Good water Filter or not

[wildwood wanderer]

I am wondering Walmart has a supposed water filter in a bottle.
for $35.00 (found in camping gear) I have seen this and the bottle is
Quite large. it works by suction but i think it could be Altered.
to work for camp water as well.
someone tell me if this is a good deal. as it sanitizes against most if not all
Critters.(germs) and says it will clean up to 500 gallons of water.
many high end filters cost a lot more and tablets taste worse than they
are worth the trouble?...:-?

[YoungMoose]

i wouldnt get it. i dont trust any filter

[Compass]

I carry a MSR Miniworks EX and have very high trust in its effect, maintainability(ceramic), and durability(including freezing). Hiked with a guy who was carrying two water bottle filters because they would very unexpectedly/quickly clogg. Some say a filter is not necessary but I hate getting sick and ruining a trip.

[Hermes]

I wouldn't expect that something made by walmart would last the length of a thru hike. I would spend a little more money if you are looking for something that is dependable and will last.

Has anyone used the Platypus Cleanstream filtering system yet? I broke the ceramic element part inside my msr miniworks filter and need a replacement, which costs $40. So I am concidering the cleanstream as another option.

It seems like a very effective product and compared to my miniworks purifier which weighs 18.1oz, the 12.7oz weight is a bonus. Having my filter also serve the purpose of storing water is good as well. Not to mention the whole idea of not having to pump for water.

One of the only downsides in comparing this filter to a purifier, is that it is only a filter and does not remove virus' (which isn't to big of a deal in most places, but a bonus for actually carrying a purifier).

I would be interested in hearing if any one has tried the cleanstream out yet.

[scope]

I had one, thought one of the benefits was that I just dip and fill - since I was taking a bottle anyway, why not have the filter in the bottle?

Doesn't quite work that way all the time. After a rain, springs can get real muddy and you need a way of prefiltering the mud/silt out of the water or else it will clog with no way to unclog it. (most pump filters are now serviceable in this regard) This likely means you need to have a separate bottle that you can pour back and forth between a bandana or something to filter. Another issue is that some springs, even if they are crystal clear, are not real 'dippable', meaning that they are so shallow, its very hard to get a full bottle of water to filter. Plus, I find these things a little hard to drink from in that you have to suck with some force to get the water - some are better than others, but I don't think any are good for major thirst quenching.

Had a friend ask me the same question about one and I did recommend it to him because he's strictly a day hiker/camper that is typically going to be around a large water source (stream, water falls, etc.) where the issues I've listed above are pretty well mitigated.

[Lone Wolf]

i wouldnt get it. i dont trust any filter

yup. i filter thru my teeth

[fehchet]

I filtered through my teeth like Lone Wolf, but times have changed and years have passed so now I filter through my gums.

[juma]

I bought one and used the filter only and a 48 oz nalgene cantene to make a 5 oz filter/tank combo that works well. I hook it to my platy and let gravity pull the water through. I prefilter the water with a bandana. I dip, if necessary, with the bottom quarter of a 1 gallon milk jug. try to use it only with relatively clean clear water though as it will jam up on muddy or silt filled water. You can back flush it but it will never be like new.

Most of the time though, I find it unnecessary to filter.

juma

[mister krabs]

That walmart bottle uses a sawyer sp140 filter. It's as good as any biological filter and better than most. REI and other "big name" outdoor retailers sells the same filter for 40$ without the bottle.

Full specs from walmart (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=8283710&sourceid=1500000000000003260410&ci_src=14110944&ci_sku=8283710)
Sawyer's paid for research tests. (http://www.sawyerproducts.com/research.htm)

[Blissful]

Aqua mira worked fine for me.

[buff_jeff]

Aqua mira worked fine for me.

Same. I don't mind the occasional chunky in my water.

[cow_rock_camper]

aqua mira frontier pro. two ounce water filter. all ya need....

[take-a-knee]

aqua mira frontier pro. two ounce water filter. all ya need....

All you need, unless you are concerned about coliform bacteria, which the pore size of the Frontier Pro doesn't filter at all. That filter was designed to flilter AM drops, to catch the protozoans (much larger than bacteria) that the drops won't kill.

You are right, if you pick your water sources carefully, it MAY be all you need, because protozoal infections are much more problematic than most bacteria you are likely to encounter in the mountains. Just don't think it is a do-all filter.

[Whitefoot_nemesis]

from website:
"The Aquamira porous plastic microfilter removes 99.9% of Cryptosporidium, Giardia."

aint that what they all say??

[Whitefoot_nemesis]

http://aquamira.com/a_word_about_filter_ratings.pdf

they seem to have a long winded way of saying "ours is good too!!"

[Egads]

Unless we have specs and a water expert, you'll only get opinions.

Mine is that filters are unreliable and heavy. The absolute best water hygiene protocol is to filter, boil, treat, & blast with UV but that is a bit much.

I'll settle on Aquamira and pass by the unmoving & visibly contaminated sources

[Whitefoot_nemesis]

i guess the frontier pro is like getting the GED instead of a highschool diploma.

Its good enough for some!

[SGT Rock]

from website:
"The Aquamira porous plastic microfilter removes 99.9% of Cryptosporidium, Giardia."

aint that what they all say??
Naw, if you look in the fine print on all filters they say:

Does not stop viruses. In order to kill viruses you need to also use chemical treatment.