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sakkit
12-25-2003, 19:10
What do people out there use to filter water? There are a few that I'm interested in. One from msr the other from Katedyn.

Thanks,
:confused:

Former Easy
12-26-2003, 00:57
What do people out there use to filter water? There are a few that I'm interested in. One from msr the other from Katedyn.

Thanks,
:confused:

You really don't need a water filter for the AT

Your better off with Polar Pure. Its not expensive and not heavy, plus you might decide not to waste your time purifying water, it can become a real pain in the butt. I used a filter for awhile then ditched it in the woods. 98% of the water I drink now is un-filtered. I do carry polar pure for stagnant water such as puddles and ponds. But if I'm at any elevation with mountain springs, I don't waste my time.

attroll
12-26-2003, 01:01
I disagree with this. But this is my opinion. There have been report of people getting Giardia on the AT. If you have read through some of the journals and forums on the internet people have gotten this from drinking untreated water on the AT.

I would not take the chance of drinking untreated water anywhere.

Streamweaver
12-26-2003, 01:35
I use a 22 oz filter bottle by lifespring (5.5 ozs) and carry Potable aqua for backup. I just fill the bottle up and drink ,no pumping or waiting and no disgusting iodine taste!!! I also carry a couple 1 L Platypus bottles at 1 oz each to fill with untreated water and just top off the filter bottle from that. Dont weigh much and dont take up much space . Only thing is I dont know how readily available these things are along the trail but you should only have to replace the filter element once or twice during a through hike. I agree with Attroll about filtering or treating water ,Giardia is a nasty way to go from all Ive heard and read!! So why chance it?! Streamweaver

Former Easy
12-26-2003, 02:20
I disagree with this. But this is my opinion. There have been report of people getting Giardia on the AT.

Yes there have been many people that have thought they had Giardia, and not as many that actually had it. People tend to blame Giardia everytime they have the runs or feel sick. There's many myths with Giardia. Some people get it some don't.

Your right though, I probably shouldn't suggest people not treat water. For myself though if I'm within 200 yards of a ridge and drinking from a stream I feel its safe. No one will ever know for sure. A lot of Giardia cases are from Maine where people drink from lakes (ponds) which I would treat anyways. You really need to decide for yourself whether to treat or not. But for me im willing to take my chances, it really is a pain in the butt to treat water 3 to 5 times a day. If you do get Giardia it is not going to kill you and your chances of ever getting it again will be greatly reduced since you'll already have the bug. A twisted way of thinking about it but its true. A southbounder I meet who has done many southbound thru-hikes (5 or 6) with his dog, told me he doesn't purify a drop and I have meet many others whom don't bother to treat either. Its your choice.

attroll
12-26-2003, 02:49
Originally Posted by Former Easy
your chances of ever getting it again will be greatly reduced since you'll already have the bug
I don't know which Giardia you are talking about because all the things I have read said it is very easy for someone that had it to get it again.

Giardia lamblia (commonly referred to as Giardia) is a single-celled microbe or protozoa which measures about 8-12 microns in size. When ingested, Giardia can cause a gastrointestinal disease called giardiasis, often referred to as "Beaver Fever." Giardiasis is a frequent cause of diarrhea. Symptoms may include diarrhea, fatigue, and cramps. Waterborne giardiasis may occur as a result of disinfection problems or inadequate filtration procedures. Giardia cysts can infect humans and other animals.

Treatment = Ipronidazole; Metronidozole - re-treatment may be necessary because re-infection is fairly common.

Former Easy
12-26-2003, 03:55
I don't know which Giardia you are talking about because all the things I have read said it is very easy for someone that had it to get it again.

Giardia lamblia (commonly referred to as Giardia) is a single-celled microbe or protozoa which measures about 8-12 microns in size. When ingested, Giardia can cause a gastrointestinal disease called giardiasis, often referred to as "Beaver Fever." Giardiasis is a frequent cause of diarrhea. Symptoms may include diarrhea, fatigue, and cramps. Waterborne giardiasis may occur as a result of disinfection problems or inadequate filtration procedures. Giardia cysts can infect humans and other animals.

