Water- do I really need a water filter?

[Pedaling Fool]

Wolf, like it or not you are well known in the AT community, you have stated here that you have completed 7 thrus and have thousands of miles on the AT. Therefor your words, along with others who have thrued or have many miles of AT hiking, and make it known here, carry a certain amount of clout. People come here looking for answers from those with a certain amount of expertise. When we're talking about something with health ramifications I believe it is incumbent upon those of us that have experience to give sound advise.

Yes you and I and others here know how when we can probably get away without treating water. We also know what gear works and what clothes to take. A new person comes here looking for some knowledgable advice, I wouldn't advise someone that they only need a 32* rated sleeping bag for a early March start even if I thought I could get by with it. Like my friend who is a ridge runner says "I don't treat but you should". Sound advise in my opinion.

Well, the OP did ask for people's personal opinion. I also say the same thing about not using filters/purifying agents. It's not like I built my self up to drinking untreated water; I started drinking untreated water from the very first time I was on the AT at the tender age of 15 when I thru-hiked the state of Maine (sobo).

[cabbagehead]

Giardia is chlorine resistant. CLICK HERE.
Cryptosporidium is chlorine resistant. CLICK HERE.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drin...treatment.html

I know from school that there are many parasites that can form cysts and remain dormant in the body. If they're mostly/all pushed into dormancy, the host won't experience symptoms. Some can survive an entire human lifetime in this state. If your immune system weakens from old age, they may become active in large numbers.

The important thing to realize is that if you don't get sick right away, the pathogens could be dormant. They could make you seriously ill decades after exposure.

The CDC says that bleach is effective in killing viruses and bacteria, but not eukaryote pathogens (protozoans, giardia, etc.). The eukaryotes have tough protective shells.

A good option is to get a large pore hollow fiber matrix filter. The Sawyer company advertises their filters to have 0.1 micron pores. A 1.0 micron filter would be fine. Large pores allow for the smallest filter with the fastest flow rate. After filtering, kill all the small stuff with a tiny amount of bleach.

[Colter]

I do believe that you can become immune to many of the little thingys in the water.

Perhaps, but I can tell you for a fact that I didn't become immune to giardia after the first time, or the second!

[Lone Wolf]

Wolf, like it or not you are well known in the AT community, you have stated here that you have completed 7 thrus and have thousands of miles on the AT. Therefor your words, along with others who have thrued or have many miles of AT hiking, and make it known here, carry a certain amount of clout. People come here looking for answers from those with a certain amount of expertise. When we're talking about something with health ramifications I believe it is incumbent upon those of us that have experience to give sound advise.

Yes you and I and others here know how when we can probably get away without treating water. We also know what gear works and what clothes to take. A new person comes here looking for some knowledgable advice, I wouldn't advise someone that they only need a 32* rated sleeping bag for a early March start even if I thought I could get by with it. Like my friend who is a ridge runner says "I don't treat but you should". Sound advise in my opinion.

only 5 AT completions. and like i said, i don't give advice i just say what i've done over the years. i'm hardly gonna feel bad if someone gets sick from drinkin' untreated water cuz they read that they didn't have to treat on the internet

[Papa D]

aqua-mira or a little bleach is just fine - skip the heavy, clogging, cumbersome water filter. You will want to treat most water. You might elect not to treat some water (i.e. high spring right out of a a rock).

[ryan850]

I would, even though your chances of getting sick are relatively slim. I get more dehydrated when I have no way of treating water. It's just hard to want to drink the water near the trail when you've been stepping over moose crap all day. That being said, if you go without it, look for springs or the top few inches of water in a lake or pond that has been under the sun's UV all day. Otherwise, a running creek is your best bet.

Even though I've gone back to using a filter, I used bleach on my AT thru-hike. It's cheap, as effective as iodine, and nearly as effective as chlorine dioxide-based treatments like Aquamira. Remember that nothing is as effective as boiling, and your second best bet is a combination of chemical and filter. Filters aren't as effective at getting rid of viruses as chemical treatments, and chemicals aren't as effective on giardia and crypto as a filter.

Here is how I used bleach: Some people are reluctant to use bleach, but don’t worry, I got my method from the Red Cross and the Center for Disease Control. I use bleach because it is effective against protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. It’s safe for you and the environment. It’s incredibly cheap and lightweight. And it is available in most small resupply towns.

It’s also nice to have bleach around for cleaning my toothbrush. I just add 4-6 drops to water in my cook pot and let it soak. If you’ve ever thru-hiked, you know how important this is.

Bleach Treatment Method - as instructed by the American Red Cross and the Center for Disease Control.

1. Before heading out, I fill an eyedropper bottle with common household bleach. I use an old Visine bottle, but keep in mind, bleach will breakdown in direct UV light and become less effective. If using a clear container, cover it in something: some of your duct tape supply, paint, or something.

2. Fill your water bottle with water. Again, the best is actually the top few inches of lake water. The longer time under the sun’s UV rays does a lot of the work for you. Otherwise, a spring or swift moving creak will be fine. If the water source is not clear, I tie a bandana around the top of my bottle when filling. Chemical treatment is much less effective if the water is not clear or contains free-floating organic material. Bacteria, protozoan, and other organisms that cling to free-floating particles are harder to kill.

3. Add one drop of bleach per 16 oz. of clear water, use two drops if the water is very cold, cloudy, or discolored. (If you’re not using the common 4-6% sodium hydrochlorite solution you may have to use more or less, check your bleach bottle’s label.)

4. Screw on cap nearly all the way then squeeze the bottle until it starts to pour out then tighten the lid. This ensures that the entire bottle, including the cap and threads, get disinfected.

5. Wait 30 minutes, if water does not have a very slight chlorine smell, repeat steps 3 and 4.

Here is why I went back to using a filter, if you're interested:

1. Chemicals aren’t that great at killing Cryptosporidium. And filters are better at getting rid of Giardia. Both of these protozoans live in a cyst, filters can easily pull them out of the water. Filters aren’t great for getting rid of viruses, however. So, other than boiling, a combination of chemical and filter is the best. I don’t always use the filter, but if the water source is not the greatest I do.

2. I carry more water when I'm using chemical treatments, so it cancels the weight of the filter. When I started carrying bleach, it was mostly to save 11 oz. from my pack weight by getting rid of my filter. However, in areas where water is more scarce, I was often carrying up to 16 ounces less water when using a pump filter. It’s because when I have a filter I can drink water immediately right at the source and pack out less.

3. The water is colder at the source than it is thirty minutes later after the bleach treatment. This is appreciated on a hot day.

You've probably read most of this stuff on other sites, but I hope this helps.

Ryan Grayson
RyanGrayson.com

[scree]

Ryan and others -

Be careful with bleach. Not because it's unsafe, but because lots of store brands aren't always honest about what's actually in it.

You can generally trust unscented clorox, but always make sure the bottle says 6% chlorine if you buy a store brand. Often cheap bleach is diluted rendering it either ineffective or less effective at your accustomed dose. If the bottle doesn't explicitly say 6% chlorine, don't use it for water treatment.

I've switched to Aqua Mira for purification but always use a bandana over the bottle when filling to filter silt and chunky stuff. Filters became too much of a PITA. I've had several waterborne diseases (lab diagnose giardiasis and amoebiasis, and a number of cases of TD), mostly from South American travels, but I've never gotten sick in the States just using Aqua Mira and non-sketchy water sources.

[hikerhobs]

I use bleach one drop for every 10 ounces, works for me!