Polar Pure

[The Phoenix]

http://www.polarequipment.com/


Gets little to no love for many hikers... cheap as dirt... last for 2000 liters

Quick, no bad taste (IMO), light weight...

I love it... won't hike with anything else as far as I can see it...

What are any cons if yall have some?

Godspeed

[rp1790]

Have read about this before but didn't consider it seriously. Having read the directions properly it looks really good. I converted from a filter to Aqua Mira and never looked back, but maybe...

How many cap's of liquid does the bottle hold? Seems like it needs 2 cap's per ltr at 68f. Id' really want a bottle to hold enough to treat 2 ltrs at a time

[millergear]

Iodine/Polar Pure treatment take 20 minutes at 68 F to kill 85% of Giardia cysts. Polar Pure doesn't stae\te how long in colder water.

[Funkmeister]

Somewhere is my bottle of Polar Pure. I used it for years of section hiking and other trips, moving to it after using a filter, and quit using it after discovering AquaMira and a Miox.

Works great in warm temps, but as the ambient temp falls, you need more of the saturated solution to correctly treat the drinking water. The factory setup doesn't allow for 2+ liter treatment in cold weather. I never bothered to find a way to circumvent this shortcoming. I was also never too trusting of the temp indicator on the side of the bottle, either.

[SGT Rock]

Bottle of it froze and shattered on me once.

[Liv2Ride]

How many cap's of liquid does the bottle hold? Seems like it needs 2 cap's per ltr at 68f. Id' really want a bottle to hold enough to treat 2 ltrs at a time

Just for you I measured the number of capfuls a bottle holds. It's 9. Based on the tempuratures that I've used it in, it takes 1.5 capfuls per liter of water which means I can treat 6 liters of water before needing to refill it will water. You would get 4.5 liters since you say you need 2 capfuls per liter. Since I never need to treat that much water at one time while in the middle of a hike I always have more than enough. However, I do top it off everytime I use it so it's always full and ready for use again in 1 hour. The bottle weighs 4.95oz full. Regarding the 20 minute wait. If you carry 2, 1 liter bottles and are able to treat one bottle everytime it runs out you will always have 1liter ready to drink at any given time.

I like and trust the product even though I don't use it often. The downside to polar pure or any chemical purifier is that it does nothing to clear up cloudy water or getting rid of debris. So, a prefilter is still in order.

[bulldog49]

Bottle of it froze and shattered on me once.

Per the instructions:

Protect filled bottle of Polar Pure from freezing:

Once your Polar Pure bottle is filled with water, it is important to avoid freezing. While the Polar Pure solution is not affected by freezing, the bottle could crack due to expansion of the liquid inside if frozen. If you are hiking in freezing conditions, keep the bottle in an inside pocket close to your body or with you in your sleeping bag.

When not in use, store your bottle of Polar Pure where it will not freeze between uses. You can empty the bottle between uses if you prefer. Emptying the bottle is not necessary in normal situations and it is best to have it filled and ready to use when needed. Some liquid will be retained in the bottle when emptied.

NOTE -- The effectiveness of Polar Pure is not altered by freezing.

[SGT Rock]

Yea I know. I usually kept it like that. It froze overnight on me the night before I walked into Damascus. I got another bottle and was fine. I still have the new bottle - that stuff lasts for a long time.

[Jester2000]

I've used it and I like it.

[Storm]

There was thread about this before that had a link that stated prolonged use (I think 2 weeks or more) of iodine treatment was detrimental to your health. Something about killing off the good bacteria in your digestive system.

I think it would be great for a backup.

[SGT Rock]

Never heard of that. I've used it for long periods of time and no disruption of my digestion at all.

[The Phoenix]

For those experienced with both aqua mira and polar pure is there any reason to switch from polar pure to aqua mira?

I am certainly comfortable with PP... what are any major pros with aquamira?

Godspeed and thanks for the good feedback

[SGT Rock]

Polar pure is cheaper. Some like the taste of aqua mira better, I am the other way around.

Vit C also turns iodine into iodide. Same stuff in table salt that is added to it for thyroid heath. If you add just a little bit of any vit C drink mix into iodine water you will see the water turn clear again and the iodine taste go away. Just be sure to let the water "cure" before you do it.

[Liv2Ride]

There was thread about this before that had a link that stated prolonged use (I think 2 weeks or more) of iodine treatment was detrimental to your health. Something about killing off the good bacteria in your digestive system.

I think it would be great for a backup.

I think that you might be thinking about the tablets. Polar Pure is crystalized iodine and supposably it's safe to use daily. Iodine tablets also expire but crystalized iodine doesn't. As long as there are crystals in the bottle it's still safe and still able to kill off the bad stuff. And...like Rock said, it's cheap .

[Baran]

Polar Pure is no longer available thanks the the US Gov. They put the squeeze on the owners, because the crystals can be used to make meth.

[Another Kevin]

Yeah. They had an appeal hearing on December 21, but it doesn't look good at this point. Essentially, the government is insisting that all their customers would have to have background checks - what outfitter is going to handle that? At some point, someone might get away with introducing something similar that requires a doctor's prescription - pharmacists are tooled up for controlled-substance handling.

The drug problem has gotten absolutely crazy. Apparently, meth is a worse scourge than dysentery.

[Tinker]

I filter my faucet water at home to remove chlorine and assorted chemicals.

Why would I want to carry chemicals into the woods in a glass bottle to ingest them?

[tzbrown]

Iodine to treat water works well, as long as you do not have a thyroid issue.
You just need to be aware of which condition you have, if any,
Hypothyroidism, underactive, may be helped by additional Iodine but Hyperthyroidism, overactive, may be a health problem.
Be sure to do a bit of research if you have either condition.


http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hyp...iodine/AN01829

[RORY CALHOUN]

sold me. 3 ounces, 2,000 liters or quarts of H2O, kills virus that pump needs iodine addition, on the ready to treat a quart right away and 20 minute wait for next liter, says taste is ok, wait...i skipped the part on freezing...and it could do that in March....have to double back and read that....but legal ruling in 12/2011? Is it available retail?

[RORY CALHOUN]

oopsie, read top post and scurried down to bottom, overlooking all the wisdom in between. They say some now sniff bath salts?! Anyways, Can't buy PP. Phooey. Makes meth. Ha! Seems like about everything is a variation of carbon/hydrogen molecules, probably can make meth with Ken & Barbie Dolls. i'm thinking a little instant coffee or powdered sport drink or just hold your nose....not planning on drinking like Bear Grillis (man v wild) and drink my pee...maybe some real bear pee from up streams?! Bit gross, sorry for the 5th grade poke.