What water purification/filtration are you using for mountain hunting?

[S&S ARCHERY]

Sawyer Squeeze for me; hands down the best and easiest water filtration system I have ever used. Incredibly easy to get water, stupid lightweight for a filter at 2oz and gives me an extra pouch to carry water in places where water is scarce. Using the quick fill adapter I never have to take my bladder out of the pack which is a huge bonus. Also really cheap looking at other options on the market.

http://www.sandsarchery.com/Water-Filters-and-Purifiers-s/148.htm

Steve

 

[Black_star]

I use Swiss Katadyn Hiker Pro. I think it,s best value for money...

 

[drake7]

Aquamira tabs though I really don't like drinking pool water. Looking for better ideas on this thread!

 

[gobbler1662]

New sawyer squeeze mini for me

 

[William Hanson (live2hunt)]

Anyone use the katadyn mini ceramic? I was considering it because of longevity and the fact that it can be cleaned but I read some bad reviews on it being strenuous to use.

 

[60x]

In the mountains here in alaska I use nothing for moving water and pills for the cruddy stuff.

 

[Vance in AK]

I just picked up the Sawyer Squeeze system at Sportsman's Warehouse today with a gift card I hade been trying to figure out how to dispose of Had never seen them until I saw one in one of Stid's posts. I think it will be replacing my old standard, the Sweetwater.

 

[60x]

I just picked up the Sawyer Squeeze system at Sportsman's Warehouse today with a gift card I hade been trying to figure out how to dispose of Had never seen them until I saw one in one of Stid's posts. I think it will be replacing my old standard, the Sweetwater.

Same here .. It will me my next filter system for the lowlands.. Steve did a great job explaining how they work too.. Of course... Lol

 

[JP100]

My beard seems to filter out any leaves/bugs then its all good to drink.

 

[crumy]

I normally use Katadyn Hiker Pro because that is what I own... After a couple of scouting trips into where I was hunting, I decided that the extra weigh wasn't worth it... I brought aquamira.. (first time ever using it) and it was not as bad as I thought. My hunting partner had a sawyer inline and we would collect dirty water and filter it into the clean bags while at camp and use the aqua mira when on the go. I counter acted the "pool" taste with some handy dandy grape flavor packets.. the great value kind from wallys

Worked great. No issues. Of course I never drank water as questionable water that joe and aron did from a post earlier last year.

 

[MesaHorseCo.]

Katadyn hiker pro, with the quick disconnects to put it straight on the tube. Its pretty nice not having to fish out your bladder to top it off. I also carry an empty msr dromolite bag and fill it up when I get close to where im going. Instead of a nalgene bottle or something of that nature, I just use an arrowhead water bottle. Serves the same purpose, and it only cost 1.09 at 7-11. When its empty they smash up pretty good too.

 

[AespositoCO]

I use a General Ecology First Need XLE Elite with pre-filter when drawing from dirty sources. For a long time it was the only non chemical purifier readily available

Keep in mind the difference between filter and purify. Filters have a structure/membrane with really small holes that are large enough to allow the water molecules to go through but small enough to stop the protozoa and bacteria from going through and thus remove the bad things from the water. A Purifier will also remove viruses in addition to protozoa and bacteria. This issue of removing viruses is not as big a deal when pulling water from as close to the source of a creek or river, i.e.snow melt , but is a bigger deal as you get closer to the ocean where the water has passed through several human developments (towns and cities). It is also a bigger deal in most third world countries that do not treat their waste water as well as developed countries. From what I have seen recently there are more options with Sawyer having a gravity option and Camelbak and Katyden going with a water bottle route. MSR has the Sweetwater with purifying option, but this is strictly a filter that you have to then add chemicals to in order to purify. One of the pluses about the First Need is that it will work as a pump or you can use the stuff bag as a gravity purifier.

As far as the steripens go, they do not filter water, but they will purify water . I work in the water field and spoke with one of the leading UV treatement technical experts about the use of steripens for back country use. He was adamant about not using them and he gave me the following reason. They use a UV light treatment method to destroy the contaminants that are in the water and that is only if you have completely clear water. This type of treatment requires the contaminants to be exposed to the UV light for a minimum amount of time. If you use the Steripen on water that has any floating particles in it (wether or not the particles are visible), the contaminants will not be exposed to the UV light for a long enough time and will not be able kill everything in the water. On top of that, they only work if you have batteries for them.

