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Water filters/purification
- Thread starter DiverDn
- Start date
batosai117
Gold Member
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If you want to save all the shipping trouble, I get mine from wally world for about $6-7 and it's both the potable aqua and PA+
I use them exclusively as well.
When I was backpacking through Philmont a few years ago, we had these little glass containers that had crystals formed on the lids. All we had to do was fill the little containers with water and it would treat itself and with that treated water you would pour it into your drinking water. I don't remember what it was called, but I really liked how it would last damn near forever as long as you kept filling it up with water and the crystals didn't run out. Anybody know what I'm talking about?
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- Sep 22, 2003
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I never had a water filter until the 21st century
One thing I noticed once I got one was that it made backpacking way easier.
First although the water filter weighs around 1 lb it cut out having to carry a lot of fuel for my stove to boil water.
Second as long as I was going somewhere I was familiar with it enabled me to not have to carry as much water because I wasn't having to boil a bunch and carry it.
THIRD I noticed I could hike a lot longer and felt a lot better. I believe this to be a combination of the two factors above reducing pack weight combined with the fact I was fully hydrated. When you can stop and pump water and drink it most anytime you are thirsty you have a tendency to drink more than when you are only doing it AM and PM.
An added benefit IMO is that with the filter you can get water from small seeps or under rocks.
One time some of my pals and I were looking for a turnoff. We stopped at a small spring I knew of and I told them to filter some water while I went and scouted for the turnoff. When I got back there was no water ready. They had dug out a pit in the little spring and that had took time but still had to wait for the water to clear where they had dug it out. I took the filter, dropped the tube in about a 1" pool of water above where they dug out where it was still clear, and pumped a couple gallons out. They had never had a water filter and were thinking they had to dip it out or something I guess.
One thing I noticed once I got one was that it made backpacking way easier.
First although the water filter weighs around 1 lb it cut out having to carry a lot of fuel for my stove to boil water.
Second as long as I was going somewhere I was familiar with it enabled me to not have to carry as much water because I wasn't having to boil a bunch and carry it.
THIRD I noticed I could hike a lot longer and felt a lot better. I believe this to be a combination of the two factors above reducing pack weight combined with the fact I was fully hydrated. When you can stop and pump water and drink it most anytime you are thirsty you have a tendency to drink more than when you are only doing it AM and PM.
An added benefit IMO is that with the filter you can get water from small seeps or under rocks.
One time some of my pals and I were looking for a turnoff. We stopped at a small spring I knew of and I told them to filter some water while I went and scouted for the turnoff. When I got back there was no water ready. They had dug out a pit in the little spring and that had took time but still had to wait for the water to clear where they had dug it out. I took the filter, dropped the tube in about a 1" pool of water above where they dug out where it was still clear, and pumped a couple gallons out. They had never had a water filter and were thinking they had to dip it out or something I guess.
batosai117
Gold Member
- Joined
- Jun 5, 2007
- Messages
- 5,463
I never had a water filter until the 21st century
One thing I noticed once I got one was that it made backpacking way easier.
First although the water filter weighs around 1 lb it cut out having to carry a lot of fuel for my stove to boil water.
Second as long as I was going somewhere I was familiar with it enabled me to not have to carry as much water because I wasn't having to boil a bunch and carry it.
THIRD I noticed I could hike a lot longer and felt a lot better. I believe this to be a combination of the two factors above reducing pack weight combined with the fact I was fully hydrated. When you can stop and pump water and drink it most anytime you are thirsty you have a tendency to drink more than when you are only doing it AM and PM.
An added benefit IMO is that with the filter you can get water from small seeps or under rocks.
One time some of my pals and I were looking for a turnoff. We stopped at a small spring I knew of and I told them to filter some water while I went and scouted for the turnoff. When I got back there was no water ready. They had dug out a pit in the little spring and that had took time but still had to wait for the water to clear where they had dug it out. I took the filter, dropped the tube in about a 1" pool of water above where they dug out where it was still clear, and pumped a couple gallons out. They had never had a water filter and were thinking they had to dip it out or something I guess.
If I ever go on another long backpacking trip I would like to get a water filter for the reasons you mentioned. It's easy to say,"I'll just boil my water, it's natural, easy, the manly thing to do." But when you're trying to make some distance, it's a PITA having to ration out your water so you don't have to make a pit stop and loose 15-30 minutes gathering things and then boiling the water.
