Ideas for what to use to scoop water

[tommaloney]

I use an Evernew bag to collect water. With all this news about water being a bit scarce I am considering bringing something to scoop up water in my section in October. One thing I’ve thought of using is the top half of a milk jug. Anybody use something a little flatter that won’t take up as much space in a pack?

I don’t really want to spend $ on a Cnoc bag right now.

[HandyRandy]

Use your pot. It takes zero pack space! And use your mosquito head net as a pre filter. Zero pack space again! Your welcome :)

[SteelCut]

A small zip lock bag. It's small, light, and easy to mold to fit into tiny places. I've used one for years.

[Tipi Walter]

This was the go-to scooper back in the 1970s---we all carried one.

Why we carried it is still a mystery---but it did look cool hanging off a belt and had a neato name---Sierra Cup---and fit on top of a stove if you wanted to boil up tea. Oh and scooped up water of course.

But beware---it burned the lips!!

https://photos.smugmug.com/Gear-TheSevenHolyNylons/Bags-Pads-And-Other-Junk/i-2TPdBWs/0/95b90ab3/O/Chickasaw%20Creek%20Workday%20and%20Sierra%20Cup%2 0029.jpg

[Captain Panda]

Cut off the bottom 4" of a Smartwater bottle.

[pettas]

I've used my mug in the past but for something a bit more flexible, cut off the bottom portion of a water bottle; the same type you store your water in. You can slip the piece you'll use for pouring under your actual water bottle so it doesn't take up any other space. As for the weight, I haven't gotten to that level yet to worry about the few grams it would add :D

That's all for now. Take care and until next time...be well.

snapper

[SkeeterPee]

I use an Evernew bag to collect water. With all this news about water being a bit scarce I am considering bringing something to scoop up water in my section in October. One thing I’ve thought of using is the top half of a milk jug. Anybody use something a little flatter that won’t take up as much space in a pack?

I don’t really want to spend $ on a Cnoc bag right now.

The bottom part of milk jug works just as well and give you little wash basin. And my cook pot fits in it so it really does not take up space.

[chknfngrs]

I’ve used cook pots, mugs, ziplock baggies before to scoop. Milk jugs were too rigid.

[Leo L.]

Not exactly answering your question, but I always carry two plasic tubes, one 6mm Diameter and the other 8mm, to use as a straw or water drain on hidden springs.
Started doing so on my desert hikes, but use it while hiking here in the Alps as well.

[trailmercury]

bottom 2-3 inches of a SOLO cup

[Recalc]

Cut off the bottom 4" of a Smartwater bottle.

My goto collection device for many hiking days. When replaced, forgot to file the edges and it cut into the netting of the backpack.

Started using a ziplock bag after that incident and have not looked back. Surprisingly easy to use.

[RangerZ]

I’ve cut two cheap plastic water bottles to use as a scoop and funnel. They’re sized to fit my Aquamira bottles inside when they nest together. I’ve also made a female-female connector using bottle caps with the centers drilled out (I know that you can buy one). I put a piece of screen between the caps to act as a filter for big floaters; I usually also prefilter with my bandana. The connector goes between the funnel and my Evernew dirty water bag. The funnel gives a larger target to scoop into. The funnel is flimsy enough to flatten against a trickle from a rock if I have to.

[CalebJ]

I've used a hat in a pinch. There's always -something- in your gear that can serve the purpose.

[Turtle-2013]

I bring back memories ... The sierra cup was THE thing to carry into the back country. Of course in those days I was hiking is parts of the country that very few even considered the idea of filtration or treatment ... so we carried it on the belt and dipped out water whenever we were thirsty. I even have a more modern one that is titanium with a folding handle. BUT, I don't use any of them these days. But, thanks for the reminder.....


This was the go-to scooper back in the 1970s---we all carried one.

Why we carried it is still a mystery---but it did look cool hanging off a belt and had a neato name---Sierra Cup---and fit on top of a stove if you wanted to boil up tea. Oh and scooped up water of course.

But beware---it burned the lips!!

https://photos.smugmug.com/Gear-TheSevenHolyNylons/Bags-Pads-And-Other-Junk/i-2TPdBWs/0/95b90ab3/O/Chickasaw%20Creek%20Workday%20and%20Sierra%20Cup%2 0029.jpg

[Utah Hikes]

Sawyer Squeeze came with a few bags. I cut the smallest one, four inches up from the bottom, and use that bottom as a scoop. It weighs nothing. Is foldable. Keep it with the Squeeze inside, along with your Evernew bag.

