Many companies want us to think their products are world - changing, but few items live up to such lofty claims. After seeing the PUR CLEAN DRINKING WATER KIT ($30 ) in action, however, we believe it could be a monumental innovation. Essentially an entire water treatment facility shoehorned into a tiny packet, this system swiftly kills or removes bacteria, parasites, dirt, viruses, pollutants and toxic metals.

You add the pouch's contents to water ( a single packet cleans about 2.5 gal. ), wait a few minutes, run the mixture through a cloth rag and then drink up. the key ingredient: iron sulfate particles that bind dirt and pollutants into tight clumps, which are trapped by the cloth filter. We tested the purifier on muddy, E. coli - infected water. Within minutes, we were drinking clear liquid that the company claims is safer than bottled water, although it tasted like chlorine.

The purifier was created for developing nations, where test runs resulted in fewer cases of cholera and other diseases. Now it's available statewide, useful for camping or emergencies. purpurifierofwater.com