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  1. #21
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Lone Wolf View Post
    Faith: i have never treated or filtered any water on the AT. never gotten sick either. works for me
    You have a Marine gut...



    I know two kids who got sick on water in Vermont. That's the state I'd watch with the beaver ponds in the southern half. SO easy to take from a stream flowing across the trail and oyulook to the right and its a beaver pond.

    I was disconcerted when I learned Aqua mira may affect the thyroid. I noticed I needed more of my medicine for hypothyroidism after my hike.
    Last edited by Blissful; 01-24-2012 at 14:48.







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  2. #22
    AT 4000+, LT, FHT, ALT Blissful's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rusty bumper View Post
    I drank water directly out of springs with no treatment, and treated all stream water with Aqua Mira. I never encountered a water source where I had to filter out sediment with a t-shirt or bandanna before drinking.
    The sediment is really an issue in drought conditions. I faced that in NE>







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  3. #23

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    I use both ceramic filter and aqua mira,can't take a chance on getting sick,my body doesn't like foreign matter.YMMV

  4. #24
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    Thanks for the information, everyone. Have looked up most everything listed here.

    I'm between two choices now:

    Untreated for springs, and use Aquamira drops (after my iodine is used up) for questionable water sources.

    Or this gizmo: Sawyer In-line Water Filter
    It claims to not need replacement filters, due to it being some kind of holey plastic instead of a fabric or ceramic. Does anyone here have experience with it? I like the idea of not having to purchase filters, and it's fairly cheap.

    A bit bulkier, but if it actually works it would save some money in the long run, since it can be used by two people easier than consumable products.

  5. #25

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    http://generalecology.com/portablesystem.htm

    This is what I use: It's supposed to be the best. It should be for what it cost. I've been using it for 20 years and have never gotten sick on the trail (though I did once before I bought it).

    It's worth considering, if weight and bulk are less an issue than protection.
    As I live, declares the Lord God, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn back from his way and live. Ezekiel 33:11

  6. #26

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    Personally i love my hiker pro katadyn filter. i also carry iodine tablets for back up just in case

  7. #27
    Registered User Spools's Avatar
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    http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp...n_it_works.htm Not the quickest way... but it's pretty light. pun intended

  8. #28
    BYGE "Biggie" TOMP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don H View Post
    Seeing the UV light does not equal harmful exposure.
    You're exposed to UV light every day.
    The Steripen does not emit enough light to penetrate the container (I use a 1L Gatoraid bottle).
    The light won't come on unless the unit is submerged in water.
    You can find the Steripen directions online at http://www.steripen.com/
    It's worth looking in to, I used one for half my thru-hike.
    Yeah, your exposed to a very low amount of UV a day, not the amount that is required to kill bacteria in apparently 60 seconds. We had a UV light in the lab that would kill bacteria on googles and such that worked in about an hour and it was suggested to never operate with the door open. Seems like it would be alot more UV for it to work in 30-60 secs. It just doesnt sound like a great option to me when there are so many better choices.

  9. #29
    BYGE "Biggie" TOMP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blissful View Post

    I was disconcerted when I learned Aqua mira may affect the thyroid. I noticed I needed more of my medicine for hypothyroidism after my hike.
    I didnt know that. Try bleach, just 2 drops per liter (unless its super questionable but no more than 3), then wait the same amount that aquamira says. Its the same idea of how most public tap water is treated.

  10. #30

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    Quote Originally Posted by Tinker View Post
    http://generalecology.com/portablesystem.htm

    This is what I use: It's supposed to be the best. It should be for what it cost. I've been using it for 20 years and have never gotten sick on the trail (though I did once before I bought it).

    It's worth considering, if weight and bulk are less an issue than protection.
    I concur. I’m not in love with the weight (and one unadvertised disadvantage of pump filters is that after the first use you’re also lugging around several ounces of water trapped in the filter) or the bulk, but my peace of mind and health are 100% worth it.

