Skip to main content

Filter promises to let you drink from almost any water source — even urine

FIXT Nomad
Outdoors lovers have a new tool for creating drinkable water with the Fixt Nomad, an intriguing water filter device that promises to let you safely drink out of any non-salt water source.
Recommended Videos

Public toilets? Check. Stagnant ponds? You bet. Your own urine? Whatever floats your boat! In all cases, you don’t need to worry, since the pocket-sized Fixt Nomad claims it will filter out bacteria, viruses, and any other contaminants.

The pocket-sized filter can be used to purify a single glass of water, attached to a Camelbak or water bladder to purify en masse, or — if that’s not enough — screwed onto your hot water tank to provide hundreds of gallons of clean water in the event of a water outage.

“It uses ionic adsorption, combined with an iodinated resin to kill 99.9999 percent of bacteria and viruses,” creator Ian Stanley told Digital Trends. “Plus, it pulls all the other contaminants through a tortuous path that ensures nothing bad gets through, all while increasing the pH up to a 9.5 to ensure your water is alkaline.”

Image used with permission by copyright holder

As an outdoors type, Stanley said he came up with the concept as a way of offering people a “self-reliance” tool that could potentially save their life. “I know water is the difference between life and death in a bad situation,” he said. “We had already made a straw but I wanted something more. That’s how the Nomad was born. I wrestled with quite a few different names, but ultimately called it the Nomad because no smart traveler or outdoorsman or woman should ever leave home without it.”

We haven’t yet got our hands on a Fixt Nomad, but it certainly sounds interesting. If you want to find out more about the project, and potentially even pre-order one of your own, you can do so on Indiegogo. Prices start at $56, with a shipping date set for December of this year — just in time for Christmas. Will it work as well as Stanley claims? We’ll answer that question once we’ve gotten to try it for ourselves, but we certainly hope so. Otherwise, he’s ingested a whole lot of unpurified toilet water.

Luke Dormehl
Former Digital Trends Contributor
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Hyundai 2025 Ioniq 5 is under $44,000, with more range and NACS port
hyundai ioniq 5 44000 nacs 64149 large631652025ioniq5xrt

Hyundai is on a roll. In October, the South Korean manufacturer posted its best U.S. sales ever, largely driven by sales of its popular Ioniq 5 electric SUV.

Now, all eyes are on the Ioniq 5’s 2025 model, which is set to become available at dealerships before year-end. As Digital Trends previously reported, the crossover model adds a more rugged-looking trim level called XRT and provides additional driving range as well as new charging options.

Read more
Mazda confirms a hybrid CX-5 and electric SUV are on the way
mazda hybrid cx 5 electric suv 2024 arata concept 4

Mazda might be making headway in the pursuit of bringing back an electric vehicle (EV) stateside.

Ever since it discontinued the MX-30 EV in the U.S. last year, the Japanese automaker has had zero EV offerings for potential U.S. customers.

Read more
Range Rover’s first electric SUV has 48,000 pre-orders
Land Rover Range Rover Velar SVAutobiography Dynamic Edition

Range Rover, the brand made famous for its British-styled, luxury, all-terrain SUVs, is keen to show it means business about going electric.

And, according to the most recent investor presentation by parent company JLR, that’s all because Range Rover fans are showing the way. Not only was demand for Range Rover’s hybrid vehicles up 29% in the last six months, but customers are buying hybrids “as a stepping stone towards battery electric vehicles,” the company says.

Read more