I'm looking to buy a water purifier for backpacking in the US. What would you guys recommend? I'm not real familiar with water purifiers and which ones would filter most everything found in the US.
I've used iodine tablets and boiling in the past.

I'm going to be a broken record, but I've never - not once - had any problem with the MSR Miniworks. I've also never gotten sick drinking the water it produces.

I'm starting to gain some confidence in the MSR Hyperflow, but not enough to give it a real recommendation yet.

Technically, neither of those are purifiers; they are filters, which are more than adequate for the conditions faced in the US in the backcountry as viruses are not really an issue.

The question is whether the OP wants a filter (and the HyperFlow is a nice product) or some other product such as a SteriPen, MSR Miox or tablets. There is quite a bit of discussion on all of the foregoing.

My bad - I didn't read the original post s-l-o-w-l-y enough.

Neither of those products are purifiers, as ndsol correctly points out. Sorry.

I tend to use purifier as a generic term for any water treatment method which is inaccurate. I'm just looking for an effective method to treat my water. Sorry for the confusion. I changed the subject line to include filters.

It's sort of a pick-your-method kind of thing.

ULers will get drops or tablets like Micropur, or nothing at all. I know too many people who've lost weight, time at work, and money treating giardia to feel good about trying my hand at developing good water source judgment and just take a Hiker Pro, taking care to lob it in the footbox overnight if it's going to be in the low 20F range.

Most of the filters you'll find at REI or similar - MSR, Katadyn, Platy Cleanstream, Sawyer - will do the job nicely for bacteria and cysts, the main concerns in continental US backcountry. (Platypus and MSR are branches of the same company, Cascade Designs, so the gravity filter units are actually the same thing in different colors.)

Iodine has been found less effective against giardia by the CDC and can be a health hazard in itself. Chlorine dioxide, which is used in Micropur and other chemical treatment methods, is more so. Some people combine chemicals with a cheaper filter like the Frontier Pro (which only gets the biggest of the microscopic pests) because treating for cysts with chemicals means a long wait time - the chemicals get the small stuff in 15 minutes or so, the filter gets the big stuff in the time it takes to filter.

No need to apologize as I was just being pedantic. I have that issue sometimes.

I, too, love the precision of language. Sometimes, though, in my hurry to read the whole post, I don't pay enough attention to words.

http://pureeasy.com/Products/Protable_Water_Filter/248.html

Boom, done. Never failed me yet, hella cheap (got mine for $35 on ebay), filters to 0.1 microns (smaller than comparable katadyn mini)

I love this thing, light, quick, easy to use, and cheap. Not that I would skimp on filtration (or purification...semantics), but I'm a cheap bastard.

Saw a review on a National Geographic hunting show that sold me to it.

I've used or at least fiddled with most options—chemical, pump filters, UV—and like to match the tool to the trip. If I were to choose just one option my current favorites are the Sawyer gravity systems. They're very easy to use, are field-cleanable and are relatively lightweight (the filter cartridge itself is just a couple ounces). Flow rates are so good that pumps now seem obsolete (and a general PITA). They even have a virus-level cartridge for those using really vile water.

I also like UV, but there is a fiddle factor and they don't work as well in very cold water. Chemicals are the lightest option but taste & odor and wait times come into play, so I relegate them to emergency and backup uses.

Cheers,

Hey Rick, those filters look very cool. Which one do you have and which one do you recommend for backpacking? Sqeeze, bottle, or gravity?

I've been using the SP162 model gravity system. For anybody who already owns water bags, the filter is available by itself (you'd also need to supply the hoses).

Haven't yet seen the Squeeze system in person, but have heard some early feedback of problems with the o-ring seal leaking. I'm sure they'll get that cleared up.

Cheers,

I am very very very very suspicious of something that promises to remove heavy metals and organic pollutants.

Heck, they weigh the same as my MSR Miniworks which seems strange. It looks like it ought to weigh less. Is the filter heavy or the bags or both? I was looking for a lighter weight alternative to my Miniworks and to my Micropurs.

The cartridge itself is less than two ounces (their spec, it seems accurate). At a minimum you also need a raw water bag and a connecting hose long enough to gain gravity for good flow. Everything after the filter is optional.

Cheers,

Thanks for the info so far. The Sawyer gravity system looks good. Our local REI carries the 2 liter Sawyer Complete Water Filter System, I'm going to take a look at it tomorrow. I noticed that is says to be careful not to let the filter freeze. What precautions to you guys take when cold weather camping? Also I am curious why most of you do not prefer UV? UV seems appealing cause it seems easy and would kill everything.

I toss just the filter into a ziplock and into the end of my sleeping bag.

I like UV and sometimes carry one. But I'm finding gravity to be both fast and hassle-free, so it's an attractive option. No stirring and no batteries.

Cheers,

I looked at water treatment options at REI yesterday. Decided to go with a SteriPEN Adventurer. I went this way because it is light and compact. Almost bought the 2L Sawyer system but it was quite a bit heavier and more bulky. Hopefully it works out well. Thanks for the input everyone.

On a related note,
I was wondering are there any other chemical free water purifiers (not filters) besides the First Need XL and steripen?

I’ve looked around a bit and the other purifiers are basically just a filter that has some added chemicals in it to kill viruses.

Yes, the Sawyer Point Zero Two series filter viruses sans chemicals.

Cheers,

Thanks I hadn't heard of that one, looks like a good one too.

It appears to purify even better it has .02 micron absolute pore size, The XL only filters out down to 0.4 micron absolute.

I have to think there’s a direct correlation of pore size to what size stuff it can filter out?

Yes, that does correlate. REI has a good article if you are interested in poking around a bit on their site.