Water purification?

That's pretty insane stuff. I wouldn't worry about chlorine getting into your intestines, and anything that can handle stomach acid, can handle the little chlorine that is left. Taste I am fully on board with though.

Boiling does break down some toxins, but its not something I'd rely on, as there is no way of knowing whats in the water, and most of the water toxins I'd be worried about, boiling doesn't touch, like cyanobacteria and similar. not worried about botulism in my water as much.

Sludge after boiling, only thing I can think of would be very high mineral content, but that much should make the water undrinkable. weird stuff man!

It was the only true survival situation I've ever been in. After about 20 hours without water in 100 degree heat, we hiked up a dry riverbed and found what must have been the only watering hole in the area. It was bubbly with algae, maybe 10 feet across, surrounded by animal tracks and droppings, and even had a deer skeleton 10 feet away that still had some hide on it that had baked in the sun. I was reading the manual that came with my filter when I got home, and it said the ratings were for clear water only and to not use it on murky water. I think I just pushed the limits of that filter (it was a PUR from before Katadyn bought them out, not a bad filter, just heavy). Who knows, maybe it was just minerals. I sure hope so.

You are definitely right to point out that boiling won't break down all toxins, and shouldn't be relied on. It just adds a small amount of safety when in a dire situation. Certain algae toxins are pretty heat-resistant.


It's generally safe to use chemicals to treat water, especially for short-term situations. I've encountered through-hikers on the PCT though that rely on chemical treatments to save weight, and they were getting sick after 3-4 weeks. I talked to a ranger who said that can happen with chemical treatments, and he's encountered more than a few hikers that had to bail because of it. Not everyone using chemical purification gets sick even after long-term use obviously, but what I took away from that is it at least weakens intestinal flora colonies, and increases vulnerability to illness. Stomach acid is .05-.1 molar HCL, which is pretty weak stuff compared to what will will remain in treated water if not much reacts or evaporates out. I do feel like chemical treatments are a great option and have their place, and I almost always carry them, but there are just healthier options out there.
 
micropur mp1 (also chlorine dioxide) is my goto for winter for several years now - one tablet per liter and wait 4 hours. msr aquatabs is also a tablet but the instructions state only 30-minutes is required - i have yet to try this one though...a reliable friend said that micropur is just being overly cautious so they recommend a wait time of 4 hours but for warm water (non-winter) 30 minutes is really all you need...just throwing it out there.

I have been using Micro Pur tabs since they came out over 10 years ago. I've done comparison tests and can say it usually improves the taste if there are organics in your water. The only time I get a hint of medicine taste is if my water is already very clean, ie, a clear mountain stream. I duct tape a few to my water bottle for emergencies and in general they are very convenient and work.

As far as wait time, 30 minutes for me no matter how cold/dirty. 4 hours is only for cryptosporidium in very cold dirty water. The PDF in my link below I got directly from Katadyn, they took it down many years ago, but it does explain the wait time on the second page.

http://masterwoodsman.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/Micropur-Info-.pdf

Don't forget if you are doing chemical treatment using a water bottle, you need to address the tainted water in the threads of the bottle and cap. After the wait time, turn your bottle upside down and slightly loosen the cap letting a little water out to purge the threads. As the water is treated, take advantage of cleaning your hand too, as it is more times than not bad hygiene that made you sick and not the water. Just did a blurb on that for New Pioneer Magazine.
 
Great info abo. Good points on clearing the water in the threads. I had always done this when using the iodine as well, I remember Ron Hood mentioning that on one of his videos and it always stuck with me.
 
I've only heard of long term use of iodine causing some problems in some folks. Also, given the type of people who generally do thru-hiking, its possible that they were using a chlorine bleach that was not one of the off-the shelf water purifier types, and perhaps that caused a problem? Or maybe it was so bad that they were not hydrating enough, and that put them down, lots of things can cause an illness. Everyone blames the chicken, but its the salad that's more likely to get you. Know what I mean?
 
I've only heard of long term use of iodine causing some problems in some folks.

