Water Treatment

So I'm shopping for gear and have come to the "water treatment" part of the journey. There are so many different brands and types of filters...and the reviews for the most part are people complaining about what they don't like about the devices.

So, what do you use to treat your water? How do you like it? and any comparisons (hollow vs. ceramic etc.)

Where are you going?

If it's gonna mean muddy murky water... take a filter. One you can clean in the field.

If it's clear mountain streams, you might decide on a steripen, or chemicals, or nothing at all, depending on the mountains and the tourist/livestock load they bear.

If it's international travel plus some domestic backpacking, get a First Need purifier.

I have a Hiker Pro, an Amigo pro gravity filter, and Micropur tablets. Pretty much covers the bases and what goes in the pack depends on the destination. In a pinch, boiling water for drinking is time intensive (waiting for it to cool and getting it poured in the bladder is a hassle) - but it's most effective of all. Not fuel efficient, so not really what you want to do all the time, but when your filter falls off a cliff and the tablets are gone it works... and failing that, drink the water anyway, the stuff that's not obviously bad anyway, and get the heck out of the wilderness as fast as you can. Most of the nasties have some nice long incubation periods so if you do get sick, you'll do it where the doctor's a phone call away. Survival is top priority. Don't let yourself dehydrate to the point that you can't think and act to get out.

Most of my trips are in the TN area, where creeks are plentiful and clear, so I don't even own a filter. Iodine tabs w/ the ascorbic acid (vitamin c) neutralizer tablets works great for me. I've both boiled and treated water from the same source, and could not tell any difference at all in taste. Both tasted better than water from my tap at home.

Lots of people complain about the taste, I complain about those people being nuts.

I agree with the above though, depends on where you're going. If I were back home in parts of IL where the "cleanest" water is still so muddy you can't see your feet in ankle deep water, I'd more than likely be carrying a filter instead.

My hydration/filtration/purification system consists of the following:

2x 2L Platypus
Aquamira Frontier Pro Filter
MicroPur Tabs

I could even throw in two 32oz Gatorade bottles for an additional 2L (approx) of water storage on longer dry section hikes.

This is the lightest, cheapest and most versatile system that I have found.

I can attach the filter directly to the bottle and drink, I can attach the frontier hose to filter and platypus and use like a camelback. I can even fill up one Platypus bag with "dirty" water attach the filter and then attach the 2nd Platypus and set up a gravity filter. If I am doing the latter, then I will add the MicroPur as directed.

Basically, this system weighs 5.5oz, can hold 4L of water (2L clean, 2L dirty) and costs around $60. The gatorade bottles add an additional 2.12oz to the weight for negligible cost, but allow me to carry 6L of water when necessary.

The problem with iodine is, if you or anyone you give the water to is sensitive to it, it can cause life threatening consequences... and it's not as effective against giardia or crypto, two major concerns that lead us to filters in the first place. It's also not for use by pregnant women and not recommended for continuous use, which would mean not for a thru hike of longer duration. Micropur or other chlorine dioxide treatment (NOT THE SAME as household bleach, which is also less effective than Micropur) would be more efficacious.

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/content/water-treatment.aspx

If I'm going with someone where the water is pure but questionable like the Sierras, I carry my PUR hiker. Its not really lite, but it is really fast and I've been using the same cartridge since it was new.

Otherwise if I'm alone I boil water from the stream for my coffee and let a pan full set over night to cool off and fill my canteen in the morning for the next days hike. Fuel is pretty light compared to water or filters.

Just a note, I carry a 23 oz Avion bottle as a canteen, with a minibeener taped to it to facilitate hanging it from my pack.
Jim
since I don't drink a lot of non caffeinated water, I simply stop and brew a cuppa when I'm thirsty, running out of charge.

If I can get away with it, I use chlorine water treatment tablets in conjunction with two 1-L platypus bladders. When I get to a water source I fill up one canteen, pop in a tablet, and while the chlorine's doing its thing I can still drink from my other canteen. I used to use iodine tablets, and I'd cover the taste with Airborne or EmergenC additives.

If I'm hiking someplace new & am not sure about the water, I bring an old MSR Miniworks filter I bought before I got into the lightweight kick. I like the ceramic element; I've had to clean the element every two fills in some places. I wouldn't want to use a filter I couldn't clean on the trail. The miniworks is large & heavy, but it gets the job done very well. It's bearable if I'm carrying it for a group of people.

