MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution Replacement Bottle

Check first, but I think they recently changed the rules on some liquids in the cabin up to 3oz. You also shouldn't have any problems if you store it in your checked luggage since it's not corrosive, pressurized or flammable . Declare it either way for sure.

There may be some reason, but it's probably just the same as stove manufacturers only approving their own canisters for their own stoves. Call it a gimmick if you like. The real question is: do you need to add them? The SweetWater filter already takes out bacteria and protzoans, and viruses aren't a big problem in the US. If you do need the extra additive for purification, use the Katadyn MicroPur chlorine dioxide tablets (item #EXT0040). One tablet per liter of water, kills everything fast.

Strangers on the internet are probably not the best source for survival decisions.

That said, you can find emergency water treatment information from the Red Cross, FEMA or other reliable sources that will tell you that by starting with clear water, the correct quantity of sodium hypochlorite (the active ingredient in this product and in unscented bleach, albeit at different concentrations), and waiting 30 minutes, you will have water that is safe to drink. (Except for heavy-metal or other chemical contamination.) One piece of advice you'll see repeated is that the water should smell slightly of chlorine immediately after treatment.

Anecdotally, I have been told that this protocol is weaker against cysts like cryptosporidium, so if you're using a water source known for this risk, you'd want a water filter.

The solution is only killing viruses. It is meant to be used in conjunction with micro filter. It will not take care of bacteria or protozoa.

Yes, there is an expiration date. I just received a bottle of SweetWater purifier solution and it expires within less than one (1) year from date received. The expiration date is on the bottle. A more appropriate question would be what's the SHELF LIFE of the product...production date vs. expiration date.

Actually there is an expiration date on each bottle. It last several years.

No, where did you get that idea?

There is much more going on here than just "household bleach". MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution is specially designed in a lab to work with filters to kill free-floating viruses. Viruses are very easily handled with chemicals, but you don't want to put too much chemical into your water if it's not needed. This solution puts just the right amount without giving off a taste or smell. It essentially purifies the water and nothing more AFTER it's been filtered (viruses cannot be filtered out using a microfilter). Because of the much higher content of sodium hypochlorite in bleach, carcinogens have a possiblity of being created (specifically trihalomethane) when mixed with the organic material in backcountry water. Because of the greatly reduced sodium hypochlorite content in the MSR Sweetwater Purifier Solution, this risk is drastically reduced. Bleach also contains Lye which can burn the skin and destroy tissue. There is no lye in the Sweetwater Purifier Solution. Common household bleach was never intended to be consumed by humans whereas the MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution is. This is a huge difference between the two. The MSR SweetWater Purifier Solution is not common household bleach by any stretch of the imagination...

mmmm, clorox, nothing clears the sinus's quite like it!

Plain Clorox for water purification: 2 drops per quart, 8 drops per gallon. Let sit for 30 minutes. Cloudy water; double dose. Water should have faint bleach smell. If not, redo.
Pure Clorox is corrosive and must be handled with great care.
If could really ruin your backpack and everything in it.

The only active ingredient in this product is 3.5% sodium hypochloride or in other words, weak common household bleach. Clorox is 6%. Pretty high $$$ bleach!

2oz. Enough for 300 liters.