Water Treatment

[Blue Wolf]

Is it really neccasary to filter & treat your water with a chemical? I have hiked a few times in the smokies and just used my filter but I was reading an article the other day that siad you should also treat with a chemical as well?
How many people do both? and what are some recomendations on this?

[TN_Hiker]

Oh buddy......you have opened a can of worms here. Search the forums and you will find a gamut of responses. It all boils down to personal preference and the risks you are willing to take.

[Blue Wolf]

don't like risks and I have read & searched the forums all I see is that some treat & some filter? my question is.............should you do both to be on the safe side or is it overkill?

[Lone Wolf]

don't like risks and I have read & searched the forums all I see is that some treat & some filter? my question is.............should you do both to be on the safe side or is it overkill?

I don't ever do either but you should do one or the other if you have fears about it.

[Hikes in Rain]

Both is overkill, unless your source is muddy, of course. That's more of a straining, anyway. My personal preference was the First Need filter until just recently, when I was given the MIOX treatment system for Christmas. Much lighter, although I think you should be careful of the source since it's primarily a disinfectant instead of a filter. (The First Need could remove even industrial contaminants) The MIOX advantages are light weight and, I recently discovered in the Smokies last November, it won't freeze solid like my filter most likely would have! Also treats a LOT of water. Disadvantages are the batteries and it's a gadget that could break, although it's built pretty darn tough. Oh, and it's expensive! I'd have never bought one for myself.

I don't treat cooking water (again, unless it's muddy) because the boiling will kill any bugs.

[stag3]

I use a two step process for water..First I filter it through a coffe filter (like Mr coffee) or a bandana just to remove the big stuff. Something not right with drinking leaves and bugs. Then I use the MicroPure tablets for drinking water. Cooking water I just boil, but filter first.

IMO, this is a light weigt setup. The tablets weigh almost nothing and the coffe filters can be reused if you like.

No matter, I don't drink water without some treatment....too many dead things in the woods.

Stag3

[Hikes in Rain]

I don't worry so much about the dead things in the water. It's the living ones that bother me!