Water Purifier for Half Dome Hike

Getahl

Getahl

Joined
Dec 22, 2007
Messages
990
Hi all,

I'm going to be doing the Half Dome trail in mid July (the 18th, I think. I know it'll be during the week, so I shouldn't have to worry about the new permit law).

I've read that a water purifier is a good idea to bring alone, and was wondering if anyone had a recommendation for this kind of hike. My storage space is going to be limited to a Camelback Mule (100 oz), but I have a cheapo fanny pack I picked up at Wal-Mart that can house a couple 16 oz bottles as well. I've worn them simultaneously on similar length trips, and they're comfy enough together.

I'd also prefer to steer away from iodine tabs and go with a microfilter of some type. I figure this thing won't be used much, so it'll likely go into an earthquake bag after the hike (Los Angeles area, <3 San Andreas fault).

Thanks in advance,

Keith
 
Either the Katydyn Hiker PRO or the MSR MiniWorks EX would be my suggestion. The MSR has the advantage of attaching directly to a wide mouth nalgene quart bottle. For added safety you may want to consider using some iodine tabs or some chlorine tabs in addition to the micro filter. Have fun on your hike.
 
It depends on what you want - pump-style filters are faster, but kind of a pain in the neck, and gravity filters are usually slower, but require very little work. I used an MSR miniworks last weekend and it did the job but required a decent bit of pumping to fill a bottle.

I'm planning to switch sometime soon to a gravity filter - the arrowhead equipment aquasimple looks good, although you have to buy the filter element separately.

http://arrowheadequipment.webs.com/apps/webstore/products/show/1153086
http://www.rei.com/product/724044
 
Getahl said:
Hi all,

I'm going to be doing the Half Dome trail in mid July (the 18th, I think. I know it'll be during the week, so I shouldn't have to worry about the new permit law).

I've read that a water purifier is a good idea to bring alone, and was wondering if anyone had a recommendation for this kind of hike. My storage space is going to be limited to a Camelback Mule (100 oz), but I have a cheapo fanny pack I picked up at Wal-Mart that can house a couple 16 oz bottles as well. I've worn them simultaneously on similar length trips, and they're comfy enough together.

I'd also prefer to steer away from iodine tabs and go with a microfilter of some type. I figure this thing won't be used much, so it'll likely go into an earthquake bag after the hike (Los Angeles area, <3 San Andreas fault).

Thanks in advance,

Keith
Click to expand...

You should be able to carry enough water, especially if you 'camel' up before you start the hike. Also, there is a route where you pass a concession building at the top where you can buy food and re-fill your water. This route is less crowded.
 
i agree with dexter....when i did it i lugged up around 2 gallons...gave some away. i was dehydrated proper but my poor knees took a beating :)

water and probars is all i took. and start early! :) enjoy!
 
i would get a water filter bottle.when i went i wished i had one,there are places to fill up all along the way and the water is somewhat safe already so a expensive super low micron filter isnt really needed IMO. alot of people(including myself) drank straight from little water falls and the river with no problems.
 
Good idea on the water filter bottle, Skitertank - Walmart carries a Sawyer water bottle with a filter inside, that's good for all bacteria you'll find in north america, and it costs around 30 bucks. Even better, if you decide you want a gravity filter later, the Sawyer filter can connect to the hose on the Arrowhead Equipment gravity filter I posted earlier, and you've got yourself a higher capacity gravity filter. Nice multi-functional piece of gear.
 
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