Water purification

[Matt W.]

Chlorine Dioxide tabs are my go to as well. Almost weightless, and very little bad taste to the water (provided you wait about an hour before you drink it.)

I typically bring a bunch of Chlorine Dioxide tabs and a small MSR Trailshot for when I can only find really nasty water.

How does that Trailshot work for you? Looking forward to trying ours out, but curious what you thought of it?

 

[cuerro viejo]

Thanks everyone. As far as water sources go, we're looking at small streams and natural lakes. I really like the idea of the gravity fed water filtration system, but I'm worried about them freezing. We will be up around 8500 feet in elevation in November. Any way to keep them from freezing? The squeeze deals seem like they'd work pretty good for us.

The gaurdian isn’t damaged by freeze. It’s not lite but you can filter a lot of water quick.

I tend to put it in my buddies pack though

 

[ssssnake529]

How does that Trailshot work for you? Looking forward to trying ours out, but curious what you thought of it?

Trailshot works fine. It's not a super high capacity filter, but it's fine for 1 or 2 people. Doesn't clog too easily, and easy to clean the filter if the flow does start to slow. Got to be careful not to store it wet in sub freezing weather.

For my purposes (primarily used as a back up for chlorine dioxide tablets) it's about perfect.

 

[the0thermrt]

Love my First Need XLE. great for slurping water from small trickle pools here in CA. Pump is a double action so it's super fast, or you can setup gravity feed with a bladder for basecamp.

 

[Fishhead]

Tablets all the way... Weigh nothing and don't freeze. If i am in an unfamiliar area i will bring a filter.

 

[elkadictmark]

Thanks everyone. As far as water sources go, we're looking at small streams and natural lakes. I really like the idea of the gravity fed water filtration system, but I'm worried about them freezing. We will be up around 8500 feet in elevation in November. Any way to keep them from freezing? The squeeze deals seem like they'd work pretty good for us.

Not to complicate things, but you might consider going with a water bottle instead of a hydration bladder that late in the season. I have had problems with my water line (insulated) freezing solid and not being able to drink until I could thaw it out.

 

[Owenst7]

Aquatabs. Saves weight, no hassle, and they work.

Read the directions carefully. Chlorine dioxide requires four hours to kill crypto (which does occur where I'm at in the Sierras), and they aren't as effective with murky water. Not that they aren't an effective method, but they have limitations that a lot of people ignore. The 15-30 minutes that most people observe is tested on potable water (per a statement from the COO of AM on Backpackinglight). Obviously it works most of the time, but so does drinking high elevation water untreated.

I use a Sawyer and just keep it in my pocket all the time. I dump my water out when I'm hiking along water sources and just fill a bottle and drink through the filter. Saves a bunch of weight since I can filter it as I drink. When I'm away from water, I can filter 3 liters in a few minutes. I think it does about a liter a minute without squeezing if you just hang it from a branch upside down. I use the female-to-female adapter and screw a Smartwater bottle on to it, and I can thread the squirt top from the bottle on to the filter for when I'm drinking from the filter.

I have a mini also, but mostly use it for day hikes. It works great if you're drinking directly from it, but I'll sacrifice the extra ounce for the flow rate of the full size unit if I'm planning on being out for multiple days.

Every purification system has certain limitations in what it will protect you from, so it's important to know what contaminants may be in your water and what your system will protect you from. For instance, Boundary Waters is known for having tapeworms and Steripens and I believe chem treatments will not work with them, or you will need to modify your treatment procedure. On the other hand, the Sawyer won't work against viruses like Hep, so you wouldn't want to use them in areas with human contaminated waters like maybe Mexico or something.

 

[Squirrels]

The katadyn befree I posted the amazon link to is nice. I bought the 3 L and haven’t used it but my hunting partner used the 1L or .5L version last year (which uses the exact same filter). Thing worked great and was about the simplest thing to use and fast. After the first day we used it pretty exclusively. I left my steripen in my pack the rest of the trip and have since sold it.


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[the0thermrt]

I also forgot to mention that some people ( me included) have GI issues with Aquamira tabs/drops. It's like curry slurry.

 

[wyelkhunter]

Amazon.com : MSR TrailShot Pocket-Sized Water Filter for Hiking, Camping, Travel, and Emergency Preparedness : Sports & Outdoors[/URL]
Seemed like it would be faster than the Sawyer, but certainly more expensive.... I think we hit a sale and paid around $35 or so.

not sure how. trail shot rated at 1L per minuter and sawyer at 1.7L per minute.

 

[Brendan]

I personally hated the Sawyer, except as part of a gravity fed system left at camp, where I could hang it to filter while doing other things.

In the field I prefer the steripen and some emergency tabs, as a backup to that I have a pump at the truck.

 

[Matt W.]

not sure how. trail shot rated at 1L per minuter and sawyer at 1.7L per minute.

I was thinking of it in terms of ease of use. I have used the Sawyer because its light and simple, not because I really like how it works. : )
Sticking the trail shot in some water seems simpler than filling a bag over and over. I really haven't had the time to test the two at the same time. My gear is spread across 2 states and 3 locations right now, so finding mine to do a comparison is going to have to wait until I get back to a normal schedule.

 

[wyelkhunter]

I have not compared the sawyer to the trail shot but i can fill my 3L bag as fast with my sawyer as my brother does with his katydyn hiker pro pump. And the sawyer is a lot lighter. Both have adapters to fill through the hose

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