Do you ALWAYS filter/treat your water??

[actionshooter]

I'm just curious what others do, always or "almost always". I sometimes hear guys saying they don't bother filtering water for various reasons. Do you not filter depending on location?
I'm guilty of not filtering water sometimes at springs, but I would say I filter 98% of the time.

What do you do?

 

[Brock A]

I always do, the risk of catching something up there just isn't worth it.

 

[Pilgrim]

I always do, the risk of catching something up there just isn't worth it.

Same here. I will always use either tablets or Katadyn. Just not worth the risk.

 

[Matt Cashell]

We had a long interesting thread on this some time back.

I learned a lot, and most water is likely safe, but I still filter, purify, or treat ... always.

 

[Rocky]

Always filter

 

[actionshooter]

We had a long interesting thread on this some time back.

I learned a lot, and most water is likely safe, but I still filter, purify, or treat ... always.

Hey BB, I was wondering if this has been covered, but I found this interesting article which is why I wanted every ones thoughts.

http://bucktrack.blogspot.com/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10737847

 

[O'Really]

Never filter...

 

[Pilgrim]

Hey BB, I was wondering if this has been covered, but I found this interesting article which is why I wanted every ones thoughts.

http://bucktrack.blogspot.com/

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10737847

However rare the contraction of giardia is, it effects individuals differently. It could be anything from a bad case of the squirts to a life-long ailment, literally. The problem is, you won't know until you get it. I choose not to leave that to chance.

 

[Beastmode]

I always filter. On of the old guys I know was a water chemist and explained all about what beaver fever will do to someone. NO THANKS! I know for a fact that most water is safe because I have watched my dad drink from mountain streams with no problems ever. I know some may call me paranoid but that's just one of the things I don't like to take shortcuts on.

 

[jherald]

I've drank water unfiltered often and never been sick BUT it has only neen in locations where I knew it was safe. There is one area in particular where I have never filtered the water and have never been sick. It was even tested for bacteria and it was tested clean. That area is one of the few exceptions. 98% of the rest of the time it gets filtered. Just know the facts of where you are and if you dont know for fact, err on the side of caution and filter.

 

[Craig Van Arsdale]

I drank out of a lot of streams as a kid with my dad and never got sick but now that I know more about it i always filter. I have got some pretty rough cases of travelers flu and want nothing to do with that type of sickness in the backcountry.

 

[blb078]

This fall I'll have a Katadyn Vario and Aquamira drops. Prob don't need both but I'm not gonna take a chance of having to walk around with drip drip ass.

 

[Randle]

I got sick 1 time in Colorado and wont chance that again, I always filter or treat. I have traveled in enough backcountry and overseas and it is not worth it.

 

[muleymemories]

It all depends on location for me... which shouldn't matter, right? I think I get lazy and just trust the water is fine.... never been sick to this date.

 

[littlebuf]

when im gathering water for camp its usually about the same time every day and I treat with aqua mira.its just in the kit im getting water with. but I often drink from streams in the field and I never worry when I find a spring right out of the ground. theres a few around where I elk hunt coming right out of the ground and you couldn't ask for better water than that. it is good practice to filter though, I only pack so much toilet paper

 

[dbaker]

where we frequent in colorado you can see the water come right out of the mountain in several places. we don't use a filter. we would in areas where we don't know the origin or travel of the water.

 

[Darren Best]

Always filter and always have hand sanitizer and use it.

 

[robby denning]

If I'm in an area with sheepherders, I always ask them "la agua bueno?". Same with outfitters. If they're drinking it, then I do.
Any area I'm new to, I always filter and/or treat.

 

[sk1]

always filter, i cant imagine a long hike out and ruining a hunt due to a horrible case of the hershey squirts

 

[Trout bum]

In Colorado I always filter, use tablets or bring water to rolling boil. Rolling boil for coffee when fuel efficiency is a non issue. No sense, in my mind anyway, to risk Giardia. Never had a case but friends have and it affects people differently; but it's all bad. +1 on the hand sanitizer as well.