Hesitant about drinking purified water

For use in the Mideast, and elsewhere where viruses ARE an issue, you should chemically treat the water after filtering.
 
carrot said:
And if you don't like the chemical taste, you can get an in-line carbon filter for your hydration pack.
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Carbon won't take care of viruses, so be careful with that. They are not an issue for many parts of the world though.

Chlorine dioxide will mostly neutralize itself when it is done working, so there should not be much taste left. Not many companies are using iodine anymore, since it is not as effective in the amounts they were using.
 
I believe he was suggesting that a carbon filter would remove the taste of the chlorine or iodine that killed the viruses.
 
Thomas Linton said:
I believe he was suggesting that a carbon filter would remove the taste of the chlorine or iodine that killed the viruses.
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Yes, I should have been more clear. I believe Camelbak sells one such carbon filter.

I have seen in-line purification filters for hydration packs available too, but they may be difficult to drink from.
 
Maybe I am just a little different, but I don't use filters. Take up too much space.



Big ole jugs of Clorox Bleach last me a very long time for around $1 per jug on sale. :D If I really don't trust it I'll boil it too. As far as clunky water filters? No thanks.
 
texas gun person said:
Maybe I am just a little different, but I don't use filters. Take up too much space.



Big ole jugs of Clorox Bleach last me a very long time for around $1 per jug on sale. :D If I really don't trust it I'll boil it too. As far as clunky water filters? No thanks.
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As long as you realize that bleach is ineffective against Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
 
carrot said:
Yes, I should have been more clear. I believe Camelbak sells one such carbon filter.

I have seen in-line purification filters for hydration packs available too, but they may be difficult to drink from.
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Oh, my bad.

The in line one from Camelbak is actually really nice. It uses the MSR hollow fiber filter, which has the highest flow rate of any filter I have ever seen.
 
Thomas Linton said:
As long as you realize that bleach is ineffective against Giardia and Cryptosporidium.
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How bad is Giardia? I knew a guy who was a ranger at Philmont who got it. I don't recall what the symptoms/effects were. But nothing that couldn't be cured. Anybody had Giardia or Cryptospridium?

Reason I ask is I would like to be covered against the most serious water born contaminants without going bananas. In other words I would like to stick to two sanitizing/cleaning methods, but preferably one! So far I'm leaning towards UV and Filter. If I wanted go nutty I could add bleach or boiling. But IMO I don't want to be doing all that to take a sip of water on the trail!
 
jaymeister99 said:
How bad is Giardia? I knew a guy who was a ranger at Philmont who got it. I don't recall what the symptoms/effects were. But nothing that couldn't be cured. Anybody had Giardia or Cryptospridium?

Reason I ask is I would like to be covered against the most serious water born contaminants without going bananas. In other words I would like to stick to two sanitizing/cleaning methods, but preferably one! So far I'm leaning towards UV and Filter. If I wanted go nutty I could add bleach or boiling. But IMO I don't want to be doing all that to take a sip of water on the trail!
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Giardiasis - Symptoms
Abdominal pain
Diarrhea
Gas or bloating
Headache
Loss of appetite
Low-grade fever
Nausea
Swollen or distended abdomen
Vomiting
The time between being infected and developing symptoms is 7 - 14 days. The acute phase lasts 2 - 4 weeks.
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Cryptosporidium Infection Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff

The first signs and symptoms usually appear two to seven days after infection with cryptosporidium and may include:

* Watery diarrhea
* Dehydration
* Weight loss
* Stomach cramps or pain
* Fever
* Nausea
* Vomiting

Symptoms may last for up to two weeks, though they may come and go sporadically for up to a month, even in people with healthy immune systems. Some people with cryptosporidium infection may have no symptoms.
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The thing is, what is unpleasant and time off from work when you are " at home" can be life-threatening if it hits in true wilderness.
 
Thomas Linton said:
The thing is, what is unpleasant and time off from work when you are " at home" can be life-threatening if it hits in true wilderness.
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Think I'll stick with the UV and the filter! Unlikely I would get either, but its only an extra 60-90 seconds to hit the water with UV.

Can anybody recommend a good gravity fed filter? I was looking at a Platypus Gravity Works, it weighs about the same as my Katadyn Hiker and works faster (with no pumping!)
 
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Previous posts have pretty well covered available water treatment products and methods, so I'll let that stand. I will add that you could contact the Rangers of DNF and get their water quality assessments. These will vary depending on the watershed. One drains from a previous military training area (Black Creek) and may be questionable (chemicals). One from a poultry production area (biological contamination), and one near pristine (Red Creek ). The rangers will be able to direct you to the best water sources and routes. Then use a good filter/purifier system.

Enjoy being out there and ease your mind about water quality with knowledge.
 
jaymeister99 said:
Think I'll stick with the UV and the filter! Unlikely I would get either, but its only an extra 60-90 seconds to hit the water with UV.

Can anybody recommend a good gravity fed filter? I was looking at a Platypus Gravity Works, it weighs about the same as my Katadyn Hiker and works faster (with no pumping!)
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The Platypus Clean Stream is my favorite. There is a bag labeled "Clean" and another labeled "Dirty." Can't get much easier than that. It uses the hollow fiber filter technology though, so it will not do chemicals. If you want one that can reduce chemicals with activated carbon, try the Katadyn Base Camp. It is slower and does not have the extra reservoir, so there is a bit of a trade off.
 
texas gun person said:
Maybe I am just a little different, but I don't use filters. Take up too much space.



Big ole jugs of Clorox Bleach last me a very long time for around $1 per jug on sale. :D If I really don't trust it I'll boil it too. As far as clunky water filters? No thanks.
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So a filter takes up too much space, but a big ole jug of Clorox Bleach doesn't? And how is a water filter more clunky than trying to measure the proper amount of Clorox to add to the water you're treating? Are you just guesstimating or are you accurately measuring the amount of water you're wanting treated, and then adding an accurate amount of Clorox to it? That seems more clunky than sticking a filter in it and letting it do its thing, which is the same whether you're filtering a quart of water or filtering 2 gallons of water. No measuring, no guessing required.
 
storl said:
The Platypus Clean Stream is my favorite. There is a bag labeled "Clean" and another labeled "Dirty." Can't get much easier than that. It uses the hollow fiber filter technology though, so it will not do chemicals. If you want one that can reduce chemicals with activated carbon, try the Katadyn Base Camp. It is slower and does not have the extra reservoir, so there is a bit of a trade off.
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I saw the Katadyn Base camp too. Only issue I might have was that it didn't come with the other reservoir. Is it easy to hook up another bag to the Katadyn? Platypus makes a big collapsible bag that would work great with the Katadyn (assuming they can be connected).
 
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