Water purification, filter or drops?

[>>>---WW---->]

I use chlorine dioxide tablets. I have had to drink out of some yuck spots similar to Davids pic. Couple years ago Pronghorn hunting I ran out of water. The waterhole was about as gross as it gets. Dead birds and all. THe chlorine dioxide tablets kill everything thou!

Dang Justin! Ain't no way I'm drinking out of a waterhole with dead birds in it. Something seriously wrong with that water source. But to be honest, I have filtered some pretty nasty stuff where cattle had made the water just plum smelly!

 

[sojourner]

I've been backpacking in northern California for 20 years and my dad was doing it for another 20 years before he started taking me and we've never once carried a filter or treatment tablets. Never has one of us (or my brothers) gotten sick. We are usually between 5800-9000 feet. I see some of you guys talking about hunting/camping at 9000-12000 feet. is the water that much worse in Colorado? What do you think makes the difference? Have any of you ever gotten sick? Just curious. It may be too that we get more rain here so there is usually more running water, although your snow-pack probably lasts longer. Is anyone else like me and just plan on finding good water along the way and boil in a worst case scenario?

 

[Matt Cashell]

I've been backpacking in northern California for 20 years and my dad was doing it for another 20 years before he started taking me and we've never once carried a filter or treatment tablets. Never has one of us (or my brothers) gotten sick. We are usually between 5800-9000 feet. I see some of you guys talking about hunting/camping at 9000-12000 feet. is the water that much worse in Colorado? What do you think makes the difference? Have any of you ever gotten sick? Just curious. It may be too that we get more rain here so there is usually more running water, although your snow-pack probably lasts longer. Is anyone else like me and just plan on finding good water along the way and boil in a worst case scenario?

I have an aquaintance that used to make this same argument, except he threw his grandfather not getting sick in as well. A few years ago he got Giardia. Now he takes a filter.

 

[Rick Seymour]

I too had to drink out of a chit hole for 3 days. Water filter was cracked did not know. Caught a virus and developed Alopechia. Lost all my hair for over 1/2 year. My dome looked like Aron's.....that sounds scary. ;^) Filter your water

 

[sojourner]

I have an aquaintance that used to make this same argument, except he threw his grandfather not getting sick in as well. A few years ago he got Giardia. Now he takes a filter.

I guess i wasn't trying to claim there's something in my genes, I was just saying that in the number of times we've gone, we haven't had problems finding clean water. I do agree that it will just take one time to change my perspective. There have been two places where we camped over the years and I wasn't comfortable with the water situation so I boiled it.

 

[Aron Snyder]

My head is damn sexy.....but I've gotten giardia and cryptosporidium, so maybe that's why my head is the size of a small planet.

 

[Matt Cashell]

I guess i wasn't trying to claim there's something in my genes, I was just saying that in the number of times we've gone, we haven't had problems finding clean water. I do agree that it will just take one time to change my perspective. There have been two places where we camped over the years and I wasn't comfortable with the water situation so I boiled it.

I wasn't referring to anything genetic. He was talking about how his family had camped in the same areas drinking from the same water sources for decades, and never gotten sick. It only takes one contaminated pika turd ... and then it's the s**ts. Better safe than sorry, in my view. My Steripen is only a few measly ounces.

 

[Aron Snyder]

On a side note

If anyone needs to loose weight, than I highly suggest getting on the Jenny Giardia diet....it works miracles!

Just kidding, but seriously, you'll loose a lot of weight

 

[dirtytough]

I have never filtered or treated water before. If I was to buy a filter or treatment system which would you buy? It needs to be lightweight if I'm going to pack it.

 

[BuckSnort]

Have you ever had any trouble with the Katadyn filter? I have had two of them now that failed when the little rubber valve on the output valve pushed through and then it doesn't get any suction. Generally I can push the little rubber valve back into place, but then I have to be careful how much pressure I put into the pump. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but I have had basically the same issue twice now.

I have a older Hiker (back when they were made by PUR) I have yet to have a problem though I do feel like it may be time for a cartridge replacement..

I had Giardia once... got it from a stream close to 11,000'.. No cattle up there so I'm assuming it was a Pika or Marmot turd that tainted it...lol

 

[Matt Cashell]

I have never filtered or treated water before. If I was to buy a filter or treatment system which would you buy? It needs to be lightweight if I'm going to pack it.

I really like the steripen option. The Adventurer Opti is all of 3.5 ounces. I do like Camelback's all-in-one UV bottle idea, though:

http://www.camelbak.com/Sports-Recreation/Purification/Intro.aspx

UV light is a highly effective sterilization technique, and works on viruses to boot.

 

[idabow]

I use a sawyer squeeze filter its about half the size of a 20 ounce soda bottle and extermely light, It uses hollow tube membranes to filter the water and it doest take expensive cartridges. I had a friend from out of state with me on my elk hunt this last september introduce me to that filter, I have a brand new MSR sweet water I left back at camp, he had this little sawyer filter and saved my bacon on one hot Idaho afternoon. He sent me a new filter of my own and I dont plane on using any other filter. It weighs a lot less than the MSR and was a LOT cheaper. Wish i would have kept the recepit on the MSR its still never been used. you can check them out at www.sawyer.com

 

[ohhiitznik]

That sawyer filter looks awesome. I might have to give that a shot. Looks to be the perfect alternative to using drops and its light as hell!

 

[Lawnboi]

Have you ever had any trouble with the Katadyn filter? I have had two of them now that failed when the little rubber valve on the output valve pushed through and then it doesn't get any suction. Generally I can push the little rubber valve back into place, but then I have to be careful how much pressure I put into the pump. Maybe I am doing something wrong, but I have had basically the same issue twice now.

I had the same thing happen to mine. Katadyn replaced it.... But I had to drink some nasty stuff, even though I had tablets.

I now use msr, atleast if that fails I can fix it.

Brings me to another point, always have a backup when your headed to the unknown.
Had I not had tablets on the trip my hikers failed it would have been no fun. I didn't have the gas to boil everything

 

[Matt Cashell]

I broke a Katadyn Hiker as well.

 

[Aron Snyder]

I'm never selling mine if you guys keep breaking yours....its gotta be a lucky one!

 

[BMB]

On a side note

If anyone needs to loose weight, than I highly suggest getting on the Jenny Giardia diet....it works miracles!

Just kidding, but seriously, you'll loose a lot of weight

yeah, as long as you can get over the constant spewing of brown fluids from uranus, it works wonders. I went down 23lbs.

 

[Curtis C]

I carry the Hiker Pro for most outings. Tablets on one night trips with a good stream.


C

 

[JSonn]

haha, the last time I got giardia I said something similiar to a doctor and he looked at me like I had horns growing out of my head

On a side note

If anyone needs to loose weight, than I highly suggest getting on the Jenny Giardia diet....it works miracles!

Just kidding, but seriously, you'll loose a lot of weight

 

[huntingbigsky]

I have used the Sweetwater system for many years and really like it.