the production of crystal meth, finding iodine tablets in some areas can be difficult (if you do find it, buy your Sudafed on a separate trip).

Hit the jump to hear about a more straightforward solution.

This leaves us with filters, which are your best options. Especially if you can find one that’s designed for portability such as the Katadyn Microfilter. However, most still require multi-step procedures in order to work.

That’s where the AquaSafeStraw comes into play. Unlike normal filters, the AquaSafe Straw is designed to be used like a normal straw. Simply put the straw in a water source and drink. It’s internal filtration system is designed to block 99.9999% of water based pathogens. Curious for more specifics. Check out the “highly technical diagram” below.

The AquaSafe Straw is small enough to fit in your pocket, yet capable of filtering up to 500 liters (132 gallons) of water, and for $35 bucks it doesn’t get much better. So the next time adventure calls you to a far off land, pack this and worry less about calls of nature.

Cost: $35