Water Filtering

[Rigormortis]

Wondering what type water purification is used by different hikers.

[JC785]

Kataydn (sp?) Hiker Pro, works like a charm.

[Phreak]

First Need XL Purifer

[montysano]

First Need.  Except when I'm deep in the Sipsey.  Then: nothing.

[DavidR]

I've used MSR Sweetwater for years. I generally filter a gallon when I set up camp and that lasts till I break for the next day of hiking.

[4x4]

Bleach

[Firedog]

Kataydn Hiker Pro

[Magic City Matt]

We've used the first need for a couple of years now but have found that when things go wrong with it things go wrong pretty quick. We like it but are switching to a less heavy chemical and filter set up. Aqua Mira and the Aqua Mira Frontier Pro. We have some friends who use this combo and have been pretty impressed with the relative cheapness and low weight. When things go wrong you throw it out and get a new one. The chemicals can stand alone if you lose the filter mid hike so it has it's own built in fail safe.


M

[Nalgene Ninja]

Been using a Steripen Classic for 2 years now, very satisfied with it.

[Rob]

Primarily I use the Katadyn Hiker Pro, Ocassionally, depending where I'm at, I don't treat at all, I have not encountered any problems as a result, so far. I carry iodine tabs for emergency use.

[Cuffs]

Hmmm poll does not allow for more that one choice.  I vary my purification depending on the situation.

Katadyn Hiker Pro
SteriPen
AquaMira
MSR Sweetwater
Boiling
Nothing

[luke724]

I am new to backpacking and have noticed that some of you guys don't treat water at all. I suppose that you are drinking water from mountain springs, when you find them, if not treating. I am trying to decide which filtration system I want and need. I have a friend that only uses a couple of drops of bleach per liter and didn't have any problems his AT thru hike. I am probably going to get a pump style, but I like hiking in mountains and would like to carry the least amount possible. My question is that bleach is lightest in a visine bottle, so is the pump system really worth the $? Thanks for all of the replies to this thread, it helping tremendously on my choice.

[4x4]

On my AT thu-hike this year, I didn't treat my water until I got to Damascus. However, by then, I had contracted Giardia and had to take 4 days off (not a bad town to take a few zero's in). After I was healed, I started using Aquamira up until the Whites. From there I used bleach drops because they were lighter and it cheap to fill my visine bottle up in towns (just go to a laundrymat and get a little bleach from a nearby fellow). Just my two cents.

On another note, since the Pinhoti is in lower elevations, I would suggest a filter. We had a motto on the trail, "Anything less than 3000 ft, treat w/ bleach,Aquamira, or filter.

[Magic City Matt]

I am new to backpacking and have noticed that some of you guys don't treat water at all. I suppose that you are drinking water from mountain springs, when you find them, if not treating.

Yes, occasionally you do run into a remote spring that has water that is just as pure as can be and contains no dangerous pathogens. This is the exception though and not the rule. The rule is you don't know where that water has been or where it came from so it is always safer to treat it. There are only two times you should feel comfortable enough to disobey this rule. The first is if you are suffering from dehydration symptoms and are without a treatment option. The other is if you can confirm the waters purity through other means which is very rare and should always be treated with great care. Understand that most of the time if you have drank bad water it will take a few days for symptoms of the two primary culprits (Giardia or Cryptosporidium) to set in so get out of the woods and get to a doctor ASAP.
You will hear lots of people tell stories about how they think that the whole water treatment issue is over blown and how they do little more than run their water through a hanky. Statistically speaking yes you are not highly likely to get a bug from drinking untreated water once or twice over the course of a few years. There are two factors at work here. The first being your bodies immune system and the second being your level of exposure. Both are a convoluted mess of numbers that I am not going to try to get into without a virologist standing over my right shoulder and a statistician over my left. All I can say is "Do you feel lucky.... Well Do ya?".
Another fun myth I hear fairly regularly is the "We don't have that here" myth. Rest assured that no matter where you go, There it is. Giardia is found almost everywhere there are animals and crypto well... Here is a little clip from the CDC Crypto fact sheet.
"Cryptosporidium parasites are found in every region of the United States and throughout the world. Travelers to developing countries may be at greater risk for infection because of poorer water treatment and food sanitation, but cryptosporidiosi s occurs worldwide. In the United States, an estimated 300,000 cases of cryptosporidiosi s occur each year."

I am trying to decide which filtration system I want and need. I have a friend that only uses a couple of drops of bleach per liter and didn't have any problems his AT thru hike. I am probably going to get a pump style, but I like hiking in mountains and would like to carry the least amount possible. My question is that bleach is lightest in a visine bottle, so is the pump system really worth the $? Thanks for all of the replies to this thread, it helping tremendously on my choice.

You know they all work pretty good and it really boils down (excuse the pun) to your preference. There are some factors to keep in mind and like Cuffs said it is best to suit the tool to the need. These days you really have 6 primary means of water treatment.

There is the Glass membrane or fiber filter method. Which is a relatively new method utilizing what is effectively fiberglass sheets or paralel strands condensed together to filter out the bugs . The paralel strand method is more susceptible to damage from freezing so be carful about taking them out in the cold. This is the method used by the MSR hyperflow and the Platypus gravity filter systems.

Then there is the Ceramic filter systems like the Katadyn Pocket. These systems are designed to last a long time and are typically expensive and heavy but are fairly insusceptible damage from cold and are easy to care for by simply cleaning with a sponge and known clean water.