I'm one of those who had a severe reaction to iodine. Not life-threatening, just a horrible rash with deep lesions (permanent scars). As a result, I can no longer eat anything made with iodized salt or anything that has been in the ocean (no seafood!). I have to read the fine print labels on everything--almost every food that is vitamin/mineral fortified has iodine added. Going out for dinner for me usually involves sticking to salad and crackers unless I can persuade the restaurant (or my host, if I'm invited to a private home) to prepare my food without salt.

I wouldn't wish this sort of thing on my worst enemy and can only encourage iodine users to switch and those contemplating the use of iodine not to start. Iodine is not as effective against protozoan cysts anyway.

I am still waiting for the ultimate solution for water treatment. I am not holding my breath.
I like the taste of the filtered water the best but I get tired of pumping filters when the bugs
are biting when out on a longer trip. I like the no-pump of the steripen but I tend to taste
the floaters a bit. I will not use the chemicals for taste reasons. I own about 5 different
filters and they all eventually slow down. I used the steripen for a 9 day segment and it
was convient but I alway felt like I was tasting the biology left in the water. My water
is almost always from a Sierra stream or lake and I try to avoid anything cloudy.

I like the weight of this, and it seems versatile, too. I went to the Aquamira website and read the instructions, and could not make sense of them. There were no illustrations showing the filter attached to the 28mm bottles/Platypus. Is the 28mm connection a common one??? The Gatorade bottles accept the filter, just screw it on? do you have any pix?

28mm bottle tops are the most common-- think coke bottles. Gatorade bottles may be a little too big-- the Gatorade bottles in my list are to store clean/filtered water for those long, dry sections of various trails. So in practice I can could carry, if needed, 4 liters of clean water and 2 liters of dirty water at any one time which should get me through even the driest of sections.

Here is a link to Jason Klass' video on this set-up:
http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aquamira_frontier_pro_filter.html

The filter itself does not filter out bacteria or viruses, only protozoa, hence why it should be used in conjunction with chlorine tablets to kill the former two nasties. Standard filters on the market that can kill all three are too bulky, heavy and not to mention expensive.

I tried the Aquamira Frontier Pro filter (using Jason's ideas for making it a gravity filter) last summer but soon gave it up. The filter forever clogs up and even when brand new is far too slow, taking up to 25-30 minutes to filter a liter (and that was with frequent prefilter changes, trying to backflush it with already purified water, etc.). You have to use the ClO2 tablets anyway, so you don't really gain much time when the filter is that slow unless you have really icy or murky water (and I hate to think what murky water would do to a filter that clogs at the drop of a hat with clear water!) Assuming frequent water sources, it does mean I have to fill a 1 L bottle when the other 1 L bottle is half empty to allow for treatment time, but I'd rather carry an extra pound of water than sit around waiting for the Frontier Pro!

When desperate, I tried getting a drink out of the Frontier Pro using the bite valve (the way it is designed to be used). My jaw and cheeks ached unbearably long before I got enough water out even to moisten my mouth!

I have seen a lot of other accounts, some that this filter works just fine and others stating the same experience I've had. At least one poster experienced with this filter (Ben2world, who sometimes posts here) suggested that the quality may vary considerably on these things.

One thing I did adapt with enthusiasm from the video was Jason's idea of attaching a cord to two holes in the bottom of a 2 L Platy bottle. The cord makes the bottle (or several bottles) far easier to carry up the hill from the water source! His idea of cutting a scoop from the bottom of an old Platy is an excellent idea, too.

anybody tried the MSR hyperflow?

Seems relatively light, compact, and flows like crazy...only problem I see on initial inspection is that they recommend pretty frequent back-flushes, and it's made primarily to connect to big (heavy) nalgene style wide-mouth bottles. That would, however, only be a real problem when you go to back-flush it.

Thoughts? I know I'm far too impatient to wait for a grav filter.

OM, I agree the gravity filter method can be slow, but I have never waited 25-30 minutes even when filtering 2L of water.

