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Zachayak
02-22-2008, 14:28
I'm looking for some opinions on the best way to purify water along the trail. I'll be thru-hiking this year, leaving out at the very end of March, and I still haven't decided what method I'd like to use. What are some of your experiences out there? Also, considering it's looking to be a dry season on the trail this time around, I will have to take that into consideration as well.

Cheers, Z

DesertMTB
02-22-2008, 14:33
Steripen is the best i have found

Zachayak
02-22-2008, 14:40
does that protect against all the nasties,? and what about batteries? What does it take and how long should I expect those batteries to last if i decide to go that route?

DesertMTB
02-22-2008, 14:46
does that protect against all the nasties,? and what about batteries? What does it take and how long should I expect those batteries to last if i decide to go that route?


Well, the batteries are a drawback: 4 double As. But they work for up to 40 treatments

But it is 99.9 percent effective in killing Giardia and Cryptosporidium


The biggest plus about the Steripen, or other UV light, is it is fast, light and doesn't affect the taste of the water.

DesertMTB
02-22-2008, 14:50
Get the lithium batteries and it is supposed to last 200 uses.

zoidfu
02-22-2008, 14:51
Katadyn hiker pro. It has adapters for nalgenes and camelbacks, too. Don't have to worry about batteries.

Zachayak
02-22-2008, 14:56
What about drops or tablets? Those would seem to be the lightest option, but I wasn't sure about taste or effectiveness?

Kirby
02-22-2008, 17:08
I use Aqua Mira. Iodine now has neutralization tablets so there is no after taste. I hear Kataydn makes an effective water filter.

Kirby

saimyoji
02-22-2008, 17:17
I'm using up the last of my PotableAqua+ (contains 2 parts, second part is a VitC tab that gets rid of the iodine taste....But next i'll go to Polar Pure...supposedly lasts forever.

Lyle
02-22-2008, 17:40
My vote is for AquaMira - no after-taste, light.

Hooch
02-22-2008, 17:46
Katadyn hiker pro. It has adapters for nalgenes and camelbacks, too. Don't have to worry about batteries.:eek:OMG, he said the "N" word.:eek: :D

mweinstone
02-22-2008, 17:57
ya cant thruhike with polar pure. its bad for you after two weeks . duh. and steri pens suck . they cant suck water from a puddle like a good pump can. the pumps work cause they filter and they help get water from really difficult places. otherwise do what i do. drink all water untreated or dont drink. and gather water with the center unblocked tube of your tent pole. its the best for pipeing a stream each and every time. the water on the trail is all safe. the hikers are dumb. it takes skill to know how and when to get water. yall need help. and i dont mean pills. if ya cant drink from a source, hikeing is dead.

MamaCat
02-22-2008, 18:11
i love my steripen. I use a ziploc freezer bag to dip the water from tight places, then pour thought the steripen pre-filter that screws on the top of the nalgene, then treat. I use that same bag to store the little pre-filter. It is very light and volume saving. It worked great out of puddles.

Bob S
02-22-2008, 18:20
The steripen sounded great to me, that is until I did a search for reviews on it. It seems to have a lot of failures. Once they get it working right I would reconsider it, but for now my Katadyn Hiker works well and it works every time. Pre filter with a coffee filter over the pickup held in place with a rubber band.

There is also boiling with a wood fired camp stove, but most would think this a hassle.

ofthearth
02-22-2008, 19:31
do a search on steripen and you will find a number of posts that deal with filters, battery life etc.

ramblin rose
03-07-2008, 14:18
i'm trying polar pure and hoping for the best

CrumbSnatcher
03-07-2008, 14:57
Katadyn hiker pro. It has adapters for nalgenes and camelbacks, too. Don't have to worry about batteries.
this is by far the best filter if you decide to go with a filter! fast,easy,dependable,reliable! most people wont carry the one pound. if the springs are slow,its easy to filter out of the puddles! i have over 10,000 miles on my filter pur/katadyn hiker pro. good hiking...

CrumbSnatcher
03-07-2008, 15:03
What about drops or tablets? Those would seem to be the lightest option, but I wasn't sure about taste or effectiveness?
everyone who uses drops say the cant taste them,i disagree.

CrumbSnatcher
03-07-2008, 15:07
the katadyn hiker pro is the best filter by far! i was told to buy a purifer only if i want to hike third world countries. filters are all you need for the A.T.

gaga
03-07-2008, 15:09
http://youtube.com/watch?v=X-gk2C_9ORk&feature=related

CrumbSnatcher
03-07-2008, 15:13
ya cant thruhike with polar pure. its bad for you after two weeks . duh. and steri pens suck . they cant suck water from a puddle like a good pump can. the pumps work cause they filter and they help get water from really difficult places. otherwise do what i do. drink all water untreated or dont drink. and gather water with the center unblocked tube of your tent pole. its the best for pipeing a stream each and every time. the water on the trail is all safe. the hikers are dumb. it takes skill to know how and when to get water. yall need help. and i dont mean pills. if ya cant drink from a source, hikeing is dead. your right i dont filter all my water,you'll know when to break out the filter. you have the good,the bad and the ugly water sources the good ones are 1,000 times better than any bottled water. most would think the waters all the same,but even amoung the good ones they all have a slightly different taste.

Johnny Swank
03-07-2008, 18:04
Just for giggles, I took a very quick look at the data form my thru-hiker study. Only about 12 hikers about of 550 reported getting sick from water, regardless of the type or frequency (including never) of water treatment.

Still slogging through the data, and hope to be posting more over the next few weeks. Life got into the way for awhile.

http://www.sourcetosea.net/thruhiker/study.html

HrlyDave
03-14-2008, 11:49
My MSR miniworks is great !

Dholmblad
03-19-2008, 10:31
I used a hiker pro until NOC, I then picked up some aqua. Used aqua for a few hundred, but to be honest after that until va I didnt purify my water I just chose sources more carfuly.