Options for securing water at sea during emergency situations have traditionally been limited to solar stills, catchment systems, portable reverse osmosis units, or pre-staging water jugs and jerry cans. These methods all have downsides, however: Solar stills are typically fragile and work poorly in cold or rough weather; manual reverse osmosis units are expensive and require maintenance and considerable effort to operate; catchment systems are weather dependent; and jerry cans are bulky, heavy, and don’t make more water.

There is a fifth choice: Manta Ventures’ SeaPack, a passive, forward-osmosis emergency desalination system. Developed in concert with the U.S. Department of Defense, SeaPack converts saltwater (as well as brackish, muddy, or questionable…