View Full Version : Aquamira water bottle filter
movieguy
11-30-2004, 00:06
I bought a Aquamira water bottle with the built in filter am I the only one that thinks this thing isn't too great. You have to SQUEEZE REALLY HARD to get the water to come out. Am I doing something wrong or is this just how it works? If this is the case I am just going to use tablets I think.
It's not you, I experience the same situation, and others I know have the same problem. I still use my Aqua Mira chemicals for treating but sometimes take the bottle for dipping and drinking from poor or shallow water sources (although very slowly) as I go.
In camp I use the bottle minus filter for my beverage.
MDSHiker
11-30-2004, 11:00
I've used the filter bottles on several hikes. I've noticed that some filters are easier than others to "squeeze" the water through. I still use them on day hikes, but carry another water filter on backpacking trips. I give them a "thumbs up" for the most part. I have tried different brands and had the same experience with them all.
Kerosene
11-30-2004, 11:09
That's the way these squeeze bottles work; your squeezing takes the place of the pump. I switched to Aqua Mira chemicals my last section hike, pre-filtering with a coffee filter. I'd love to find a simpler, lightweight pre-filter solution to take out the big "chunks", but the chemicals worked great.
movieguy
11-30-2004, 21:40
Thanks everyone. I will probably keep it to drink out of ...(without the filter) and for emergencies. Thanks again
Movieguy
SalParadise
11-30-2004, 22:15
another problem with these bottles is they have no loop on it so you can hook it to a pack with a carabeaner, like you can with Nalgene bottles. I'm considering taking one instead of a Nalgene for the occassional bad water. Has anyone come up with creative ways to hook it to a shoulder strap or pack?
REI sells mesh water holders that will work fine. However, I use a 2 liter water bladder hydration system and start each morning with 2 liters of treated water.
I stick the empty filter bottle in a side pocket of my pack and when I encounter water sources, I take it out and camel up.
This saves me from treating additional water or carrying more water on long or fairly dry stretches.
I liked and used it during my thru-hike in combination with the treatment. Only used 2 sets of treatment because I used the bottle whenever possible. Replaced the filter at Harpers Ferry (about half way)
On the John Muir Trail this summer I lost it. Luckily they had two on the shelf for sale at the ranch store the next day. Me and another guy I was hiking with bought them. One thing though, both new bottles had a bit of a funny taste to them...kinda like a hint of kerosene or something. Has anyone else experienced an unusual taste with theirs?
The Solemates
12-01-2004, 15:30
Besides having to squeeze really hard, they also are not large enough. Maybe I havent looked hard enough, but I cannot find a 1L version. The largest thing I can find is only 40 something fl oz.
gravityman
12-01-2004, 15:47
Besides having to squeeze really hard, they also are not large enough. Maybe I havent looked hard enough, but I cannot find a 1L version. The largest thing I can find is only 40 something fl oz.
Uh.... 32 oz = 1 liter (or there abouts...)
Footslogger
12-01-2004, 16:27
another problem with these bottles is they have no loop on it so you can hook it to a pack with a carabeaner, like you can with Nalgene bottles. I'm considering taking one instead of a Nalgene for the occassional bad water. Has anyone come up with creative ways to hook it to a shoulder strap or pack?==================================
Haven't tried this with an AquaMira bottle but I guess it would work the same. I copied this from the Eco-Challenge racers and also from a fellow thru-hiker from 2003 (thanks Rumbler !!). You take two small pieces of bungee shock cord and tie them around the webbing in your shoulder strap about 5 - 6" apart. One holds the bottom of the bottle in place and the other one fits into the recess near the top of the bottle. All you have to do to get the bottle out is lift up on the top bungee and pull.
I hiked almost the entire way to Katahdin with a 20oz Gatorade/PowerAde bottle attached to my shoulder strap in that manner. Worked like a charm. I used to start each day with a 2 liter platypus inside my pack and then one of those 20oz bottles filled with Tang, Gatorade or a mixture of the two.
Anyhew ...it worked for me.
'Slogger
AT 2003
gravityman
12-01-2004, 17:09
==================================
Haven't tried this with an AquaMira bottle but I guess it would work the same. I copied this from the Eco-Challenge racers and also from a fellow thru-hiker from 2003 (thanks Rumbler !!). You take two small pieces of bungee shock cord and tie them around the webbing in your shoulder strap about 5 - 6" apart. One holds the bottom of the bottle in place and the other one fits into the recess near the top of the bottle. All you have to do to get the bottle out is lift up on the top bungee and pull.
I hiked almost the entire way to Katahdin with a 20oz Gatorade/PowerAde bottle attached to my shoulder strap in that manner. Worked like a charm. I used to start each day with a 2 liter platypus inside my pack and then one of those 20oz bottles filled with Tang, Gatorade or a mixture of the two.
Anyhew ...it worked for me.
'Slogger
AT 2003
This sounds like an interesting idea, but I don't get it... Is the bottle still in the pocket of the backpack? Any better way to explain it?