Treatment = Ipronidazole; Metronidozole - re-treatment may be necessary because re-infection is fairly common.

I'm not sure where to direct you on this, I read something along the lines that it is hard to be re-infected and that your body develops anti-bodies. I also used the term "greatly reduced" and not a definate no. Does anyone know anything about this?

On another note if you have and don't treat it you will not get it again (duh), which is the case for some since they don't treat it and let the initial symptoms subside. Also not everyone develops symptoms and can go a lifetime with-out realizing they have it (which I hope is my case).

A lot of my point also was the fact that every time anyone (not all) feels sick on the trail they immediately assume Giardia. Those with journals post this mis-information in their journals when in fact they don't know whether it really is Giardia or not.

Does anyone here know the real facts?

Peaks
12-26-2003, 09:12
What do people out there use to filter water? There are a few that I'm interested in. One from msr the other from Katedyn.

Thanks,
:confused:

First, I believe this question has been asked before. Go to the threads at the bottom of this page.

Second, contrary to what anyone may post, you should be prepared to treat your water.

Third, you may make decisions not to treat certain water. Classify your water according to the source. For example, water coming out of a spickot is generally considered very safe. Water that you can see coming out a spring is usually safe. Running water may be safe because you don't really know what and who may be upstream. Standing water is usually not safe.

Fourth, there are various treatment options. The two major choices are chemicals or filter.

Finally, to answer your question, for those thru-hikers that do filter, the filter of choice is the Kataydin (Pur) HIker filter because it pumps much faster than others.

Blue Jay
12-26-2003, 10:30
Peaks, as usual is 100% correct. I have suffered from verified Giardia and never want it to happen again. I use a PUR (now Kataydin) and believe it is the best. For short trips I have used chemicals (Aquamira and the others) but do not like the taste. If you have no taste, go with them to save weight, although no one knows about the long term health issues.

hungryhowie
12-26-2003, 10:44
first topic: what I use:

I use Aqua Mira - a chlorine dioxide solution that is clinically proven to kill giardia and cryptosporidium. It comes in two small bottles (it must be mixed together to form a chemical reaction) and is absolutely tasteless and colorless when mixed with your water (it looks yellow after the chemical reaction has occured, but will not stain your containers like iodine). Like some hikers, I often don't treat my water. I try to gather my water from small seeps - the smaller the better. I'd say that on the AT I treat about 30% of the water that I drink. I'm not advocating this, however, just telling it like it is for me.

topic 2:

For all of the studies that have been done on Giardia and other popular water-borne illnesses, only one fact seems to be constant - nobody know why some people get it and why some people don't. After all is said and done, people get it in cities, rural towns, backyard wells, rivers, streams, seeps, lakes, etc, while others that have drunk out of the same source at the same time have not. People have gotten it while still using filtration or other treatment. What all of this research says to me is that there is a virtual ton of variation between individuals (how susceptable each person is) and the quality of type and use of treatment options (some options may not work, others may be used improperly to induce cross-contamination).

Because of my own personal experience in the backcountry and this research, I decided that filters are to ungainly for my uses (I dropped mine in the water source oh, so many times), and that anything that came through it could very well be contaminated. So I chose chemical treatment. I started out with iodine tablets, but ruined two water bags (with their coloration and taste) and also began to worry about its long-term health effects. I switched to Polar Pure (Iodine crystals solution) but my lid broke almost immediately. I have had several friends who have had bad luck with the Polar Pure option as well, so I don't think I'm alone here - also, the bottle is glass which makes for an easy to drop and perhaps break package. So I looked for a better option and found Aqua Mira. I've been using it for 2 years and have enjoyed it more than any other treatment option so far (it's lighter than a filter, but there is no taste as with iodine).

-Howie