As many of you have already mentioned Iodine or Aquamira should always be carried as at least a back up to a filter or purifier. The only absolutely surefire water treatment out there that will kill everything is boiling of water.

 

[Violent Hippie]

MSR sweetwater with no problems , iodine liquid and pills with bandana for filter I have used alot with no problems and of course boiling with a metal water bottle or pot work great. I just got back from a 2 nighter were I just boiled in my Klean Canteen on my cook fire with no problem. Boiling works great although a little time consuming. Actually only ned to bring it to a boil and let cool off.

 

[charvey9]

I had used a Sawyer Gravity feed system for several years with excellent results. Although I used it mostly for solo adventures, it is perfect for a couple people to use at a base camp. A few summers ago my brother and I hiked the 48 miles across Isle Royale, using it as our only water filter. It was an extremely fast, 1 person operation that made it easy for 1 of us to cook while the other handled the water and limited the amount of time we had to stop hiking.

I really like being able to let the water filter while doing other things around camp or just stopping for lunch. I've found that if water is easier to filter, you'll use more and stay better hydrated. Last year in our 2 man spike camp, we just kept filling up the "dirty" bladder after every batch and always had it waiting to filter as soon as our clean bladder was used up. One down side I found last year was that the filter can freeze up overnight, so if the temperature is going to drop flush the system out before heading to bed.

Although I was a fan of the Sawyer, i just switched to the Playtapus system and it is WAY better. 5 ounces lighter than the sawyer (2L option), and that is with the pouch, all filter accessories, and both 2L bladders....which you probably won't need. The filter itself is extremely light, and you can customize your options to filter directly into any of the Platypus bladders or bottles with the accessories provided in the kit.

I have my filter kit set up with the 2L dirty bladder, filter, and softbottle attachement. I leave included 2L soft bladder at home, and just filter directly into my 3L hoser bladder, and then also pack a 1L softbottle for mixing energy drink. All together, this system saved me about 8 ounces off my Sawyer setup and it packs much smaller.

I also still pack the Vapur 1L filter/bottle at times. At 2.3 ounces, it is perfect when you know you'll have access to water throughout the day and don't need to filter/pack a lot of water to get you through the day. In a pinch it can also be used as a squeeze type filter if needed, but it is slow and kind of a pain in the ass to do a lot of water at once.

 

[cleatus]

Sawyer in line on a msr droomlite. Also have a katadyn hiker pro for really nasty water. I carry some tablets also. I know it's a little crazy to carry a backup for the backup, but water is king.

 

[16Bore]

I use Swiss Katadyn Hiker Pro. I think it,s best value for money...

Yup. Easy peasy, could almost consider it a luxury item. Been wanting to try the tablets, but just can't seem to get on board with it.

 

[DanB]

After reading many reviews and with weight as a concern, I have picked up a Sawyer Squeeze. You just cant beat 3oz and the idea of never replacing the filter is awesome!

 

[Hunt'nFish]

I use a squeeze on the trail, gravity at base, and pills for really really bad water.
My only complaint is that the Sawyer Mini can't screw inside a traditional mt. bike water bottle.
I grew up using the Safewater & Bota filters that drop into a water bottle. I find that it's easy for me to refill them faster on the trail than pulling out the bladder to refill. And I've never liked pulling out a pump to back fill my bladder.
Personally I would like to see Sawyer do their version of the drop-in Bota style filter simply because I know the Bota filters don't filer small enough to catch the viruses. Fortunately the water I find myself around doesn't seem to contain viruses and I'm fine just filtering for the larger bugs.
Hunt'nFish

 

[16Bore]

After reading many reviews and with weight as a concern, I have picked up a Sawyer Squeeze. You just cant beat 3oz and the idea of never replacing the filter is awesome!

Saw those at Walmart for $30, definitely worth a try.

 

[idelkslayer]

My primary purification method is boiling which I do every night at camp and fill all of my containers, if during the day I am running low I use tablets.