about filter bottles..

What's the best filter bottle - if you consider price, weight, maintenance, longevity, etc.? Are they practical for backpacking, where food preparation requires quite a bit of water? Can you recommend a particular bottle? Is it practical to use one to sometimes fill up a Platypus for extra water to carry through a dry area? Are they practical in tiny springs and trickles with no deep pockets?

A friend of mine had a filter bottle - used it for about one trip. He disliked having to suck so hard on the thing, said he wanted to be able to just guzzle like he was used to. Personally, I think it would only make sense if you were with a group and had something else for in camp when you want a larger quantity of water.

The lightest combo out there that will PURIFY water (kill/incapacitate ALL pathogens)is the Steripen backed up by Katadyn chlorine Dioxide tablets in case the Steripen would fail.

Forget iodine tabs or "purification bottles" that use iodine as the purifying chemical. Iodine won't kill all pathogens, and certainly not in the short time they are exposed to it in a bottle system.

Eric