The activated charcoal filtering is typically used in conjunction with one of the other two filter systems I have mentioned already and is basically only there to make the water taste better and to help lower the amount of some chemicals in it. The Katadyn Hiker Pro and Aquamira Frontier Pro both have a fiberglass filter matrix and activated charcoal. The Frontier Pro really is not ment to be a stand alone system though as it only filters down to a nominal level before the charcoal filtering takes place and really should be used in conjunction with a chemical system in an as need be to make the water clearer or taste better situation.

Chemical methods are always a great ultralight method of purifying water as you typically only need to carry very small amounts to make due and most even kill viruses which is something that no filter can claim. Many people like iodine because of it's relative cheapness and ease of use. Something you should know before hand though is that it does not treat for Cryptosporidium. To me the bad taste and that makes it not worth it. Bleach is typically a little better but there is still the chance that resistant pathogens make it through. The EPA only recommends bleach be used in emergency situations for a good reason, That reason being that Chlorine bleach is a very strong chemical and good ole Clorox in high enough concentrations over a long enough period of time can damage your kidneys and liver pretty bad. Katadyn Micropur classic tabs use Sodium silver chloride (I am not very familiar with the new Forte' tabs) and Aqua Mira uses Chlorine Dioxide as their method for killing the bugs. Do not let any body fool you into believing that Chlorine Dioxide contains Chlorine. Any one who does needs to be sent back to 6th grade physical science class. With any chemical treatment you should try to first get the water as clear as possible. That light green color to the water is typically a slime layer that both Giardia and Crypto use to hang out and protect themselves with. Running the water through a coffee filter or cloth folded several times is usually enough to get it good and clear. The other factor is temperature. The colder it is the longer you wait for your water.

UV light treatment is making its way in the world and is proving pretty effective. It kills everything even viruses, does not flavor the water, and is fast. It does however leave you a slave to batteries because it take a pretty good amount of juice to power those high intensity bulbs needed to kill the little buggers. It also requires that the water be as clear as possible which requires a pretty good amount of prefiltering in order to get truly good results. It will also not do anything to make your water taste any better like a activated charcoal filter will.

Boiling is the old tried and true of all purification methods. Maintaining a boil for 3 minutes should kill just about anything and even help get rid of most harmful alcohols or halogens that can sometimes end up in water. When all else fails this is the best hope you have.  

Now keep in mind that none of these methods are 100% effective. They all will only kill most of the bugs. It is up to your immune system to do the rest. You do remember what I said about "level of exposure" right? If you for some reason already have a compromised immune system like an autoimmune deficiency or are on steroids, antibiotics, or other similar drugs you should be extra careful and call your doc to see what they think before even going out there.

I don't know that I would drink anything that came out of a Visine bottle as the chemicals in Visine have a lasting laxative effect even after washing the bottle. You can order samples from these guys for free and get a couple of vials and droppers for free. They allow you to order up to 18 samples. But they wil only send one of each item so don't try to get them to send lots of the same thing. http://www.qosina.com/cat...ials%20and%20Test%20Tubes

Finally don't take all this info and go crazy with it. Like I said most of the time if you take even the most minimal measures against getting sick you will be just fine. Find the method that is best for you and use it until it either fails or you find something you like better. Neither of which carries a death sentence.

M

[jamfan]

I've been using the MSR HyperFlow for the last few years.  This is my first filter, and I'm very happy with it.

[Magic City Matt]

Here is a new something or other from Katadyn. Micropur Antichlor apparently turns chlorine into tablesalt. This is a pretty cool for a variety of reasons. It overcomes the problem of having your water taste and smell of chlorine from Clorox or other chlorine based purification methods. Salt is also a really good electrolyte which is great for when you are working up a sweat. I imagine it gives water a crisp taste as well. This is the same reason they put salt into Dasani brand bottled water. To top it off you virtually eliminate the negative effects of chlorine. They say you can even use it in regular tapwater. Awesome idea.

http://www.katadyn.com/en...cropur-antichlor-ma-100f/

M

[Cuffs]

I've been using the MSR HyperFlow for the last few years.  This is my first filter, and I'm very happy with it.

Thats a great filter except for the fact that it does not remove toxins or taste.  If it werent for that, I'd have gotten one of those too!!

[Rob]

Good points Matt. I guess I was being too literal when doing this poll. I gave info on what I do to treat or not treat water while hiking, Not what is recommended, which is the responsible view to have taken since many who are new to this are actually seeking advice. I grew up in an era when kids played outside and probably ingested almost everything that was contaminated with dirt and Lord knows what else  , so I'm sure that 50 years of exposure has desensitise me to a lot of things, although not created a complete immunity. It is always best to treat water or at least filter it to help prevent illness. Thanks for stressing this fact.

Hmmm, I wonder what might be lurking around on those condiment containers on restaurant tables. We all handle them bare handed then pick up our food with those same hands. Think about it next time you put ketchup or salt on those fries.

[bellaleo]

You can order samples from these guys for free and get a couple of vials and droppers for free. They allow you to order up to 18 samples. But they wil only send one of each item so don't try to get them to send lots of the same thing. http://www.qosina.com/cat...ials%20and%20Test%20Tubes

This is a great site. I use the hiker pro myself and was able to find and order free samples of the quick clip connectors both the male and female that is come with the hiker pro. The outfitter charges 8 bucks for a bag of those clips.

Thanks
Bella

[wirerat123]

Kat Hiker Pro here as well.  I filter all water not carried with me!  Likely over kill in some areas, but better safe then sick.

Seems the UV pens are really gaining a serious foot hold in the hiking community lately, and it's become the latest and greatest rival of this vs. this debates.