Leave in car water purification option(s)

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Mar 26, 2000
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I'm in central Ohio, so we get all 4 seasons here normally.

Thinking about what to leave in car for water purification that will not be affected adversely by temp swings.

I'd prefer to have dedicated set up, in addition to any carry bag/kit gear.

My thought would be that chemicals would experience degradation, I'd think, due to summer extreme highs (80's and 90's).

Mechanical, esp plastic, might become fragile in winter due to cold/plastic effect, or cracking due to freezing of any residual (missed) water. (sometimes negative numbers)

I'm weighing a Miox, as I could just cycle in new batteries (kept separate until use) when I change the oil in the car.

Thoughts guys??

Appreciate the help.
 
Great suggestion.

Have one. Would be too painful if car is burglarized..

Is in main HC (Holy Crap!!) kit.
 
How about a jug of bleach and some coffee filters. Bleach will freeze at about 20°F but if you leave enough head room in the jug, it'll be fine. Stored at 90°F, a 6% solution of bleach has a half-life of 371 days. A 3 quart jug costs about a $1.50. Swap it out every year or twice a year. If left for a full year, just use as if it's a 3% solution. It will probably be stronger than 3%.

[Edit]Found further info on bleach degradation:
The half-life of 6% bleach at 118ºF is around 41 days (the initial loss rate is 0.1% per day drop in strength) and even at 100ºF it's 134 days (an initial loss rate of 0.22% per week drop in strength)
 
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http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Hiker...e=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1282155799&sr=8-2

following the katadyn suggestion I just bought one of these. The straw from mknett looks cool - but they don't sell replacement filters. you have to buy a entirely new product every 150 gallons. Though, at 20$ a piece you could by 4 of them for the price of the katadyn hiker pro+extra filter.

which actually makes the straw pretty cheap in the long run.

with the hiker pro:
195 gallons for the first 70$ (0.35$/gallon)
195 gallons for each additional 33$ (0.16$/gallon)

with the straw
200 gallons (4 filters) for 20$ (0.10$/gallon)
 
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I wouldn't put much faith in advertising claims. It all depends on what (and how much of it) is in the water you're filtering, and you can't even use the figures for comparison between brands; some exaggerate more than others....
 
The only all in one solution I know of is the Katadyn MyBottle. Filters do not take care of viruses (some lack the ability to take care of even more) and purifiers/chemicals do not take care of chemicals or particulates. The MyBottle has a carbon filter PLUS a chemical cartridge.

That said, I take an MSR Hyperflow since chemicals and viruses are not an issue the places I go. It only weighs 7 oz and is three times faster (3L/minute) than the next fastest portable pump filter. If viruses are present (mostly an issue in central and south America and Asia), I have a Steripen or Micropur. If it is an area like Florida or the Georgia coast where the water tastes like crap, I use the MSR Sweetwater with its ceramic filter. You need a ceramic or carbon filter to remove chemicals/tastes from the water.
 
The only all in one solution I know of is the Katadyn MyBottle. Filters do not take care of viruses (some lack the ability to take care of even more) and purifiers/chemicals do not take care of chemicals or particulates. The MyBottle has a carbon filter PLUS a chemical cartridge.

what are your thoughts on the pro hiker vs. the mini microfilter from katadyn? (also vs. the msr sweetwater :p )
 
what are your thoughts on the pro hiker vs. the mini microfilter from katadyn? (also vs. the msr sweetwater :p )

The Mini was the most compact and lightweight pump filter on the market until the Hyperflow came out. One big plus is that it has a ceramic filter, meaning that it will filter chemicals (tastes) as well. A ceramic or carbon filter is a big deal if you like your water to taste like water and not raw sewage (I'm looking at you, Florida). Ceramic filters are also very durable and are pretty easy to field clean.

The Pro Hiker has been Katadyn's standard filter for a long time. It has a carbon filter, does 1L/minute, is very reliable, and doesn't really need cleaning.

The Sweetwater Purifier system was rated as one of the most, if not the most effective filtration and purification systems by the military in a big test of everything on the market. The site with the test results no longer exists, or I would link to it. The Purifier system is just the regular Sweetwater with a bottle of chlorine dioxide added so it kills viruses as well.

I have used, owned, and sold almost every product from MSR, Katadyn, AquaMira, and a few others for several years. My personal filters are the MSR SweetWater and Hyperflow. The Sweetwater is what I use when taste matters, like where the water itself just tastes bad. It can take filthy, foul water and make it look and taste like distilled water. I have heard complaints that the Sweetwater can break under rough use, but I see how people abuse their gear, so I don't take much stock in that. I have owned a Sweetwater since before MSR bought the company and it is still going strong. I prefer it over the Hiker Pro because I think the lever action of the Sweetwater is easier than the pump of the Hiker Pro. Plus, it looks cooler. :D

I use the Hyperflow everywhere else. As I mentioned, it does 3L/minute compared to .5L or 1L/minute on everything else on the market. The thing is like a Super Soak with how much water comes out of it. It weighs nothing, so I take it instead of a lot of water since everywhere I go these days has streams and rivers every ten feet and the filter weighs less than the water I would have to carry.

If you are with a big group, Katadyn, Platypus, and MSR all have gravity filtration systems, so you just fill up the bags and let gravity do all the work. Of the three, I would recommend the Platypus Clean Stream. It is pretty similar to the MSR one since they have the same parent company, but the Platypus has two bags, one labeled "Dirty" and the other labeled "Clean." Pretty hard to mess that up. They both use the same type of filter as the Hyperflow. I still prefer the Hyperflow over one of them though, because it weighs half as much.

Whew, that was a lot about water...
 
filter%20paper%20pack
 
Interesting response from Katadyn about their Virustat cartridge.

Next I'm going to contact MSR about their Sweet Water as suggested.

Coffee filters already part of kit to keep the BIG stuff out...

To: cs
Subject: Katadyn - Website Contact
Subject: Virustat Temperature
Message: Good day,
I was wondering if the Virustat would lose any effectiveness by being
left in a car year long in Ohio, where temps can go from say -10F to
90F.
Thank you,
W.M. Wood

From:
"cs" <cs@katadyn.com>
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
W.M.,
Thank you for your email.
It is not recommended to keep them in extreme conditions.
The outer housing of the filters are plastic and they could warp in hot
temperatures in a car.
In addition, you wouldn't want them to freeze if there is any water in
the cartridges...potential for cracking.
Sincerely,
Sarah
 
Their response is pretty standard. Freezing is obvious for any water containing device or container. Heat is an enemy to a lot of plastics due to high temperatures (>140 degrees) in the "greenhouse".
 
Interesting response from Katadyn about their Virustat cartridge.

Next I'm going to contact MSR about their Sweet Water as suggested.

Coffee filters already part of kit to keep the BIG stuff out...

To: cs
Subject: Katadyn - Website Contact
Subject: Virustat Temperature
Message: Good day,
I was wondering if the Virustat would lose any effectiveness by being
left in a car year long in Ohio, where temps can go from say -10F to
90F.
Thank you,
W.M. Wood

From:
"cs" <cs@katadyn.com>
To: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
W.M.,
Thank you for your email.
It is not recommended to keep them in extreme conditions.
The outer housing of the filters are plastic and they could warp in hot
temperatures in a car.
In addition, you wouldn't want them to freeze if there is any water in
the cartridges...potential for cracking.
Sincerely,
Sarah

interesting keep us updated on what you find and what you go with:thumbup:
 
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