good find, shipping would probably kill it for me though.  If anyone finds this locally, let everyone know.

There is algae in the potable water tanks on military ships. I am pretty sure it just filters the water.

I think you're right.  The water on my boat tasted like crap for the first few months after we were in the yards and got our potable tanks all cleaned out and painted up all spiffy.  Once the algae gets a chance to grow in there it tastes like it's supposed to. 

It seems like it would be prudent to have a water purifier, even though they're pretty expensive, so I'm looking them over online.  It seems pretty likely that if we got tsunami'ed, most of the accessible water would be contaminated with sea water.  Just wondering, are there any practical water purifiers out there that can also desalinate water, or would I be better off with a big bucket, small bucket, and Saran-Wrap setup combined with a sterilizer like the SteriPen?  I'm having a pretty difficult time finding anything useful for making potable water out of sea water.  The closest thing I found was some kind of straw thing-a-ma-jig that had an RO filter in it, and somehow used sugar to help get rid of the salt.  Bottom line is, it's not sustainable, unless you're willing to buy a ton of them, plus it makes the water into some sort of sugary drink. 

I guess if I can't find anything, I'll combine some storage with a SteriPen, and if the water's contaminated with salt, then I guess my kid will get a head start on her science fair project with a DIY solar still.  Or, I could buy this thing.

Try researching "Big Berkey" filters.  You can either buy the classy stainless steel containers or make your own by using the berkey filters and home brew a container out of 5 gal buckets. The stainless is a bit pricey, but would be a nice addition to any kitchen.

As for desalination, there's a technique where you put a clear plastic tarp over a kiddie pool of cruddy water.  The water evaporates and clings to the plastic tarp leaving the crud behind.  The tarp would have to be situated in such a way that the water drips into a container in the middle (higher in the edges and lower in the middle).  I've never tried it though.  I've heard the yield is not very good, but if that's all you got...

for those of you that are interested in the waterbrick, the company sells it through amazon. the shipping is minimal compared to the company's website. for 14 containers the shipping was 11.50.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0053GVRWQ/?tag=2ahawaii-20

my father wants the tan colored ones, so i'm trying to order them from this company. i'll find out if their shipping is free. if it is free they are cheaper than the amazon deal, esp if you have a large order.

http://stores.mysunandshield.com/-strse-STORAGE-%26-CONTAINERS/Categories.bok

* i'm sure the containers are coming snail mail style though. my order through amazon is expected to come in at the end of the month.

for those of you that are interested in the waterbrick, the company sells it through amazon. the shipping is minimal compared to the company's website. for 14 containers the shipping was 11.50.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0053GVRWQ/?tag=2ahawaii-20

my father wants the tan colored ones, so i'm trying to order them from this company. i'll find out if their shipping is free. if it is free they are cheaper than the amazon deal, esp if you have a large order.

http://stores.mysunandshield.com/-strse-STORAGE-%26-CONTAINERS/Categories.bok

* i'm sure the containers are coming snail mail style though. my order through amazon is expected to come in at the end of the month.

2 words...GROUP BUY.

You can usually find better prices and shipping deals by increasing your buying power. Get 10 people interested in buying 10 each (or 20).

Wow this is a really great looking product. I might go for the tan ones too. Not into the blue stuff.

Honolulu emergency management recommends the water bob if you have a tub. www.waterbob.com