Have/Would/Do you drink from a standing water source/puddle?

[Ricky&Jack]

2 weeks ago for my first overnight hike, me and my husky did the approach trail. It was my fist time and I didnt know there was an App listing the water sources.

I carried enough water, but half way there, I got thirsty but thought "im really thirsty but I need to save my water if theres none near camp".

But I came across 2 puddles:
IMG_4433IcePuddle.jpgMuddy_Water_Puddle_by_FantasyStock.jpg

I walked past it, but allowed my dog to drink.

Im looking into getting a filtering devise such as the sawyer mini.

Is this something you would drink from with a filter? I believe it was a puddle created by tire tracks. But it rained only 2 days before, so I dont think the water was there for long before I found it.

is filtering and drinking from a standing source like this a giant no-no?

Im not sure about the rules/recommendations on drinking from water sources.

Or are we only supposed to filter and drink from flowing water sources?

[peakbagger]

I have gotten water from a far sketchier source. One fall we hiked to a shelter in VA north of the Roller Coaster and it was totally dry. I hiked back 2.5 miles to a mud hole. I dug out a spot and let black water flow in along with a few crayfish. I dipped it out with a cup into a pot, strained it throuhg a bandana and then decanted it into another pot then let it settle and decanted it again until is was clear. I then double dosed it with aquamira and let it sit. I expect that if I had tried to filter it, it would have plugged the filter quickly unless I went through all the stages.

Realistically if you have a choice of guaranteed dehydration or possibly contaminated water, its the lesser of two evils. Lot to be said for filter and some backup aquamira.

[Kerosene]

I'd do it in an emergency, and have done it twice, but I strongly prefer other sources. As peakbagger says, dealing with the potential impact of tainted water is better than dying of dehydration...although it may not seem like it as you deal with it.

[Lyle]

If you think the puddles were created by tire tracks, then I would avoid it as a water source unless absolutely needed. Tire tracks mean roads, which generally include oils and and other contaminants.

Puddles on rocks after a rain, or natural depressions from downed trees, etc. would be more tempting. I would treat or filter any standing water as a matter of course.

[tiptoe]

Ugh. Every evening, I open up my trail info (currently using AWOLs guide, southbound version) and ballpark how far I might go the next day, and checking water sources is THE most important thing I factor in. It is unpleasant and even dangerous to run out of water while hiking, and I prefer to carry more than risk not having enough. The best, in my opinion, is a piped spring, followed by an unpiped spring, a freely flowing stream, and a pond. If at all possible, I avoid water near roads and stagnant water; puddles like the one you describe are a last resort. I always filter my water unless it comes from somebody's well, but not everyone does this.

Ridges tend to be without readily accessible water, so plan accordingly.

It also helps to confirm your choices with hikers coming from the other direction when you meet them, especially if it hasn't rained lately. Your trail guide may say that a water source is "unreliable," but a quick conversation will give you up-to-date info.

I also have a husky, a day-hiking husky. I don't let him drink out of puddles either, if there are other choices. It's also possible to have the dog carry his own drinking water, if you expect not to find a lot on the trail.

[Ricky&Jack]

oh okay. this was one of the small back roads that cross the approach trail. maybe 1 vehicle every few days, i think.

I wasnt in dire need of water. i still had about 1litre and 4 miles to my camp. But I was at the point of thinking "if I can chug 2 full glasses from this puddle, then theres no doubt the water in my pack would last me the trip".

But I was unsure, and didnt have a filter. So I figure I would take a pic and ask here, since I have never had to drink from anywhere on a trail, since that was my first overnighter.

[Lone Wolf]

i never filter or treat. i would never drink from a puddle

[RED-DOG]

I always use a Katahdan Hiker-Pro very easy to use all you have to do is put the one tub in the water and pump don't matter if it's a good flowing stream or a Puddle, when it gets hot and dry a Puddle is all you will be able to find and a filter like the Hiker-Pro makes life alot easier, a sawyer squeeze you will need to use a dipper like a bottom of a soda bottle. and i always filter my water no matter what the water source looks like. Good Luck and happy Hiking

[RED-DOG]

Yes if i am in Dire need of water i would filter from a puddle and i have many times.

[Ricky&Jack]

what about if it looks "stagnant?"

such as its only 1 inch deep. you think it hasnt rained there in 2 weeks, and you see little bugs swimming?

[Ricky&Jack]

I saw yourtube videos of the lifestraw of kids in africa using it to drink from a nasty puddle and also a video of a person using it to drink from a glass of their own pee.

So im not sure the complete "do/dont" of filters yet...... other than life threatening emergency to go for it.

