"I just don’t want backpackers out there using the liquid and having a false sense of security. As such, the brand is not irrelevant. A certain concentration level and contact time is needed. A weak mixture of chlorine dioxide just isn’t going to kill the nasties."

For me the right decision data includes both theoretical and empirical. Empirically --- i.e., from experience of my own and that of a lot of happy A.M. users that I've known --- A.M. seems to be a fine solution. Certainly in murkier or otherwise more doubtful water situations (herd of cows just upstream ...), and/or in particularly cold water the user has the option of increasing the dosage or increasing the treatment time or both.

The really tough thing in assessing collective "user experience", however, is the fact that not getting sick doesn't say much, and unfortunately, *getting* sick doesn't say much either, given incubation period and other hygiene issues that can also cause gastro distress. We unfortunately are always making somewhat of a stab at assessing our experiences at obtaining sufficiently clean drinking water.

I'm not trying to convert anyone here, just saying that A.M. remains my choice in most situations.