I was thinking....

I usually can drink 80 ozs of water in a day in the elk woods when its warm. I have access at least some of the time to streams, seeps and the odd wallow, so can filter water from those (well, maybe not ALL wallows, just the clear ones)
Anyone have experience using a good water filter in the woods? The one I'm looking at weighs 11 ozs which is a lot less than a 51oz container of water (40 oz of water in 11oz  container)

I could carry half the water and a filter for a weight reduction of over 2lbs. The filter weighs the same as 32 & 40 oz containers so thats a wash...

Thoughts?

Joshua

It is kind of a pain to filter, takes time and such.

But if my math is right you are talking about roughly 2 liters, I carry at least 3L but also filter in cattle country as iodine won't kill the bugs that flow where the bovine poop.

I was a die hard pill guy, but on multiple occasions I have filled up with water and walked up stream only to find a dead critter decomposing in that same stream or spring up the mountain.

I don't mind the weight of the filter now.  Some use those "pens" but I would rather carry more weight than trust something with batteries for something as important as water in the backcountry.

Good luck, stay safe...

Im new to elk hunting but do have alot of experience with backcountry water purification! I would recommend you use the Katadyn Hiker model! Its light, and packs away nicely in a day pack! Fairly cheap to, under $70, replacement ceramic filter is around $35 and i would bring one just in case,if you are goin to be in the woods for any extended period which you will be! Its a fairly fine filter that can start to get plugged depending on how dirty of a water source you use! Katadyn also makes a flow through bladder type filter to leave at camp in the shade!

40 oz of water is fluid ounces not weight. One gallon of water weighs 8.34 pounds.  So 40 oz bottle is 2.60 pounds not including container.

I know that but for this discussion its close enough.

I like the MSR filter a lot.  It has a hard ceramic filter that you can pull out and clean when it starts to get plugged.  Once I have filtered the water, I either hit it with a chemical treatment or boil it if I have time.   To many viruses and other ultra tiny critters in that water to trust straight filtering out of ponds, wallows, or anything but water right out of a glacier for me.

I have the Dwight Schuh Mega Pack and it has a 2 liter water bladder that i would surely fill whenever it started to get low if i were out there hunting the "Wapiti"! The Katadyn is also nice because it comes with alot of adapters that make it compatible with Nalgene and various water bladder attachments! It may sound like i work for Katadyn but i do not! Ive spent alot of time in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area of northern Minnesota, where its all canoe and foot travel and this item has proven itself time and time again!

Sounds like this is for day trips ?  I leave my filter at home for day trips, and haul up to 5 quarts (1.25 gallons) of water.  Of course as I drink it my load gets lighter.

I like the Katadyn as well.

More durable than the MSR Sweetwater which I would rather have for weight savings IF it was not as breakable.

I know four guys that have the MSR Sweetwater, and all four have had it serviced.  Their warranty is top notch, but I'd rather not use the warranty.

Joshua,

Here is one I have used here in Idaho for over ten years with no trouble.  It is even from Colorado!  

http://botaofboulder.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=31&category_id=8&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=60

Whatever you use don't count on using one of those filter straws. Always bring something else just in case. I bought one of those about fifteen years ago. When I got thirsty I found some water and pulled out the straw. I would have died of thirst before I got enough water through that thing. Good thing I wasn't too far out there. Gary

Yep both is a good plan.  We carry 2 liters each and a filter.  Some days we don't use the filter and others we go through 6 liters each.

Dehydration is not a good thing especially when packing a load of meat.

Mike

Katadyn pocket filter is best there is $289.00 at REI but will last more than a lifetime and will make muddy water drinkable.

Another Katadyn pocket filter user here! Take water take filter, gotta have water!

Thanks for all the great replys. I won't be dropping 289.00 on a filter even thogh I know its the best. I don't have the need for it at this point.
For my needs during hunting season the modestly priced filters in the 80 dollar range will suffice if I decide to carry one.

I can still remember drinking water out of streams in Northern Maine as a boy while fishing with Dad. I remember wondering if the stuff floating in the clear water would make me sick or if the fish I could see while drinking pooped a lot. We never did get sick, but that was a long time ago...

J-

I go through a 3-liter bladder on a early-season hunt without too much trouble, but I only bring a filter if I think there's a good possibility of spiking out.

From a strategy standpoint, a lot of the good watering holes in the areas I hunt are nice, cool bedding areas as well so I try not to mess around with them too much.

My advice would be to leave the filter in the truck unless you think you're going over night.

iodine is way cheaper and lighter than filter, tastes like $h_t but works if your stuck.

I have a basic katadyn hiker, about $80 or so if I remember right.

Always been an MSR fan.

The new iodine tablets at wally world come in a two bottle pack.  One has iodine pills the other has a pill that removes the iodine taste.