Thanks,
Gravity
The Solemates
12-01-2004, 17:27
Uh.... 32 oz = 1 liter (or there abouts...)
Well Im an idiot. I guess I meant to say 20 oz, not 40. So, correction: I have a 20 oz. off-brand filter bottle, which doesnt really hold enough for me.
Kerosene
12-01-2004, 18:06
One thing though, both new bottles had a bit of a funny taste to them...kinda like a hint of kerosene or something.Quit picking on me! :p
gravityman
12-01-2004, 18:07
I have a 20 oz. off-brand filter bottle, which doesnt really hold enough for me.
Quite honestly, I don't get these filter bottles at all. They are expensive, heavy, and hard to use. Might as well just carry a filter if you are going to carry the weight. At least that's what it seems like to me. Can anyone defend the use of these?
Gravity
SalParadise
12-01-2004, 19:01
==================================
I hiked almost the entire way to Katahdin with a 20oz Gatorade/PowerAde bottle attached to my shoulder strap in that manner. Worked like a charm. I used to start each day with a 2 liter platypus inside my pack and then one of those 20oz bottles filled with Tang, Gatorade or a mixture of the two.
Yeah, I did the same thing, hooking my Nalgene with a carabeaner to my shoulder strap. It sat at my hip and was easy to reach, but that's why I'm iffy with these AquaMira bottles, I can't do that and would have to use the bungee cords like you suggested.
Well, $20 for the filter-bottle ain't too bad considering a regular filter is a pound heavier and $50 more expensive. I got one for $7, and I'm sure other outdoor retailers have them on sale because it's the off-season.
I would defend their use because I feel that the Katadyn or MSR filters are unnecessary on the AT because of chemical treatments, so on the rare times that there are a lot of buggies in the water, a lighter, though more difficult alternative is better.
Footslogger
12-01-2004, 19:21
This sounds like an interesting idea, but I don't get it... Is the bottle still in the pocket of the backpack? Any better way to explain it?
Thanks,
Gravity===================================
No ...the bottle is suspended on the shoulder strap by the two bungee cords. There is no sleeve or cover over the bottle. I keep the top bungee cord rather tight around the top of the bottle. Then when I want a drink I just lift up/out on the top bungee and pull. The bottle breaks free from the lower bungee and I'm having a drink. Just reverse the process to re-attach the bottle to your shoulder strap.
'Slogger
AT 2003
....and yeah Kerosene, quit picking on Skeemer. He's a very sensitive dude !!
GravityMan, I had my doubts too, but having tried one and quite happy with it now. I only use the bottle filter for refilling during the day and usually chemically treat 2 quarts upon arrival at camp. This gives me plenty to make dinner,coffee and wash up. Before bed I'll treat 2 more quarts so as to be ready first thing in the morning. The only negative to this system is you can't filter alot of water quickly as the filter is slower than a pump but thats why I use iodine at night which I would carry as a backup anyway. The plusses are less weight than a hand pump,no moving parts to break and I can drink immediately at a stream crossing instead of waiting for the iodine to work. As an added bonus,when refilling at a stream I don't have to take off my pack and dig out my filter,it right on my hip so I just refill and go. Also, with my bottle filter and a soda bottle that gives me 2 quarts of easy access to water plus I always no exactly how much water I have left at any given time. Use to drive me nuts trying to guess how much water was in my bladder and always seem to run out at the worst times. In fact,if there is a reliable water source 4 or 5 miles ahead, I'll even dump 1 quart to lose the weight. At 8lbs @ gallon its just excess weight.
Hiking alone for a couple of days I will use my bottle with filter. If there are several of us hiking I use a pump. I keep the bottle in a pouch on my backpack hip belt. Easy to reach and easy to refill. Does anyone know how long the filters last or how often they should be replaced?
bearbait2k4
12-01-2004, 21:25
Quite honestly, I don't get these filter bottles at all. They are expensive, heavy, and hard to use. Might as well just carry a filter if you are going to carry the weight. At least that's what it seems like to me. Can anyone defend the use of these?
Gravity
Honestly, I loved my aqua mira filter bottle. It's 20 bucks, with 200 uses per filter, plus an extra 10 per new filter, which seems pretty cheap, comparitively. Dip it in at every stream you cross to keep from worrying about running out of water, and camel up on the long stretches without streams or water.
I just love the taste of untreated water too much to go back to using chemicals. Not only that, but It weighs less than my water filter (sweetwater guardian), and is less likely to break (i.e. won't break) if you drop it. The squeezing of the bottle does seem to be a bit more difficult than just taking a gulp off already treated water, but it just seems to save time(pumping water, adding chemicals, waiting for the chemicals to kick in, etc) in the long run.
It's just a new process. One that some people may not be accustomed to. You'll probably just have to train yourself to drink less, but more often, and to keep your water a little more handy.
That's just my opinion, though.