Quote:
Your use of "big stuff" and "small stuff" is ambiguous.


John:

I was the one who suggested to Jason that he should pair the Frontier Pro with chemicals. With a 3.0 micron size (according to Cabela's product page of the Frontier Pro) -- the filter is nothing but A TOY. To me, any filter that can't even filter out bacteria reliably is a toy. Period.

However, as a comparison, a "do it all" filter like the First Need is bulky and heavy (15 ounces) -- as opposed to the Frontier's mere 2 oz. My idea was to pair up this "toy" with chemical treatment -- and take the best of both:

(1) use chemicals to kill/neutralize the tiny and easy-to--kill stuff like viruses and bacteria -- then...

(2) use the filter to block out the bigger stuff that would otherwise take chemicals a long time to kill (like giardia with their protective shells).

This combination effectively:

(1) shortens the wait time because the chemicals are not relied on to kill the biggest stuff -- and...

(2) reduces the need for a complex/bulky/heavy filter because it is not relied on to block the very smallest stuff

But to be fair, John, water treatment with any hand-held unit is always going to be both a science AND an art! This is why even fancy filter makers (MSR, Katadyn, etc.) always emphasize the need to find the best water source available! Is that not also ambiguous? As well, one has to be judgmental about treatment time -- depending on both water condition and water temperature (again an art to say the least). If you use chemicals, then you are already "guessing" at treatment time. It's no different at all from guessing how long to wait before passing the water through the Frontier Pro -- as in Jason's video. 30 minutes is merely an example.