Flashpacker Guide to Packing a Laptop Backpack With Travel Gadgets

World travelers say, "Don't drink the water," for a good reason -- millions of squirmy, scummy reasons, in fact. Don't be scared; do be practical, don't drink straight from the tap in developing countries unless you know the water's okay, don't eat fly-festooned food and dp consider using one of your backpack's elasticized side pockets for a water bottle purifier and strain your own drinking water to avoid gut-wrenching encounters with the developing world's water.

Katadyn Exstream Purifier Bottle

Cartridge system inside the water bottle strains gunk and eliminates bacteria in tap, river or lake water.

• Kills over 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and over 99.99% of waterborne viruses (U.S. EPA microbial water purification protocol)
  
• Kills over 99.9% of waterborne cysts and other creepy living things like Giardia and Cryptosporidium
  
• 26 gallons per cartridge
  
• Filters odor-causing, crummy tasting sediment

  

Lifestraw

Quite a concept -- a filtering drinking straw that can keep many open water bugs at bay. Doesn't kill Giardia (hate that stuff), but Medgadget says it works (and features a photo of a fellow sipping straight from a third world river).

• Read Medgadget's Review
• About Lifestraw and manufacturer's website
• Donate or Buy Lifestraw

More on water, food and travel health: ]ul]

What Water Borne Diseases Are (ewww) and Avoiding Them When Traveling

Lastly, let's lock up all these travel tech gadgets and get a tip for keeping your laptop backpack safe, too.