Water Treatment

[Magnet_]

How did you treat your water? Would you do the same next time? Have any suggestions for future hikers?

[Magnet_]

I carried a MSR Sweetwater filter south of Kennedy Meadows. I added a prefilter to it because otherwise it tended to need cleaning all the time. I was satisfied after the addition of the prefilter, but would probably go with a Katadyn Hiker next time. When the water was clean, the speed of the sweetwater was nice, but I think the Hiker is more dependable (fewer parts to break) and less frustrating when filtering murky water (which wasn't nearly as often as i expected in the desert). Myself and some others also experienced weird & freaky things happening with the Sweetwaters... that just doesn't seem to happen with the Katadyn Hiker.

I dropped the filter and carried Aqua Mira from Kennedy Meadows until I got off in Belden, however I rarely treated the water. My major complaint with Aqua Mira is that the bottles seem to always get dented in at the bottom corners eventually leading to a leak.

I can't stand the taste of iodine...

[Ender]

I used this product...

http://www.rei.com/online/store/ProductDisplay?storeId=8000&catalogId=40000008000&productId=9044356&parent_category_rn=4500460&vcat=REI_SEARCH
[i've added this as one of the poll options ~magnet]

It's basically what cities use to treat their water. A chlorine type solution. It's like Aqua Mira, but it's a lot easier to use, a lot cheaper to use, lasts longer, and is just as effective. A lot of the hikers in 2003 used it and as far as I know all were happy with it.

I will say though that in the High Sierras I didn't always treat the water.

[Magnet_]

Oh right... I used that for a while as well. Definitely more convenient. It may have been the water in the area or that the solution we had was expired:o but we thought that sometimes it made the water taste more funky than the Aqua Mira.

[Ender]

Yeah, if you do the full treatment of 5 drops a liter, it can taste strongly of chlorine. I took to reducing the dosage to 3 or 4 drops a liter, and just letting it sit longer before drinking it. If I did that I could barely notice the chlorine taste.

Thanks for changing my poll response to the Sweetwater! By the way, have you noticed that the poll result percentages add up to 250%, and not 100%? :eek: :p

[Magnet_]

By the way, have you noticed that the poll result percentages add up to 250%, and not 100%? :eek: :p

Heh, yeah :rolleyes:
It's because you are allowed to vote for multiple methods and I voted for something like 4 :eek: and I guess it gets added up weirdly...

[footslogger]

I am probably going to use something like AquaMira or that Sweetwater product during the day. But, for over night purification I plan on using these:

http://www.nitro-pak.com/product_info.php?cPath=40_304&products_id=616&osCsid=46028875aa4c7bdbd775de9278fcf4fb

They take 4 hours to kill all the bad stuff ...but I'm sleeping and time is not an issue. Have been using them now for about a year and really like being able to put tablet(s) (self dissolving fizzie) into my containers for overnight bug killing. Sideline benefit is that they keep your water container from building up harmful stuff.

[chai guy]

I used Micro Pur tablets. I liked them because you didn't have to mix them, just drop the tablets into the water and let sit for 20 minutes. I also perferred the taste to aqua mira, and the tablets weigh less than the two aqua mira bottles.

The only down sides are they are difficult to find in trail towns (even towns that stock aqua mira), and they are more expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-Micropur-Purification-Tablets/dp/B0002XTGUK/sr=8-3/qid=1169660290/ref=pd_bbs_sr_3/103-4816958-0786245?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods

[AlohaTink]

I prefer "Klear Water" its fast and easy with no bad taste. There are some down sides as once open you do not have a long shelf life (apxo 8 months) Unopened around 2 years so not that bad. Its quick and no parts to lose or drop...and even though it comes in a dark brown glass bottle weighs only 3 oz. For peace of mind and convenience it’s my first choice. The 32 ml bottle will treat about 32 liters of water.

I also use the "First Need Deluxe" Water purifier and filter. The down side of this is the filter only does around 125 gallons (475 liters) before you need to put in a new one.
Yet I usually get more, almost 175 g per filter.
The filter and purifier can be fed from a stream or, using the included hands free water bag, gravity fed by hanging the bag so you can be off doing other things :)
I also have the extra adapters so you can pump directly into a wide mouth canister or a narrow mouth water bladder.

Yes, both are a little more expensive than other choices.
but getting sick on the trail is so much more costly and ruins the whole adventure.

Here on the islands we have some very nasty bugs...even if the water is everywhere.
So I need a system that does both to eliminate protozoa/bacteria, bad taste, organic chemials, Viruses!!

Boiling water for 8 - 10 minutes is okay if the water is really bad and cloudy or down right dirty and green with slime...but it uses way too much fuel.

Also I usually carry cheap paper coffee filters to use first it really saves on the filter to extend its life.