How to handle water for a first timer

[dreamweaver21]

Starting a 1 month section at springer in two weeks. I have always day hiked before and brought water. Never had to deal with gathering local water. What is the smart way to do this?

I have:
-A Sawyer mini filter
-Aqua mira drops
-3 Sawyer 32oz bags
-1 Sawyer 16oz bag
-1 100oz camel pack bladder
-2 .5L water bottles that the Sawyer fits on


I can't see needing all of this stuff. What would you take?

[CalebJ]

You'll get lots of answers to this, and there are many viable solutions. My own preference is for Aqua Mira and 1.5-2 liters of water. Usually (lately) in the form of 2 24oz gatorade bottles. I'll probably toss in a collapsible bottle for camp use in the evening as well so I can treat a batch of water and skip that process in the morning.

[mtntopper]

The draw back to using drops is that you have to wait for them to work before drinking the water. Some people do not like that. I use a filter so that I may drink much sooner. The draw back to filters is that they require maintenance. At present I use a sawyer filter. Others use the steri pens to treat their water.

[Odd Man Out]

I'm planning on my longest hike to date this summer. I have a Sawyer Mini with two bags (1 L each). Also 2 Gatorade bottles (20 oz each). One bag used for dirty water. The other is a backup for the first, or for extra capacity if dry camping or on a long dry stretch. The two 20 oz bottles for daily drinking. This is for a summer hike. In the spring, you may not need to carry as much. As a relative beginner, I'd rather err on the side of too much.

[HooKooDooKu]

I'm hooked on my 2L 'dirty water' bag for the Sawyer Mini. It's great to be able to walk to the water source, fill up the 2L, walk back to camp and filter there rather than sitting at the water source filling and filtering from a smaller 'dirty water' bag. The weight isn't much different between a small v. large bag. For example, the 600ml Evernew bags are 1.0oz, yet the 2000ml (2L) bag is only 1.5oz/0.5L bag.

Speaking of the Evernew bags, I just purchased a couple because I like having a clear dirty water bag so that I can see if there's a lot of particulate mater in the bag and try to let it settle rather than forcing the Sawyer to deal with it (just clogs it up faster). I tried Platypus bags but the threads don't properly match (Platypus uses non-standard threads, the Sawyer and Evernew use standard threads). So I was using a Platypus with a hose adapter. But there were just too many moving parts (it took two people to filter water).

[Shonryu]

I personally perfer a sawyer squeeze mini because I usually only carry a liter of water on me at a time. Nice for those stops when I went longer then I probably should of to be able to get a cold drink when I come up to a water source.

I usually always carry a 900ml for my dirty bag, a 2 liter bag for camp water, and 2 1 liter smart water bottles. One for mixing my drinks in and another incase I need to carry more than a liter between water sources. The bags and the bottles all work with the filter so if one fails I have no issues with a back up and more than enough storage between longer dry stretches.

[bfayer]

If it was me, I would take the Sawyer, one 32oz dirty bag, one 1 lt smart water or Gatorade bottle, and the bladder, or just take two 1 lt bottles. No reason to take two bottles and the bladder. The advantage of the smart water bottle is it can be used as a dirty water container for the Sawyer if the Sawyer bag fails.

.5 lt bottles have a poor weight to capacity ratio. Same thing with the Sawyer 16 oz dirty bag.

[bigcranky]

+1 on using a couple of Gatorade 1-liter bottles for my primary water carriers. They fit nicely in the side pockets of my pack, are easy to reach, easy to see how much water I have, and easy to treat with Aqua Mira.

I usually carry the two Gatorade bottles and one large water bag (like a 4- or 6-liter Platypus bag.) I use the bag to collect and treat "dirty" water, usually in camp.

I haven't used the Sawyer system. I like Aqua Mira for treating water.

[Starchild]

In your case, if you can protect it from freezing temps, I would just take the filter. If it's not working out for you it is easy enough to switch to AM, you may even find that stuff hiker boxed for free.

Or alternatively just bring the AM but the downside to this is if you want to switch to a filter you won't have it and will have to buy it (compared to above that AM is cheaper to buy en-route).

Also from Springer north you do have many great natural springs to draw from, so little risk to start with.

[Don H]

I carry two 2L Platypus bladders, one with a hose so I can drink while hiking. The other is usually empty unless I hit a dry stretch of trail or I need it at camp.
I use Aqua Mira to treat water.