[RED-DOG]

what about if it looks "stagnant?"

such as its only 1 inch deep. you think it hasnt rained there in 2 weeks, and you see little bugs swimming?

No i would consult my Trail Guide and see where the next water source or shelter ( most of the more reliable water sources along the AT is at the shelters ) is if it's within a couple of miles i would try their but if i hadn't had water in the last few hours and it's really HOT and the next source is 5 miles away then i would seriously think about it then i would probably filter it. but it all depends in what kind of shape i am in if i feel Dehydrated, if i think i can make it to the next source comfortably i would hike on.

[FarmerChef]

I think Tiptoe nailed it for me (except that I don't filter if I'm at the source and it looks clean). Puddles are a last resort. I've had to dig out a seep and filter like peakbagger and it had stuff swimming in it. But it was honestly some of the best tasting water we've ever had on the trail (John's Spring Shelter).

[Starchild]

I have on occasion, using whatever method I had at purifying.

I do hope you didn't have your dog drink directly out of it but transferred it to another water container so as to spare the next thirsty hiker from not having to drink out of a doggie water bowl.

[Ricky&Jack]

I have on occasion, using whatever method I had at purifying.

I do hope you didn't have your dog drink directly out of it but transferred it to another water container so as to spare the next thirsty hiker from not having to drink out of a doggie water bowl.

yep. that was his first official use of his collapsible water/food dish.

[Lyle]

I saw yourtube videos of the lifestraw of kids in africa using it to drink from a nasty puddle and also a video of a person using it to drink from a glass of their own pee.

So im not sure the complete "do/dont" of filters yet...... other than life threatening emergency to go for it.

It's all a matter of need. I have drunk water from really nasty cattle troughs when hiking out west. It was all the water we could find. Filtered it through a wool sock, then double treated it with iodine tablets. Was pretty nasty tasting, but it was water and no one got sick from it.

In your scenarios above, would the children have been drinking the water straight from the puddle if they didn't have the filter? If so, then this is a vast improvement. Clean water is scarce in some areas of the world. Regarding the urine. Generally if the person is healthy, the urine is close to sterile anyway, so drinking it, filtered or not, is no big deal physiologically.

The do/don't of water filters?

Always get your water from a spring if possible; after that a small, flowing stream; a lake; finally a pond with active water flow. Generally one of the aforementioned sources (in order of preference) will be available.

Try to avoid large rivers (usually have industrial and agricultural contamination due to their large drainages), stagnant or near stagnant ponds, and puddles. I've used all of these with no ill effects, but they are a last resort choice, and not for a steady diet.

Swamp areas are also usually avoided, but are often quite safe water sources, they are often just foul tasting. For example, in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, much of the area is a natural cedar swamp. This water is very yellow/brown in color and often foamy. The coloration and foam is caused by the very high levels of tannin in the water that leaches out from the surrounding vegetation. This high tannin level causes the water to be fairly acidic, not conducive to most bacterial growth. Back in the days of old sailing ships, when it took months to cross the oceans, the crews would fill their water catches with this swamp water, referred to as sweet water. This was preferable to other sources because the sweet water would stay safe for drinking for a longer period of time without supporting bacterial growth.

Probably way more than you wanted to know about water...

[MDSection12]

In my mind, there are three levels of water quality in terms of backpacking:

1. Spring water that is clearly flowing directly out of the ground and can be collected straight from the source (as opposed to a pool below the source as is sometimes the case with springs). I do not treat water in this category.

2. Clean appearing water at elevation that has been above ground prior to my collecting. This could be the pool coming from a spring, a creek or even a pond. Being at elevation is key, because it means there should not be any human contamination above. This category I always treat, but drink happily.

3. Water that is at a low enough elevation that I cannot be certain of what contaminants are above it or appears/smells foul... Or both. I will not drink this water, even treated.

My rationale is simple; the first category is basically always going to be safe, the second category may have bacteria but my filter will eliminate it if so, the last category may have viruses (generally associated with human or livestock waste) which my filter will not eliminate.

[Coffee]

I cannot imagine being willing to drink from a puddle like the one pictured anywhere on the AT. AWOL's guide and others provide plenty of information on water sources and it wouldn't take much planning to avoid that type of situation. If it was a life or death-by-dehydration situation, then sure I would drink from that puddle but I don't see why it would ever have to come to that on the AT. Out west it might be a different story. I've read about some pretty disgusting sounding water sources on the Arizona Trail. Probably less of an issue on the PCT with the water caches.

[bangorme]

I would only drink water from that puddle if I was in danger of dying... something I've never experienced on the AT. The guides give lots of information about water, so that even if one is dry, you should have no problem getting to the next without endangering your life.

[canoe]

Not ever would I drink from something like that on the AT