View Full Version : water filter vs. water drops
Hey guys,
I am looking to cut down my pack weight and size and noticed that the katadyn filter I use is rather big and heavy. I have been thinking of switching to drops but wanted to know how well they worked. I am paranoid about drinking bad water and the filter has come in handy in some very bad water situations which is why I have reservations about switching to drops. What are you're thoughts on drops vs. filters?
swjohnsey
11-28-2011, 09:28
I carry a small bottle of bleach to use on water that does not come out of the side of a mountain.
Most thru hikers use AquaMira.
hambone5126
11-28-2011, 09:50
i made the switch from a filter to drops for the last trip i went on. it saves so much weight, and takes up a percentage of the space. i kept my spare bandanna handy in case the water source was a little cloudy. i would wrap it over the top of my bottle as a coarse filter to keep the chunks of debris out.
plus, at 15 bucks for the drops, it wasnt a huge investment if i tried and didnt like it.
theoilman
11-28-2011, 10:04
Sawyer Squeeze - 3.5 oz dry filter weight, about 5 oz pack weight including 2 bags and residual water left in the filter. Rated at 0.1 micron to take out guardia and most bacteria. The ratings I have read on the Aqua Mira are not as good, though many have chosen them.
Two things... first is that the drops (or tabs) work great and I think most would say that the "time" issue is really no issue at all. Clearly, they are the most efficient product to use in terms of weight and bulk.
The second thing, which I must say I have yet to encounter, is dirty water with larger silt particles, not just some floaties which I don't mind. I carry coffee filters and at least 2 bottles - one to gather, the other to pour through the coffee filter into the other bottle. Of course, this is where a filter like you have shines over drops/tabs, as long as you are able to clean the filter on the fly. When I first started, I had one of those filter bottles that got clogged with silty runoff water, and that was the end of my filtered water source right there.
I have a Katadyn Vario which I love, but it works better for pumping a large volume of water when car camping by larger streams which can have more stuff in them. Too big and unnecessary to hike with when I'm almost exclusively drinking spring water on the trail.
Serial 07
11-28-2011, 10:41
i'd leave the filter behind...aqua mira is easy enough for those times you think the water needs treated, which isn't everytime, IMO...
You shouldn't have problems with floaties unless you act like an elephant at the water source.......
stonedflea
11-28-2011, 13:16
i used drops, but i highly recommend MSR's sweetwater drops over aquamira. AQM involves almost 3x the chemicals that SW does, and 4x the wait time before you can drink. (5 mins w/SW vs 20 w/AQM)
i used drops the entire way, but i was thankful for a friend that was hiking with a filter on a few occasions. using drops allows for faster collection of water unless you have a really crappy source (in which case, it helps to hike with a group of filterers ;D). i would always fold my bandana in half and place over the mouth of my nalgene to double-"filter" out the large particles of dirt as i collected water.
AQM and SW both suggest combined use of drops and a filter, but i used both brands of drops on my hike with no filter and never got sick. i think it's just a liability issue on their part to include that on the label to cover their asses just in case anyone ever got sick.
stonedflea
11-28-2011, 13:17
oh, and if you're going to use drops, i'd suggest having a cup or bowl that you can easily access to help you in the crappy, shallow water sources.
bamboo bob
11-28-2011, 13:34
Stonedflea. I appreciate an honest man. Most people who go "lite" do so by borrowing others gear when they need it. Go lite really means go borrow. Filters, anybody got a multitool? bear rope? Ibuprophin? Really is it possible to go lite and go solo?
Really is it possible to go lite and go solo?
Yes. I was sub-10lbs on the CDT. And that is fairly common.
Echraide
11-28-2011, 15:59
AM is still faster than sitting and pumping and pumping out of a water source. I let the drops mix while I'm getting the water, then after adding the drops it all goes back into my pack and I'm walking again.
Filters, anybody got a multitool?
My filter is my bandanna.
combattracker
11-28-2011, 16:21
I have used the drops often. I had the same filter as you and got rid of it because it was too heavy. I use iodine and drops now. Got sick on the water in Georgia once. Had to get a shot and go on antibiotics. I did not filter the water two times while hiking. Will not do that again!