I can't use the Iodine tablets due past radiation treatments messing with my thyroid gland. I've just always used my old PUR/Katadyn Hiker water filter. Many years ago I didn't use anything and just filled my canteen/bottle from clear moving water. Spending some time with diarrhea & vomiting due to Giardia cured me of that practice.
 
I find myself using water purification less and less. Main reason is that with my advancing age, and my health issues, I just don't do that much back pack hiking or camping any more.
For years though, I depended on a Katadyn Hiker Pro, and have pumped hundreds of gallons with it. Sawyer Personal bottle with filter is another often used bit of gear. Life Straw has a place as well, for shorter hikes. I have never depended on the tablets.

In Florida, there is water everywhere, so no need to carry a lot of it with you. You do need a filter though, and these have worked well.
Currently, I am doing a lot of car camping. The filter I use most now, is a bag to bag system from AquaMira. Inexpensive, and does a great job. This past weekend, I filtered several gallons of water with it.
 
I ended up spending my meager REI dividend on Potable Aqua tablets. They now have individually foil wrapped ones that are chlorine dioxide and were a bit cheaper than the Katadyn ones.
 
I have hiked well over 4000 miles in the woods and always have a filter with me.
I also hiked the PCT and had a filter with me.

I spent time on that PCT hike with people that had nothing but tablets.

I could not get down with the tablets and the main reason being the chemical taste after, the fact that tablets dont filter out floaties and dirt and other stuff from the water.

Filters do filter out floaties and dirt and other gunk.
Filters have rendered gross murky, mucky water drinkable for me where tablets would would not. sure the tablets would kill what they are designed to kill, but that doesnt make gross water drinkable for me.

I cant tell you how many times ive hiked with guys that have tablets and we come to water that is like I described and we both do our thing, and every time, 30 mins down the trail after getting water, by buddies with tablets have to take my filter back to the water source to filter water.

I have relied soley on the MRS mini works, and the Katadyn hiker pro. before the hiker pro, I had a PUR scout that was awesome.
When in the woods, I will always pack a filter even if it means a tad more weight. That peace of mind helps me keep hydrated.
I also take some tablets in case my filter breaks.

I also have a lifestraw that works awesome and I would recommend that as well for water in a pinch.
It would be great for a bugout bag.

Ive never used a Sawyer, but looking at the specs, it seems like it would be better than the lifestraw.
I might have to pick one up as a backup rather than tablets.
 
I've used the sawyer cause I didn't trust the tap water in the Philippines. 2 months and no problems
 
In Vietnam it was purification tablets. Once the stream we found had a lot of sediment in it and the "Yards" grabbed a large leaf of of a bush, the bottom of which had fine hairs all over it. They arranged the leaf so the stream flowed over it, and the hairs grabbed most of the sediment. In Brunei at the British Army Jungle warfare school it was also purification tabs, one kind to petrify the water, one type to kill the taste of the first pill. For murky water they had a canvas bag, if possible put a little sand in the bottom and filter the water thru the bag first to get out most of the sediment, then use the purification pills. John
 
In regards to floaties/gunk/dirt you can always cover the mouth of your water bottle with a bandana or some piece of cloth to help filter some stuff out.
 
The two pill method is probably Iodine. Once its had a chance to do its thing, you counter the taste with a little vitamin C.
 
Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) neutralizes chlorine (aka bleach). I don't think it would work with iodine.
 
Vitamin C (aka ascorbic acid) neutralizes chlorine (aka bleach). I don't think it would work with iodine.

Not the first time I've been wrong.

gadgetgeek is correct. i have this potable aqua with pa+plus in my kit. the active ingredient on the first bottle is tetraglycine hydroperiodide (produces iodine) and on the second it's ascorbic acid.

319e5f3a-5dc8-48df-bf9f-6c888e576478.png._CB285988531_.png



wikipedia also states the same thing regarding iodine and ascorbic acid (iodine section about middle of the page): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portable_water_purification#Chemical_Disinfection_with_Halogens.
 
That's interesting. I've been suspecting that since chlorine is a base any acid ought to neutralize it, vinegar for instance, but I haven't tried it. Seems it works with iodine too - well, I shouldn't really be surprised; I just didn't know that.
 
Back
Top