This can be done of course at breakfast or dinner when a fire is already made, but as for midday, you'll loose valuable daylight and time if having to boil water.
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- Sep 22, 2003
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Couldn't agree there more KKNM!
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I have a Hiker model from Pur that I bought about 15 years ago. It's pretty small and light, but it can take a while and many pumps to fill a 32oz bottle. But it's definitely made getting water while backpacking easier. Boiling water gets so tedious, especially on a week long trip. I like being able to rest at a stream, and top off my Nalgenes relatively quickly too. Getting that cold water right away is much better than drinking flat tasting boiled water!
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- Mar 22, 2006
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ALthough it's a bit Low tech..though is no water purififcation device that is as thorough as boiling water in terms of efficacy against biologocal contaminants...This summer I began experimenting filtering water through charcoal from my fire pit and than boiling it.. seemed tow work great...
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- Sep 22, 2003
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Here's a question for y'all gods of the water filter.
I have a Katydn Hiker and I was wondering if they make an adapter for the Platypus bottles? I usually just either use the end of the hiker tube in there but I'm always slightly worried about contamination, or I use the Platypus hoser hydration tube with the cap loose and the bite valve removed but the stiff plasti tubing makes it sort of cumbersome.
I have a Katydn Hiker and I was wondering if they make an adapter for the Platypus bottles? I usually just either use the end of the hiker tube in there but I'm always slightly worried about contamination, or I use the Platypus hoser hydration tube with the cap loose and the bite valve removed but the stiff plasti tubing makes it sort of cumbersome.
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- Jun 16, 2003
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Saturated solution of iodine I think. Better than nothing....
When I was backpacking through Philmont a few years ago, we had these little glass containers that had crystals formed on the lids. All we had to do was fill the little containers with water and it would treat itself and with that treated water you would pour it into your drinking water. I don't remember what it was called, but I really liked how it would last damn near forever as long as you kept filling it up with water and the crystals didn't run out. Anybody know what I'm talking about?
This might not be what you wanted, but (as mentioned above with using campfire charcoal) you can build a filter.
Most of the engineering I do is on water systems, including design of various kinds of filtration systems. There are a lot of technical things to know, but the basic principles are pretty straightforward.
It would be easy to build your own utility-quality water filter using materials you can get yourself. You can get the vast majority from the soil, separating out the really fine stuff and getting the sizes you want. A little like panning for gold. Sort of.
"Slow sand filter" is the technical name.
State Departments of Health usually have technical information available for free. Some of it is actually pretty good. Here is one from the Washington State DOH (I'm licensed in WA):
https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/eh/dw/p...s.cfm?action=pubdetail&type=subject&PubId=201
direct link:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/ehp/dw/Public...nd_Filtration_Etc_for_Small_Water_Systems.pdf
Scott
Portable Aqua ? It has been around for a while, and has a thermometer built into the bottle to help with time requirements based on temp.
... although I wouldn't call the containers "little", they are smaller than a Steripen. Still tastes like iodine, though...
... although I wouldn't call the containers "little", they are smaller than a Steripen. Still tastes like iodine, though...
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- Jun 19, 2006
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- 103
Right on, Riley.
Boiling is great for the Bacteria and Virus contaminants.
Unfortunately, boiling doesn't save us from the risk of Chemicals; admittedly, generally less of a concern in wilderness areas.
I never considered boiling concentrated chemicals, but I will keep that in mind from now on.
Charcoal soaks up those Chemicals tho! as well as other nasties. also improves water clarity, taste, etc.
Good call on the charcoal. both commercially & naturally available resource that works.
Just gotta make sure it's not full/used up, in the case of a used filter, because then it will dump/leech contaminants into the assumed potable water.
Someone have the link, detailing the army's tests of different commercially available water filters? If I remember right, the majority didn't pass, and did not provide coverage for some contaminants.
As an aside, I vaguely recall an article from a few years back, I think maybe in NGC or Discover, about a test done in India. They suggested the women (the ones generally responsible for gathering water, etc) fold their sari (cotton clothes) several times (at least 4x) over itself, and use that as a filter/strainer for the water. The layered cloth produces a finer strainer, that supposedly reduced nearly half the nasties (better than nothing, but consider as just a starting point). Maybe that could be because of how (sadly)dirty the Ganges River is, I don't know. Bandana folded to 4 layers, and held over a stainless nalgene is better than a straight slurp, and a good way to collect water Before purification.
