Post by: luvmystang67 on December 05, 2012, 01:02:03 PM
So here is one thing I need help for. Does anybody have any creative ways to get water up high, especially on the eastern side of PCT where it tends to be more dry? I see pictures of people's camps seemingly away from water sources. Do people pack water up when its something like that? Does everyone just set camp near water?
Just looking for any tricks that I might have missed. I'm a little bit wary of the idea of melting snow as it often seems to have a red fungus growing on top of it by the time I get up in the mountains in the summer.
Any other water topics would be appreciated. I use a filter because I don't care for the taste of the tablets, but I really dont want this conversation to turn into the type of tablets and such used unless its some kind of monumental discovery.
Thanks!
Post by: shootnrun on December 05, 2012, 01:10:05 PM
Post by: brocka on December 05, 2012, 01:18:02 PM
Here is the storage reservoir I use.
http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Sea-to-Summit-Pack-Tap-Group-Water-Storage/productDetail/Water-Bottles/prod999901361644/cat100878 (http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/sportsmans/Sea-to-Summit-Pack-Tap-Group-Water-Storage/productDetail/Water-Bottles/prod999901361644/cat100878)
Post by: 300rum on December 05, 2012, 02:42:09 PM
I carry a 96oz bladder and my Sawyer Squeeze bladder for my water filter, that holds 64oz (I think). That gives me one good day and two if I stretch it.
Post by: daddysprad on December 05, 2012, 03:50:04 PM
Post by: boneaddict on December 05, 2012, 03:55:09 PM
Post by: Jingles on December 05, 2012, 04:04:41 PM
Post by: runamuk on December 05, 2012, 04:20:25 PM
Of all the time I have spent in the wilderness and the high country, a little over 20 years, as a packer for the local outfitters and hunting on my own If I come across water I fill the canteen. (Knock on wood) never had a case of the water squirts so guess I'm either lucky or have a tough gut. if you're gonna melt the snow melt it to the boiling point is what I have been told but usually I just grab water out of the creek/ lake and go with it. When I camp it is usually by a creek or stream and just use the water straight from the source.:yeah:
been drinking out of creeks and streams and garden hoses my whole life.....grew up on wells shallow dug and drilled deep..and natural springs...maybe we were made different back then...never been sick due to drinking wild untreated water :dunno:
if it seems sketchy I boil it
Post by: boneaddict on December 05, 2012, 04:22:42 PM
Post by: kentrek on December 05, 2012, 04:32:12 PM
Of all the time I have spent in the wilderness and the high country, a little over 20 years, as a packer for the local outfitters and hunting on my own If I come across water I fill the canteen. (Knock on wood) never had a case of the water squirts so guess I'm either lucky or have a tough gut. if you're gonna melt the snow melt it to the boiling point is what I have been told but usually I just grab water out of the creek/ lake and go with it. When I camp it is usually by a creek or stream and just use the water straight from the source.:yeah:
been drinking out of creeks and streams and garden hoses my whole life.....grew up on wells shallow dug and drilled deep..and natural springs...maybe we were made different back then...never been sick due to drinking wild untreated water :dunno:
if it seems sketchy I boil it
evidently your body can build up immunities against the bad stuff...like it takes more than few particles of "bad stuff" before ya get sick, typically every time ya drink from a creek you only get one or two particles..thus you build up an tolerance to it
i couldn't figure out why ive nev been sick yet so i did alil research,i drink everything..even an elk wallow one time :o
my source could be wrong tho
Post by: fillthefreezer on December 05, 2012, 04:32:23 PM
Let me put it to you this way. There wont be any game there unless there is water.ive said this before but ill say it again, mule deer dont drink water. i swear it! :chuckle: :dunno:
Post by: runamuk on December 05, 2012, 04:38:11 PM
