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nu2hike
06-08-2011, 12:55
I have both a gravity filter & a pump filter, which would be best for the AT in Georgia in July?
Thanks

Blissful
06-08-2011, 13:14
None. Aqua mira

:)

off-pher
06-08-2011, 13:18
Lissin klosely it's the one on your.........left.
no waits a min.. yea it's on the left no your other left.
Yea that one, thats the one you want.

Sarcasm the elf
06-08-2011, 13:46
Just carried a pump filter from Pawling, NY to DWG, PA and didn't need to use it once.

That said, if you're going to carry one, pump filters can serve a dual purpose in that they can be used to pull water out of holes that are too deep to easily reach. Might be a
consideration during a summer drought.

Spokes
06-08-2011, 14:42
1+ for Aqua Mira. Dump the pump and forget about gravity.

nu2hike
06-08-2011, 19:13
never considered using Aqua Mira! Do you prefilter? I can't stand the thought of drinking water with particulate matter floating in it! How does it taste?

Bags4266
06-08-2011, 20:44
I don't taste any difference. If floates are your concern try pre-filtering w/ a bandana or coffee filter.

Spokes
06-08-2011, 21:13
Tastes like good city water to me. I never had any problems with floaties in my water on my thru hike and I dipped a bunch of water. Some people use a bandanna like Bags4266 mentioned.

Mags
06-08-2011, 21:20
It all depends. :)

This question is asked time and time again on hiking boards.



You are going to get a plethora of opinions from people and specific brands of water filter to use, which one is the best, how it just rocks and blah, blah, blah, blah. Next to knives, this is probably the most discussed topic on hiking boards…yet has the least impact on your trip in relation to other things (Best views, best AYCE buffets, best hot springs, etc)


Having said said, here's my quick and dirty take on water treatment.


I don't think there is ANY best gear (yeah..I say it a lot. 'cause it is s true and all the gear wonks on the hiking boards tend to forget that)..just what is best for you and your style of hiking. http://www.pmags.com/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif

http://www.pmags.com/a-drop-in-the-water-bottle-water-treament-methods

Jonnycat
06-08-2011, 21:49
I keep telling myself that I need to switch over to aqua mira, but I still use my katadyn hiker.

I think I like knowing that my water is just water, filtered down to the sub-micron level, instead of drinking water that is perfectly safe to drink, but with other things in it (like dead micro-organisms).

I also don't like the idea of ingesting chlorinated water on the trail, even though I do it at home.

Lone Wolf
06-08-2011, 21:52
at least 3 times a week i throw away a water filter someone left in the hiker box at "the place"

mweinstone
06-08-2011, 22:08
heres what it would look like if i took lwolf down right now. but remember its fake.lol

so.....gypsys away?

Hooch
06-08-2011, 22:09
at least 3 times a week i throw away a water filter someone left in the hiker box at "the place"Hey, if'n ya see a Katadyn Hiker or Hiker Pro, snatch it for me. I want to make a lamp out of it. :D

Spokes
06-09-2011, 06:37
Hey, if'n ya see a Katadyn Hiker or Hiker Pro, snatch it for me. I want to make a lamp out of it. :D

I use one to chock the tires on my Prius when I change the oil.

nothermark
06-09-2011, 06:54
reminds me of a friend who stopped using a filter because they plugged up too much. I wonder what he was drinking, really don't want to know. ;-)

JaxHiker
06-09-2011, 08:26
1+ for Aqua Mira. Dump the pump and forget about gravity.

This is what I'd go with. Picked up a Sawyer 3-way for a gravity. Last week I used it once. Next time I'll leave it at home.


I don't taste any difference. If floates are your concern try pre-filtering w/ a bandana or coffee filter.
This never worked well for me. Too slow. I picked up the Steripen FitsAll Filter and it works very well. And it's fast.

bigcranky
06-09-2011, 13:50
A filter is fine. In the summer I often carry a filter instead of aqua mira. Given how low the water can be in some springs and streams, I would want the pump filter instead of the gravity filter.

nu2hike
06-09-2011, 23:21
Even though the gravity filter is leass weight, I think I'll go with it!
I may purchase some Aqua Mira and give it a try to see how I like it!
Thanks everyone for your input!

SunnyWalker
06-09-2011, 23:25
Sweetwater filter system.This is what I use when I carry a filter system. But we won't go there cuz it's OFF SUBJECT!!!

hawkeye
06-10-2011, 07:53
I never had a problem with my Hiker Pro. I did get a MSR Hyperflow but sold it after reading more cons than pros about it.

JaxHiker
06-10-2011, 11:18
Even though the gravity filter is leass weight, I think I'll go with it!
I may purchase some Aqua Mira and give it a try to see how I like it!
Thanks everyone for your input!

Not a bad idea to carry multiple solutions when trying new things out. If one fails you can always fall back to the other. Since I'm not carrying a filter with me now I have a small, collapsible cup I can use to scoop water.

Ewker
06-10-2011, 11:36
I carry a water filter with iodine tablets as backup.

The way my luck runs I could drink straight from a spring along with 15 other folks and I would be the only one to get sick :(

58starter
06-10-2011, 18:09
Some of us are not hiker pros and feel the need to filter our water. When I hike with a group I carry my gravity flow filter, when I hike alone I carry my pump filter. Seems like most of the time the guys I take hiking with me will pump or filter our water at our campsites when and where we have plenty of time. I vote to filter.

BradMT
06-10-2011, 19:35
Aqua Mira... forget the Nanny Nation Filters...

CrumbSnatcher
06-10-2011, 23:30
i am a big fan of my (PUR)hiker pro
owned/used one since 1999
has never failed me.

general
06-11-2011, 18:14
aqua mira is chlorine dioxide. you don't want to put too much of that in your body. chlorine does some wierd things. i use an old msr works if i gotta use one, but on the AT, and about any other trail, i just carry a section of tent pole to use as a spout in the smaller springs. stick it between some rocks with a little drop and let her flow.

BradMT
06-12-2011, 15:26
aqua mira is chlorine dioxide. you don't want to put too much of that in your body. chlorine does some wierd things. i use an old msr works if i gotta use one, but on the AT, and about any other trail, i just carry a section of tent pole to use as a spout in the smaller springs. stick it between some rocks with a little drop and let her flow.

Aqua Mira is only used when a source is in question... otherwise I drink away untreated. 36 years doing so and never an issue...

Shooting Star
06-12-2011, 16:54
I'm satisfied that a Katadyne pump/filter combo is overkill
for most situations. But I like having a pump to get water out
of low-flow, near dry sources during dry spells.

Does anyone make something about a third the size/weight
of a Katadyne that is a pre-filter and pump device?

Something like this would be a great combo with Aqua Mira and
weigh a lot less than a Katadyne.

Texico
06-12-2011, 23:03
aqua mira is chlorine dioxide. you don't want to put too much of that in your body. chlorine does some wierd things.
If I understand it correctly from what I've read (and maybe someone could correct me on this) chlorine dioxide does not result in many free radical chlorine, chlorate, or chlorite ions. This is a link to a study where a hospital used chlorine dioxide for 17 months to treat their water. I skimmed through and read the parts discussing chlorine levels in all it's forms and the study says that after 17 months there still was less chlorine and chlorate than the federal restrictions for safe water. http://www.haloxtechnologies.biz/pdf/JohnsHopkins17-monthstudytocontroLegionella.pdf

Plus with so many municipalities using chlorine dioxide to treat their drinking water now I don't feel that there is any true danger to using chlorine dioxide during backpacking trips. I'm only rationalizing this for myself though. Feel free to draw your own conclusions.