Water Purification?

[Zachayak]

I'm looking for some opinions on the best way to purify water along the trail. I'll be thru-hiking this year, leaving out at the very end of March, and I still haven't decided what method I'd like to use. What are some of your experiences out there? Also, considering it's looking to be a dry season on the trail this time around, I will have to take that into consideration as well.

Cheers, Z

[DesertMTB]

Steripen is the best i have found

[Zachayak]

does that protect against all the nasties,? and what about batteries? What does it take and how long should I expect those batteries to last if i decide to go that route?

[DesertMTB]

does that protect against all the nasties,? and what about batteries? What does it take and how long should I expect those batteries to last if i decide to go that route?

Well, the batteries are a drawback: 4 double As. But they work for up to 40 treatments

But it is 99.9 percent effective in killing Giardia and Cryptosporidium


The biggest plus about the Steripen, or other UV light, is it is fast, light and doesn't affect the taste of the water.

[DesertMTB]

Get the lithium batteries and it is supposed to last 200 uses.

[zoidfu]

Katadyn hiker pro. It has adapters for nalgenes and camelbacks, too. Don't have to worry about batteries.

[Zachayak]

What about drops or tablets? Those would seem to be the lightest option, but I wasn't sure about taste or effectiveness?

[Kirby]

I use Aqua Mira. Iodine now has neutralization tablets so there is no after taste. I hear Kataydn makes an effective water filter.

Kirby

[saimyoji]

I'm using up the last of my PotableAqua+ (contains 2 parts, second part is a VitC tab that gets rid of the iodine taste....But next i'll go to Polar Pure...supposedly lasts forever.

[Lyle]

My vote is for AquaMira - no after-taste, light.

[Hooch]

Katadyn hiker pro. It has adapters for nalgenes and camelbacks, too. Don't have to worry about batteries.

OMG, he said the "N" word.

[mweinstone]

ya cant thruhike with polar pure. its bad for you after two weeks . duh. and steri pens suck . they cant suck water from a puddle like a good pump can. the pumps work cause they filter and they help get water from really difficult places. otherwise do what i do. drink all water untreated or dont drink. and gather water with the center unblocked tube of your tent pole. its the best for pipeing a stream each and every time. the water on the trail is all safe. the hikers are dumb. it takes skill to know how and when to get water. yall need help. and i dont mean pills. if ya cant drink from a source, hikeing is dead.

[MamaCat]

i love my steripen. I use a ziploc freezer bag to dip the water from tight places, then pour thought the steripen pre-filter that screws on the top of the nalgene, then treat. I use that same bag to store the little pre-filter. It is very light and volume saving. It worked great out of puddles.

[Bob S]

The steripen sounded great to me, that is until I did a search for reviews on it. It seems to have a lot of failures. Once they get it working right I would reconsider it, but for now my Katadyn Hiker works well and it works every time. Pre filter with a coffee filter over the pickup held in place with a rubber band.

There is also boiling with a wood fired camp stove, but most would think this a hassle.

[ofthearth]

do a search on steripen and you will find a number of posts that deal with filters, battery life etc.

[ramblin rose]

i'm trying polar pure and hoping for the best

[CrumbSnatcher]

Katadyn hiker pro. It has adapters for nalgenes and camelbacks, too. Don't have to worry about batteries.

this is by far the best filter if you decide to go with a filter! fast,easy,dependable,reliable! most people wont carry the one pound. if the springs are slow,its easy to filter out of the puddles! i have over 10,000 miles on my filter pur/katadyn hiker pro. good hiking...

[CrumbSnatcher]

What about drops or tablets? Those would seem to be the lightest option, but I wasn't sure about taste or effectiveness?

everyone who uses drops say the cant taste them,i disagree.

[CrumbSnatcher]

the katadyn hiker pro is the best filter by far! i was told to buy a purifer only if i want to hike third world countries. filters are all you need for the A.T.

[gaga]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=X-gk2C_9ORk&feature=related