[kestral]

L
Cut off the bottom 4" of a Smartwater bottle.
i use this also, plus I bring a large straw, or small thin walled pipe to divert water for easier collection.

[Slo-go'en]

I've used the back flush syringe for the Sawyer filter to suck up water from very shallow pools.

[Paleolith54]

I use an Evernew bag to collect water. With all this news about water being a bit scarce I am considering bringing something to scoop up water in my section in October. One thing I’ve thought of using is the top half of a milk jug. Anybody use something a little flatter that won’t take up as much space in a pack?

I don’t really want to spend $ on a Cnoc bag right now.

Small Mountain Dew bottle, top third or so cut off. Works in all circumstances so far, as it's very pliable and can conform to odd shapes as needed sometimes in nearly-dry springs.

[rmitchell]

I've used the back flush syringe for the Sawyer filter to suck up water from very shallow pools.

I've thought about doing this, but couldn't it contaminate the syringe?

[tommaloney]

Thanks for all this.

[TwistedCF]

I've used the back flush syringe for the Sawyer filter to suck up water from very shallow pools.

This is the best suggestion I've heard. Every time I buy a Sawyer product there is a new syringe. At present I have two squeeze and one mini and because I'm a gear junkie I'm sure to end up owning a micro as well. I will use a sharpie to write "dirty" on one syringe and add it to my kit for water collection. If the water is flowing, great. If not, the syringe with tubing attached will reach into nook and cranny. I'll be kicking around ideas for something to stuff in the tube to act as a pre filter. Stainless steel wool or a clean cigarette filter?

[Analog_Kidd]

Take one of those really flimsy water bottles and cut the top off. It can be flattened out and folded up, then unfolded when needed. Takes up very little room and weighs a few grams.

But my favorite is to use a CNOC vecto water bag. Has a wide mouth opening that can be used to scoop or collect from a drizzle. It has a slider to seal it up. A Sawyer filter can be attached and filter it right from it. It has a 2 liter capacity, and I can use that to filter some water then carry 2 more liters of dirty water either to camp, or thru a dry section.

[Crossbar]

2nd Slo-go’ns reply. I carry a 60ml syringe with a couple of short vinyl tubes stored in the ribs of the plunger.

[The Cleaner]

The main reason I bought the MSR Hyperflow filter was it's prefilter and ability to suck water out of shallow sources. My back is about shot and bending or squatting to scoop water a cup at a time is painful.45679

[Tipi Walter]

The main reason I bought the MSR Hyperflow filter was it's prefilter and ability to suck water out of shallow sources. My back is about shot and bending or squatting to scoop water a cup at a time is painful.45679

Same exact reason why I use a Hiker filter---to pump up water out of tiny sources. Any attempt at scooping results in alot of silt transfer---but a carefully placed pump nozzle-thingie sucks up the smallest seeps---once I create a small pit, let it settle, and place the nozzle on a leaf to keep it out of the mud.

45680

45681

I remember one time during that terrible drought of Fall 2016 a usual spring source was bone dry so I hiked a hundred feet down-slope and found some moisture and dug out a trough and sucked up 3 liters of clean water by going slow and being patient. Here's some pics of the event---

45682

45683

Sometimes scooping is not an option.

[The Cleaner]

Same exact reason why I use a Hiker filter---to pump up water out of tiny sources. Any attempt at scooping results in alot of silt transfer---but a carefully placed pump nozzle-thingie sucks up the smallest seeps---once I create a small pit, let it settle, and place the nozzle on a leaf to keep it out of the mud.

45680

45681

I remember one time during that terrible drought of Fall 2016 a usual spring source was bone dry so I hiked a hundred feet down-slope and found some moisture and dug out a trough and sucked up 3 liters of clean water by going slow and being patient. Here's some pics of the event---

45682

45683

Sometimes scooping is not an option. Sometimes you have to use your head. Many years ago I do remember using the lid of my nalgene to scoop water from a shallow source. I’m just grateful now to be able to carry a backpack a few miles. Still enjoy it though.

