A hand-held water filtration pump with backup/repair parts, another larger foot powered one and iodine tabs...and you should already have a stove for boiling water.
Tablets are cheap and plentiful. You can use bleach as well, which is very cheap. This, coupled with boiling is probably the most inexpensive method to render sanitized potable.
There really is no cheap water filter that will hold up to real world use. There are some decent ones that are portable and easy to use, but they cost and require regular maint. For that, filters offer the best solution in terms of taste and clean look.
Very few methods will render potable from chemically contaminated water. Distillation is your only real option there, but that is a whole level above if you intend to live off the supply for extended periods.
Methods I use when backpacking are bleach and boil. I have a small handheld filter picked up from REI for $60 that is entirely plastic. Lightweight, but not robust enough for more than occasional personal use. My neighbor has a "sun still" for distilling rain water. It is a stationary thing with no portability at all.
Tablets are cheap and plentiful. You can use bleach as well, which is very cheap. This, coupled with boiling is probably the most inexpensive method to render sanitized potable.
There really is no cheap water filter that will hold up to real world use. There are some decent ones that are portable and easy to use, but they cost and require regular maint. For that, filters offer the best solution in terms of taste and clean look.
Very few methods will render potable from chemically contaminated water. Distillation is your only real option there, but that is a whole level above if you intend to live off the supply for extended periods.
Methods I use when backpacking are bleach and boil. I have a small handheld filter picked up from REI for $60 that is entirely plastic. Lightweight, but not robust enough for more than occasional personal use. My neighbor has a "sun still" for distilling rain water. It is a stationary thing with no portability at all.