Stats 2012
11-28-2011, 16:27
Stonedflea. I appreciate an honest man. Most people who go "lite" do so by borrowing others gear when they need it. Go lite really means go borrow. Filters, anybody got a multitool? bear rope? Ibuprophin? Really is it possible to go lite and go solo?Oooh, this man speaks my mind! I think my last remaining hurdle before jumping on the drops bandwagon is that when I get to a water source I drink as much as my stomach can hold (well over a liter) and then top off the bottle before heading down the dusty. It seems drops work great if you refill and then put in the pack to do its thing, but I like to drink deep when I can. It was nice to learn that MSR's Sweetwater drops only take 5 minutes. This might be a game-changer for me.
SouthMark
11-28-2011, 16:38
Yes it is easy to go lite and go solo. I carry AM but only for really questionable sources. Thirty five years and I have never filtered and never borrowed a filter and I have only used the drops less than 5 or 6 times, a couple of ponds in Maine.
jazzmessenger8
11-28-2011, 16:45
I have a steripen, which takes 90 seconds to clean water. It may be something worth looking at.
One Half
11-28-2011, 17:21
Oooh, this man speaks my mind! I think my last remaining hurdle before jumping on the drops bandwagon is that when I get to a water source I drink as much as my stomach can hold (well over a liter) and then top off the bottle before heading down the dusty. It seems drops work great if you refill and then put in the pack to do its thing, but I like to drink deep when I can. It was nice to learn that MSR's Sweetwater drops only take 5 minutes. This might be a game-changer for me.
I use the tablets but when it's hot and you are already out of water when you get to the watering hole it stinks to have to wait for them to work (30 minutes). Good to hear the Sweetwater drops only take 5 minutes. Must try these.
From what I understand sweatwater doesn't do crypto or gar-D-ahhh which are what I'm concerned about. i want to get a steripen, but when i think of how much i will spend on the funny batteries the adventure opti uses, it pretty much cancels it out for me. i think i am going to use aquamira and bleach as a back up if i have trouble. This is for the PCT this year and so I will probably have to bounce some alone or order from amazon. I'm tempted to just not drink water.
In all seriousness, I think they should do studies on people like you. What does your stomach have that most people's do not? they could bottle and market that LOL!
ugh. this was in response to penny pincher. I'm banned for being a moron today.
hambone5126
11-28-2011, 21:11
I'm tempted to just not drink water.
thats the total UL thing to do. plus, water is totally over rated
cave man
11-29-2011, 12:37
I carried the MSr sweetwater pump. It weighed more than aqua mira but i got the relief knowing i wasnt drinking chemicals on a daily basis. If your trying to rush through the trail and not waste time @ the source then drops might be for you. I like to watch the surroundings or people for that matter and i watched alot of people not filter their water,more power to them if it doesnt kill ya it makes ya stronger, hense the guy doing it for 30 years prob wont get sick, but trying it in the first month you might have a higher risk.. For me id rather not risk getting sick, so taking my time at the watersource was no biggie. except in the rain, and this year im going to get a sea to summit bucket so i can filter at the shelter or what not.
peakbagger
11-29-2011, 15:41
I used to use Polar Pur for years and then switched to Aquamira at some point and discovered that Polar pur gave me (and others) the "trots" after a week or two. (Sorry for the TMI).
I have used some pretty bad water sources with drops when I had to including spending two hours filling up water bottles from a mud pit during a dry October in VA. I had to dig a hole in the mud and let it fill up with black water. Once I had a container full I let it sit and very carefully poured off the top into another container which was then slightly gray water. One more time and I had clear water. Only then did I dose it with drops. It took awhile but we were at a logical place to use a shelter so the extra time wasnt an issue.
Some of the water in Maine has very fine suspended solids that really dont add any significant color to the water but can plug up a filter real quick, if I remeber correctly Chairback Gap was one of these water sources . In those spots, drops are better than a filter. If in doubt a double dose of Aquamira will generally kill anything, although in areas were crypto may be around, it may have to sit for quite awhile.