    [QUOTE=Mags;1243781]My own take:

    http://www.pmags.com/a-drop-in-the-water-bottle-water-treament-methods[/QUOTE]

    Re fecal-oral contamination: ever been in a men’s room and noticed how many men don’t wash their hands? And that’s when soap and warm (usually) water are readily available. Now, think about out in the woods, no soap, probably no water … ewww!

    The First Need (or whatever you use) won’t do much good unless you (a) keep your hands clean and (b) treat others as if you were Howard Hughes …

  11. #31
    I hike, therefore I am.
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    I've never treated any of the water I've drank on the AT. A soft stool now and then, but I've never been sick. It might have more to do on my part with drinking out of a dugout well growing up, swimming in
    ponds and lakes. As a society we use to all pass protozoa before town and city water treatment was administrated starting in the 1930's. Personally I never liked dipping from a spring with a bunch of hikers
    sitting around it with the working end of a water filter floating in the pool as they pumped away, but hikers seem to always gravitate to that sweet pool of water coming directly out of the ground with their filter, instead of a little bit downstream of it. Nonetheless, if I had to filter water I guess I'd either boil it, or use one of those squeeze bottles with a small filter inside of it.

  12. #32
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    Quote Originally Posted by TOMP View Post
    I didnt know that. Try bleach, just 2 drops per liter (unless its super questionable but no more than 3), then wait the same amount that aquamira says. Its the same idea of how most public tap water is treated.
    Its not the same. Chlorine dioxide and chlorine are two totally different substances. You should know the differences, so read up here:

    http://postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/J4I1B

  13. #33
    BYGE "Biggie" TOMP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Spokes View Post
    Its not the same. Chlorine dioxide and chlorine are two totally different substances. You should know the differences, so read up here:

    http://postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/J4I1B
    I thought someone was gonna jump up my *** about that comment. Thats why I said same idea and not the same process. Should I link the reading comprehension thread for you to read up on.

  14. #34

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    Quote Originally Posted by Spokes View Post
    Its not the same. Chlorine dioxide and chlorine are two totally different substances. You should know the differences, so read up here:

    http://postharvest.tfrec.wsu.edu/pages/J4I1B
    cool article spokes, thanks did not now why fors and how comes

  15. #35
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    Quote Originally Posted by TOMP View Post
    I thought someone was gonna jump up my *** about that comment. Thats why I said same idea and not the same process. Should I link the reading comprehension thread for you to read up on.
    heheheheee..... Bless your heart (ol' Southern term). You're a hoot!
    Last edited by Spokes; 01-24-2012 at 23:03.

  16. #36
    Start date: March 13, 2012 Stats 2012's Avatar
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    The literature states that Aquamira is unable to penetrate the relatively thick wall of protozoa like giardia. While it kills bacteria and viruses, it seems that AM isn't really effective against this common ailment. Am I mistaken?
    http://atstats.blogspot.com

    "There are many ways to hike the Trail. Your way will be best.” -- Carolyn Cunningham

  17. #37
    BYGE "Biggie" TOMP's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Stats 2012 View Post
    The literature states that Aquamira is unable to penetrate the relatively thick wall of protozoa like giardia. While it kills bacteria and viruses, it seems that AM isn't really effective against this common ailment. Am I mistaken?
    Basically the lab tests prove that the chemical in aquamira is effective against giardia and other protozoa but the EPA has not approved this statment. Bottom line it works. Also stay away from ponds, beaver ponds, lakes and rivers.

  18. #38

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    I used bleach. two drops in a small Gatorade bottle. Wait 30 minutes. When I got to a water source, I drank up the bottle I'd been carrying, or whatever was left in it, and then refilled one or two bottles depending on distance to next source - so the 30 minute wait didn't matter.
    This worked well for me and was super-cheap, and I didn't need to have stuff sitting around in bottle caps that can get knocked over, like with Aqua Mira.
    I'm very easy about water taste though, and didn't notice anything, but more sensitive tasters may feel differently.
    "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" - Mary Oliver
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