Backcountry Water Purification

[JLS]

I use a filter when I have it in my pack, but I have drank from a stream without using one and been fine.

Thinking of all the water I drank while swimming in lakes, ponds, rivers and streams growing up.... I'm not too worried about it.  I can remember filling up my water bottle in a stream and not even thinking twice about it.

To all who subscribe to this philosophy, be warned.  I drank from many untreated water sources for many years with no incident.  I thought I was immune to anything I could find.  One good case of giardia changed my outlook about this considerably.

Katadyn Pro Hiker for me from now on.

[Sumpnneedskillin]

Growing up my dad worked in the woods.  He used to be one of those guys that drank directly from the fast moving clear cold streams and had the few and far between bouts with giardia but he still did it.  As I got older he I started to do the same.  Man that water was good.  Then one day he told my brother and I a story. 

After chugging through the woods for a while he ran across a stream.  He tanked up and then headed up the creek.  About 100 yrds upstream was a dead and decaying animal laying in the middle of the creek.  He said that was the last time he drank out of creeks.  Guess he wound up with a bad bout of intestinal distress after that day at work. 

[carpsniperg2]

I have a hiker pro filter! Works great! My buddy was getting ticked at me for taking so much time to filter my water when we stopped. He just drank it from the creek never had one problem. Then one day we were elk hunting and he was really flipping me crap! The next morning I got to his place at about 1 a.m and he came out and was stark white and had this bad look on his face. He got good old beaver fever and had been crapping his brains out and yacking all night. Now he asks me to do his water as well

[hillbillyhunting]

I use a filter, but there has been many occasions that i did not filter my water and so far so good.  Two of my hunting partners never filter their water so somtimes I follow along with them and just scoop up the delicious water from the high country.

I am very tempted to get a steripen, but I have hesitated for two reasons.  1) Filters make the water taste better.  I could filter a stagnant muskag and not think twice about drinking it, but with a steripen it would be hard to drink.  2)  ther are lots of reviews indicating that the steripens are not reliable.  I would not be happy if my pen stopped working 20 miles into the backcountry.

[et1702]

Dan check this filter bag out.  Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter.  This is what we used on our 9 day backcountry hunt in Wyoming this year.  Its about the cheapest route to go and is extremely light.  Its top rolls up like a dry bag which is basically what it is.  You can stuff your clean sock, underwear, camera or anything in it that you dont want wet, then when you get to camp you unload it and fill with 2.6 gallons of water hang in a tree in the shade and have clean filter water to drink and makes a handy wash station as well because the output it slow so you can wash up and not use a ton of water.  I personally think this is the absolute best system out there for shear light weight, packability and multitasking with it.  Its cool because no one recommended it to me, just kind of stumbled upon it and absolutley love its multiple uses!!!
http://www.rei.com/product/737349

REI is too expensive = 80 + shipping!

Amazon has the same one for $59 & free shipping.

BTW, filtered is my vote, but also carry pills if need to refill in the middle of nowhere (i.e., away from base camp)

ET

[brocka]

The Steripen I picked up came with a water bottle & removable pre filter that is easily cleanable in the field, once the bottle is full (and pre filtered) you then use the UV pen...

[Bearhunter]

Rei may be expensive..... BUTTT you get 10% off because you will get it back the following year and if you dont like it or it breaks or anything else they will take it back or replace no matter what.  Ive tried out gear and did not live up to my expectations and returned it with absolutely no guff, worth the extra to me

[hillbillyhunting]

Rei may be expensive..... BUTTT you get 10% off because you will get it back the following year and if you dont like it or it breaks or anything else they will take it back or replace no matter what.  Ive tried out gear and did not live up to my expectations and returned it with absolutely no guff, worth the extra to me

Yeah REI is worth the little extra cost    You never have to deal with manufactures.  They will take any of their products back no questions asked.  I have gone through 4-5 packs after only buying one about 6 years ago.  They have taken back a soft shell jacket with failed velcro on the sleeve after 2 solid years of use and they took back a $400 rain jacked with a rip in it.  I hesitate to buy anything anywhere else because hunting is hard on equipment.

[JackOfAllTrades]

Good advice in this thread...   Or you could do like the two guys I saw last year in the high country.  As I passed them on trail I noticed two quart jugs, on the sides of their packs and full of water and a gallon on the backside of one guy.  We were only a couple miles in or so and they certainly didn't need that much water yet; plus there were plenty of water sources in that area. They could have shed some serious pack weight if they had a filter instead. 

-Steve

[hirshey]

Being a recipient of 'beaver fever'  AKA Giardia, will change your mind on going without SOME kind of purification.

Yes! Better safe than sorry... if a water filter is going to bulk/weight you out you have other packing issues.

[C-Money]

Katadyn Filters are great. You end up with clean water without a grody taste like you do with tablets!

[JLS]

Being a recipient of 'beaver fever'  AKA Giardia, will change your mind on going without SOME kind of purification.

Yes! Better safe than sorry... if a water filter is going to bulk/weight you out you have other packing issues.

The giardia will definitely "lose" some bulk and weight for you.

[KopperBuck]

Use the Katadyn as well. Good stuff. I carry tablets in my emergency kit just in case. Only in a last case scenario will I drink straight from the crick. Too many goodies in there.

How often are you guys replacing the element? I can't find anything about how often you should.

[hirshey]

Being a recipient of 'beaver fever'  AKA Giardia, will change your mind on going without SOME kind of purification.

Yes! Better safe than sorry... if a water filter is going to bulk/weight you out you have other packing issues.

The giardia will definitely "lose" some bulk and weight for you.

[C-Money]

Use the Katadyn as well. Good stuff. I carry tablets in my emergency kit just in case. Only in a last case scenario will I drink straight from the crick. Too many goodies in there.

How often are you guys replacing the element? I can't find anything about how often you should.

As long as you keep it clean, it will last a long time. A green scrubby pad from the kitchen will clean up the sediment after each use. One filter will last a year with moderate to heavy use, if you keep it clean.