As for not saving anytime-- I beg to disagree. ClO2 tablets take 15 minutes to kill bacteria and viruses and 30 minutes to four hours, depending on water temperature, to kill protozoa. With the filter+C1O2 tabs you wait the usual 15 minutes to kill the bacteria and viruses and then screw on the filter and drink. The filter takes care of the protozoa-- no extra 15min-4 hour wait time-- and the carbon absorbs the treatment chemicals, thus improving the taste of the water.

Re the bite valve, I have noticed no difference between the frontier pro and my platypus hose bite valve.

Each to their own I guess, I prefer how light and compact this system is-- the cost and versatility is also a huge bonus. At the end of the day, the filter is not needed-- the tablets are just fine to use on their own-- but for an extra 2oz, the filter is a welcome addition to my gear.

There seems to be mixed reviews on the Frontier Pro. Speed and its ability to function w/o getting clogged quickly. I have been looking at different filters: Sawyer, Platy, and the Frontier Pro are on the list. Has anyone used either the Sawyer or Platy filters with a gravity system? What do you think?

"Has anyone used either the Sawyer or Platy filters with a gravity system? What do you think? "

I too was wondering about the Sawyer and Platy filters. I do remember reading a couple threads where a member was really happy with the Sawyer, but I cant remember who it was or which thread it was.

I used the MSR hyperflow on a JMT trip in 2008. I was always careful to
use clear streams and back flushed each day. After about 6 days I couldn't
get the back flush to work anymore and the filter became very slow. After
10 days I bought a Steripen in Bishop and finished the trip that way. I was
filtering for two people on the trip. I have broken 2 different Pur Hikers
in the past. I have the MSR Miniworks and this is the filter that I went back
to after problems with the hyperflow. The miniworks is ok but I have to
clean it daily to keep up the flow rate.

The difference is that with the ClO2 tablets, I can scoop up a liter of water at a water source (inevitably found 10 minutes after my last rest break, lol), dump in a tablet and be on my way. With the Frontier Pro I had to sit around 15-20 minutes for the tablets to work and another 15-20 minutes waiting for it to filter (not feasible to filter on the run). OK, I could have hiked another 15 minutes and then stopped to filter, but that's still 20 minutes of unneeded stop time cussing at the filter! Using only the tablets does mean I have to get a new liter of water to start treating when the old liter bottle is half-empty, meaning I carry an extra pound for a while. Of course this is only an issue with frequent water sources; if I'm in a dry area I'll be starting with 2 or more liters of water anyway, at least one of which has been sitting treated overnight.

Unless it's a really cold day, that water is going to warm up considerably while in your outside pack pocket, so even if it starts out cold it will soon be a lot warmer, if not downright tepid. There's no way it needs 4 hours to treat, unless the water is really murky and the air temperature is in the low 30's. While the EPA requires the 4-hour time on the label, that's the maximum possible time needed for really murky freezing water, with plenty of latitude allowed for the worst possible conditions and the most inept users. Times I've heard from someone who at least should know (in the city water purification business) are more like an hour or two--I go for the two. (Any EPA folks reading this, please note that this is NOT any kind of official recommendation!)

My favorite device is the ULA Amigo Pro gravity filter. Unfortunately the new owners of ULA were forced to discontinue this lovely item, really nice for groups. No pumping, just fill the bag, hang up and let 'er drip. Mine filters about 1 liter per minute, so it takes only about 6-7 minutes to do a gallon (allowing for disconnecting bottles, reconnecting a new one and having to "burp" air out of the bottle when it's about 2/3 full. It sure beats standing over the buggy stream putting my back out leaning over to pump! And it was the lightest gravity filter around, weighing in at 7.5 oz. for bag, filter and hoses. I still use it for trips of a few days and for trips with my family. It used a Katadyn Hiker Pro filter.

This makes no sense.

Without the filter you scoop up a litre of water, put in the ClO2 tablets and then be on your way, but with the filter, you scoop up the water, put in the tabs and then sit around for 15-20minutes. Why? Why don't you just carrying on your way like you would without the filter? The first 15-20 minute wait time is the same regardless of using a filter or not.

The only difference in timing is the (upto) four-hours that it takes the ClO2 tablets to kill the big stuff-- the filter takes whatever the wait time is for it filter, in you case, 15-20 minutes' in my case it is instantly-- I screw on te filter after the 15-20min for the tablets and drink.

Either way, I use the filter mainly as a back-up or as a gravity filter in camp, when I have the time to spare.