[Heliotrope]

Use your pot. It takes zero pack space! And use your mosquito head net as a pre filter. Zero pack space again! Your welcome :)

Yup


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[Heliotrope]

I've used the back flush syringe for the Sawyer filter to suck up water from very shallow pools.

Ooooh. Crafty.


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[clay pot]

ditto on zip lock bag; you can really get good using one after awhile, and they scoop about as much water that would be scoopable by any method.

[Five Tango]

I bought a square water bottle and cut it off about 3 inches from the neck end,attached it to my Evernew bag with a Sawyer sleeve connector from Amazon.Works great in flowing water and serves as a funnel when scooping with a scoop.Using a folded down cheap water bottle works but I have seen vids where Sawyer bags were cut down after then failed and re purposed to great effect.

[Gambit McCrae]

45684

The second to left is a little campmor plastic cup. It has 1/4 measurements on the side and can be found at goodwill, ebay and on the campmor website. I have used it for the entirety of my backpacking since the boy scouts. I had to replace my original when i lent it to a friend and he sat on it while collecting water. That was a sad day.

Edit: Could no longer find on campmor, but can be found below

http://topkayaker.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1755&zenid=ntgekk12vuo6lauf1iuj8rvhl4

[RockDoc]

Yes, use a small plastic cup. Mine has volume marks on it. Same cup I use to drink coffee. Think multipurpose.

[daddytwosticks]

My cook pot (snow peak 600) which nestles on the bottom of a 1 liter Poweraid bottle. It sits in an external pocket of my Exos pack and makes a very handy, low bulk package.

[Deadeye]

Cut off the bottom 4" of a Smartwater bottle.

I cut off the top 4" of the bottle - can direct the water flow into whatever

[Slugg]

Capri Sun with the top cut off. Light as it gets and can fold it up so it can squeeze into tight spaces since it can be flat.

[HooKooDooKu]

The main reason I bought the MSR Hyperflow filter was it's prefilter and ability to suck water out of shallow sources. My back is about shot and bending or squatting to scoop water a cup at a time is painful.45679
Prefilter and shallow sources were the reasons I resisted the Sawyer filters for quite a while.

Now I must admit that it's sometimes a pain to deal with when you don't have an ideal water source, but the weight of my gravity feed Sawyer Filter setup is much lighter than the old Sweetwater pump I used to use.

[FreeGoldRush]

It’s dry. You need a scoop. Cut the bottom 4 inches out of a plastic water bottle. Scoop gently so you don’t silt up your water source.

[Berserker]

Already been said multiple times, but I use my cook pot like others here. I have it clipped to the outside of my pack for easy access, and part of my treatment system incoporates the pot (i.e. I use a steripen).

[Harrison Bergeron]

Use the TOP part of a Smart water bottle. Install the push-top adapter that came with your Sawyer on the bottle top (they're the same threads), or just buy a spare. When you have a running stream, it becomes a funnel for directing the water into your dirty water bladder for filtering, because you can fit the adapter into the bladder's opening. If you're forced to scoop water from a puddle, just use it as a scoop, and hold your finger over the hole in the adapter until you're ready to empty it into the bladder.

[Nodust]

Use the top part of a water bottle. Get a coupler from Sawyer or I got a torpedo tune off amazon for a dollar maybe. Connect the top of water bottle to evernew bag or water bottle like a funnel using the coupler. I even put a small piece of panty hose inline as a pre filter.

Works great for dipping out of lakes or funneling from small piped springs. Then all the filter and bags can fit inside the funnel to take up no space.

[TwoSpirits]

I took an old platypus bottle and cut the bottom 3rd off. (This is I suppose similar to the suggestion of re-purposing a Sawyer bag....) Folds to nothing, weighs nothing, and is in fact so much nothing that I've forgotten I even had it a couple of times. Incidentally, I cut it to hold just shy of 8oz, so I'm also able to use it as a measuring cup, if and when that is ever needed.

[martinb]

I use one of the sawyer bags that came with one of their filters I bought. It's a six ounce bag or something useless, just cut the top off and it'll scoop from the shallowest sources. make sure to have a bandana ready to use as a filter.

[tommaloney]

For anyone reading this far in this thread, turned out that Guthook sourced info ended up being accurate as to where we would and would not find water. Getting water ended up not being a problem at all.

But this has been quite educational anyways!