this is the whole basis behind vaccination...you give small doses of the offending toxin/virus and the body builds immunity. I rarely use antibiotics I mean I could count all the times I have taken one on a hand an a half, I touch dirt, I hate this new germ fighting juice in a lotion bottle that everyone runs around dumping on their hands....I use soap and water...a lot....so yes my immune system is probably pretty good even on a bad day.....people need to stop being such germ a phobes unless they have a real reason...like say chemo destroying your immune system...... :dunno:Of all the time I have spent in the wilderness and the high country, a little over 20 years, as a packer for the local outfitters and hunting on my own If I come across water I fill the canteen. (Knock on wood) never had a case of the water squirts so guess I'm either lucky or have a tough gut. if you're gonna melt the snow melt it to the boiling point is what I have been told but usually I just grab water out of the creek/ lake and go with it. When I camp it is usually by a creek or stream and just use the water straight from the source.:yeah:
been drinking out of creeks and streams and garden hoses my whole life.....grew up on wells shallow dug and drilled deep..and natural springs...maybe we were made different back then...never been sick due to drinking wild untreated water :dunno:
if it seems sketchy I boil it
evidently your body can build up immunities against the bad stuff...like it takes more than few particles of "bad stuff" before ya get sick, typically every time ya drink from a creek you only get one or two particles..thus you build up an tolerance to it
i couldn't figure out why ive nev been sick yet so i did alil research,i drink everything..even an elk wallow one time :o
my source could be wrong tho
iodine tablets and boiling have been around forever no point making things more difficult or expensive than need be .....
Post by: wilsongideon on December 05, 2012, 04:42:37 PM
Post by: luvmystang67 on December 06, 2012, 04:54:11 PM
Let me put it to you this way. There wont be any game there unless there is water.ive said this before but ill say it again, mule deer dont drink water. i swear it! :chuckle: :dunno:
This is the basis for my question. I'd love to camp at 7k feet, but if the nearest water is at 5k feet then I'm kind of strapped to that. The problem is if its hot, whether Im camping down low or up high, I drink half of my water either leaving camp in the morning or lugging water with me back to camp. I know those mule deer need water less often than I do. I've seen their tracks in places I would not want to camp due to water.
Here's a better question, how far will people camp away from a water source. My mentality is I'd rather camp right next to the water and not have to pack it (and hike a little further to my hunting destination) rather than pack water a mile but be camping right where I want to hunt. Plus I don't want to scare away game by having a camp where I'm going anyway.
Should I just pack water and stop being a wuss?
:dunno:
Post by: fillthefreezer on December 06, 2012, 04:58:32 PM
i like to be within 20min 1 way to water. ill pack about 4L plus my 3L bladder and wifes 2L bladder from last water source if going to camp above the water
Post by: pd on December 06, 2012, 05:10:03 PM
No, you are not a wuss for asking this. Water is extremely important (we all know this). I agree with many of the others, in that I drink lots of water (1 liter in the morning before setting out, about 3 liters during the course of the day, and another liter at night, or more at elevations about 8,000'). I always drink from the available source (if it is running water). In other words, I never drink from stagnant sources. And, I have never carried a filter or pills in my life.
What works for me might not work for you. Water in WA has never made me sick, and I am not worried about it. High steppe in Eastern WA is a problem, I agree. The simple answer is this: Drink from available sources, and if there aren't any, pack it in. Camp where you have to (close to your glassing area?), but pack in the water.
Sorry, this isn't helpful.
Post by: Andrew on December 12, 2012, 10:48:34 PM
Post by: JackOfAllTrades on December 12, 2012, 11:57:44 PM
Here's a better question, how far will people camp away from a water source.
It all depends on where I want to be the next morning. So... that could mean 2,000' or 2 miles away from water. When deer need water beyond what they get in browse, they'll go a couple miles, or a couple thousand feet at night to get it. But, there's a lot to be said for 'if there isn't any water, there won't be any deer'. So camp adjacent to water sources or even 500' above known springs/creeks to keep yourself in the right environment. If you're five or six miles away from water, you're probably beyond habitat.
-Steve