[The Cleaner]

I do not treat water from piped springs when no one lives nearby....

[Starchild]

I do not treat water from piped springs when no one lives nearby....

Just make sure that the pipe is not a drain from the trail switchbacked above you. Yes that happened to me one ,in the Adrondacks of NY,, though I didn't get sick, I felt it once I saw where the pipe got it's water from. A stepped in, doggy tracked mud filled section of the trail.

[Hill Ape]

Sawyer 2 Liter Water Filtration System

it weighs 1 lb, but addressed every fiddle problem i've had with lesser/lighter systems, the weight is a choice i made. for a week out its perfect... for a thru hike, maybe not so much, but its just a series of weeks.

i'm still averaging 25 lb with food/water/clothing, i feel like i've got some room for choice

[Weather-man]

My .02....

I carry the following for hiking water.

- a 20 oz (or so...whatever I find on the drive up) smart water bottle. This is on the shoulder strap for drinking on the move
- a one Liter Gator-aide bottle in the right hand side pocket of my pack which also full.

For a hike in N. GA in the the spring 1.5 L is plenty of water to carry... I don't like soft bottles for hiking and prefer the rigid plastic.


For camp I carry additional 2 Liter and a 1 liter platypus bottles. This set up gives me 4.5 liters of camp water which is plenty for me and I usually have enough left over for my hiking water for the next day without having to hump down to the source.

Ref purification.....For a 2 week section last year I carried both the Sawyer, for water on the move, and aqua-mira for camp water. I had a bunch of problems with the Sawyer....leaking washer area, clogged and split bags that I no longer carry one for any hikes of more than a few days duration.

In your case you'll have the luxury of potential gear swaps at Mountain Crossings as well as in Hiawasse, all within the first 7 days of the walk. Carry both the Aqua-mira and Sawyer and play with them to see what works. Dump what you don't like in the hiker box.

And yes you're carrying way too many bladders....

[GrandCanyonWildflowr]

2 drops clorox per liter, wait 30 minutes.

[q-tip]

If the Sawyer does not work out, I use a Steripen, with Aqua Mira backup, but the pen has worked well except for one breakdown in TN. I use a bladder and water bottle. I dehydrate really fast, water is a key for me so the Pen has been the best solution for me. Good Luck....

[colorado_rob]

You'll get lots of answers to this, and there are many viable solutions. My own preference is for Aqua Mira and 1.5-2 liters of water. Usually (lately) in the form of 2 24oz gatorade bottles. I'll probably toss in a collapsible bottle for camp use in the evening as well so I can treat a batch of water and skip that process in the morning.

Yeah, lots of just-fine solutions, but this is my exact method, except I use two 32oz G-ade bottles (because they fit nicely in my pack's side pockets), one 2.5-liter collapsible, and Aqua Mira. I don't mind waiting a measly 1/2 hour at all, and the water clarity along the AT is very good so I don't feel the need to filter. I've always previously used a filter, the latest being the Sawyer, but I quickly switched to Aqua Mira along the AT. Best weight solution (except the no-treatment approach many use) and so easy to use. I don't find the taste bad at all with Aqua Mira.

BTW: If you go with Aqua Mira, make sure you have two AM mixing caps, so when you get to a water source you can mix two capfuls at a time. If you don't have two, you can use a G-ade bottle cap for the 2nd mixing cap.

[Kc Fiedler]

BTW: If you go with Aqua Mira, make sure you have two AM mixing caps, so when you get to a water source you can mix two capfuls at a time. If you don't have two, you can use a G-ade bottle cap for the 2nd mixing cap.

Or mix a double batch in one cap and pour half of it into each bottle. Disclaimer: not an exact science. Further disclaimer: hiking is not always an exact science.

[colorado_rob]

Or mix a double batch in one cap and pour half of it into each bottle. Disclaimer: not an exact science. Further disclaimer: hiking is not always an exact science.

that's what I did for a while, but was always nervous about being WAY off in dividing up the double batch, given the tiny quantity involved. So when the first supply of AM ran out, I just kept that mixing cap and added it to my resupply AM cap. Two bottles, two mixing caps.

[Malto]

Two 32oz gatoraid bottles and two drops of bleach per quart if you feel a need. There are few if any places on the southern AT that I feel the need to treat. Not as true further north.