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stomparound85
04-02-2005, 22:57
Anybody out there using the Miox purifier. :welcome what do yall think about it. what do yall think is the safest way to treat water?

bearbag hanger
04-03-2005, 07:35
I used one from Hot Springs to Mt Katahdin last year. Was tired of carrying almost a pound of filter. Didn't get sick or have any problems. The biggest problem is it can go through an expensive pair of batteries fairly quickly, maybe got a month on each pair. Other than that, I found the Miox to be easy to use and not nearly as time consuming as a filter.

The Hog
04-03-2005, 08:02
Why wait at all? And why carry a pound when you don't have to. Get an Exstream bottle. It gives you safe water without waiting, and it's relatively light.

Jaybird
04-03-2005, 09:18
Why wait at all? And why carry a pound when you don't have to. Get an Exstream bottle. It gives you safe water without waiting, and it's relatively light.


i got one of these ( filter "built-in") bottles on my first section hike....they work GREAT! but, dont expect to get anything but a small "drizzle" of water most instances.



i now use iodine tabs.... :D


see ya'll out there: Apr 28-May 20 Hot Springs,NC- Pearisburg,VA

The Hog
04-04-2005, 06:48
Jaybird is right, the downside to the Exstream bottle is output. You have to squeeze the bottle to get the stream going, and the stream is pretty narrow. But your arms, which have been atrophying while hiking, need the exercise anyway. :cool:

MileMonster
04-04-2005, 10:12
There are pluses and minus with every piece of gear. Water treatment is no exception. Here is my MIOX experience:

With he experience I had with the MIOX it just didn't seem practical for me on the AT. I bought one when they first came out and used it for a while. Ultimately I sent the MIOX back. I had problems with getting it to work consistantly. The idiot lights on it would go off telling me I had too much or too little salt in the solution. MSR's customer support was great and they were helpful and interested in the problems I was having. I bought it specifically for use on my thru hike last year. I'm definitely over pumping and carrying the weight of a filter, but my wife wasn't too hip to me drinking all the iodine from Polar Pur. That's what made me try the MIOX. I wound up going back to Polar Pur for a few reasons -

- With the reliability issues I experienced using it before my AT hike I was in a position of having to carry a back-up system (ie Polar Pur) if I took the MIOX. Seemed silly to carry both.

- The cost: If you take the cost of the MIOX and add the cost of batteries when they go dead, you have to treat a huge amount of water before the "break even" point as compared to Polar Pur, which is what I was using before.

- One bottle of Polar Pur would last me the whole AT with no batteries or salt to worry about.

- Those aren't AA or AAA batteries in there, they may have been hard to find at small stores along the Trail - at least that was one of my considerations. This worry would require me to carry a back-up set of these batteries, adding to my water treatment pile which already has a back-up bottle of polar pur, and a bag of salt for the MIOX. I could carry all this OR just the one small bottle of Polar Pur. Hmmm...

Keep in mind this is just one man's experience and opinion. I suppose what it all came down to for me was being comfortable with it. I was and continue to be very comfortable with Polar Pur. I don't mind the iodine taste (in fact, I kind of like it). I saw a few people on the AT using the MIOX, some happy, some not. Using it prior to the AT I feel that, as long as it is working correctly, it has great value in treating water for larger groups - you can spit out alot of chlorine dioxide with it in no time. For a single user, though, Aqua Mira makes the same chemical (I believe) without the worry about batteries/salt.

If you're considering the MIOX you've already decided that you don't need a water filter and that a chemical water treatment will work for you. IMHO, for an individual user the KISS rule points toward the simple, idiot proof Polar Pur or Aqua Mira.

If you have any specific questions about my experience ask and I'll answer to the best of my ability.

Footslogger
04-04-2005, 11:40
Having personally gone the entire gamut in terms of water filtration/purification I have to agree that the simpler the better. In the end you've got to do what makes you feel most comfortable.

During my thru in 2003 I used AquaMira (when I did purify water) and I found it to be easy to use and, based on my having not had any problems, an effective treatment method.

'Slogger

PecosBackpacker
04-04-2005, 13:56
Having used a variety of methods for puification, I can honestly say that while a novel idea when it first came out, the MIOX is rather unreliable. I have used one a few times and on more than one occasion, it would not function properly. Plus, as was mentioned before, you have to treat a large amount of water before you get your money's worth. In addition at $150 a pop, you are much better using iodine or Polar Pur ($10-15).