I still want to get a good filter with a carbon element to it for on the move stuff, but I've personally preferred to strain & boil my water at my sit-spot. Simple, reliable, very little maintenance or things to go wrong.
I carry iodine tabs in the kit because they are small and cheap insurance, but I don't care for the taste (given my preference), and trust them probably less than I should. Given the choice, I prefer to relax and slow down, but sometimes you gotta put another mile between you and the road, and daylight does count.
Sorry, can't seem to help but be long-winded. and ixnay a few of those parenthesis! gotta work on that..
In the end, I'll enjoy whatever clean water I can my grubby little hands on.
I love water, and feeling limited really colors my experience fast.
Boiling is great for the Bacteria and Virus contaminants.
Unfortunately, boiling doesn't save us from the risk of Chemicals; admittedly, generally less of a concern in wilderness areas.
I never considered boiling concentrated chemicals, but I will keep that in mind from now on.
Charcoal soaks up those Chemicals tho! as well as other nasties. also improves water clarity, taste, etc.
Good call on the charcoal. both commercially & naturally available resource that works.
Just gotta make sure it's not full/used up, in the case of a used filter, because then it will dump/leech contaminants into the assumed potable water.
Someone have the link, detailing the army's tests of different commercially available water filters? If I remember right, the majority didn't pass, and did not provide coverage for some contaminants.
As an aside, I vaguely recall an article from a few years back, I think maybe in NGC or Discover, about a test done in India. They suggested the women (the ones generally responsible for gathering water, etc) fold their sari (cotton clothes) several times (at least 4x) over itself, and use that as a filter/strainer for the water. The layered cloth produces a finer strainer, that supposedly reduced nearly half the nasties (better than nothing, but consider as just a starting point). Maybe that could be because of how (sadly)dirty the Ganges River is, I don't know. Bandana folded to 4 layers, and held over a stainless nalgene is better than a straight slurp, and a good way to collect water Before purification.
I still want to get a good filter with a carbon element to it for on the move stuff, but I've personally preferred to strain & boil my water at my sit-spot. Simple, reliable, very little maintenance or things to go wrong.
I carry iodine tabs in the kit because they are small and cheap insurance, but I don't care for the taste (given my preference), and trust them probably less than I should. Given the choice, I prefer to relax and slow down, but sometimes you gotta put another mile between you and the road, and daylight does count.
Sorry, can't seem to help but be long-winded. and ixnay a few of those parenthesis! gotta work on that..
In the end, I'll enjoy whatever clean water I can my grubby little hands on.
I love water, and feeling limited really colors my experience fast.
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- Jun 16, 2003
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- 20,207
The target was cholera, caused by a relatively large bacteria that tend to be attached to even larger plankton. http://www.expressindia.com/fullstory.php?newsid=18373
Later research showed that more layers in a purpose-built filter could get over 90% of the little buggers. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=168033
The effectiveness of chlorine and iodine products depends on: 1) length of time time of treatment; 2) dosage; 3) temperature; 4) Ph of water; 5) dissolved minerals in water; and 6) disolved organic materials in water. Still, better than nothing.
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- Jun 19, 2006
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- 103
Sorry guys for the mini drift.
Hi Thomas, thanks for those links!
Much much more thorough than the paragraph blurb in a magazine I saw.
Just finished the first, and I see they recommend 8 layers there.
Guess my bandana won't cut it there! Glad it is easy to team-up with a 'real' method of purification/filtration.
Second one, I've only got to glance thru yet, but looks like they've put a lot of work into it. I like how they included info on how they cleaned the clothe after use, and the resulting bacteria count. Surprised to see even the lowest effectiveness at >95%, but it would have been nice if they would do tests on bacteria that is not so large as Cholera, as you had mentioned.
Hi Thomas, thanks for those links!
Much much more thorough than the paragraph blurb in a magazine I saw.
Just finished the first, and I see they recommend 8 layers there.
Guess my bandana won't cut it there! Glad it is easy to team-up with a 'real' method of purification/filtration.
Second one, I've only got to glance thru yet, but looks like they've put a lot of work into it. I like how they included info on how they cleaned the clothe after use, and the resulting bacteria count. Surprised to see even the lowest effectiveness at >95%, but it would have been nice if they would do tests on bacteria that is not so large as Cholera, as you had mentioned.