water purification?

[PAPA BEAR]

in reality i wont be carrying anything big enough to hold large amounts of water.i bought a waterbottle with purifier and filter both.holds one liter so will have to take the time to fill bladders which means less gold panning and hunting time but it is what it is.shouldnt take to long to fill them.we are hiking in 15 miles on foot.only problem i see with the base camp is if i leave it hanging low and a bear sees it it's toast.guess i better not forget to raise it up along with the food.

[PowDuck]

An empty gallon milk jug weighs absolutely nothing. We (ArkyBob, Ed, and I) filled a 3 gallon collapsible container and our pack bladders every day we were in Colorado. My Katadyn Basecamp was one of the best investments for wilderness camping. If you're worried about bears getting it from a tree, empty it and fold it up after each use.

[calgarychef]

If the water is clear ALL you need is a steripen.  Extremely  light, fast and 100% reliable.  Check it out and throw away the iodine tabs forever.

[pow-bow]

2nd the steripen.  Best thing going.

[John Scifres]

I use Potable Aqua with the neutralizing tabs.  It does not taste bad at all.  I highly recommend you try this.  They are cheap and easy to use and super light.  At a minimum, I feel you should have them in your daypack for emergencies.    http://potableaqua.com/products-tablets.php

Also, get a Platypus Water Bladder.  I use the 2 liter.  Hydration is critical.  Get the zip kind  http://cascadedesigns.com/platypus/hands-free-hydration/big-zip-sl/product

Hi Dan,  love to do it now.  Need to get rid of these dang kids though.  They are harshing my mellow.

[kadbow]

I do water treatment for a living.  I would not personally use the steri-pen (UV does not kill everything especially if there are any particulates in it).  I use a simple filter (PUR) and add a couple drops of unscented clorox bleach (3-5 drops per qt.).  This is basically what most cities do.  The filter takes care of crypto and giardia and the bleach kills viruses.  Typically give it 10-20 minutes for the bleach to work.  Bleach is very cheap, proven, more than likely what you are drinking at home and you can use it with one of the more affordable filters.  You can let the water stand uncovered and the bleach will go away after it has done its job.  I think in the back country that the filter is more important than the disinfectant.

[hunt it]

Katadyn makes good stuff, I have one of their world filters ($300.00) and a couple of base camps. I'm not that attached to the base camps as if the water is muddy or high in particulate the filter clogs up fast - under 5 fillings and cannot be cleaned. The best camp style filter I have found in marketed in USA by British Berkshire (Royal Doulton in England) it uses double ceramic/charcoal filters and is used alot in 3rd world countries. As for bleach, I'd be boiling water before I used bleach and drank it.

[AkDan]

Lmao John!!! When the day comes, that door is always open!


Papabear,

Try buying one of the boxed wines.  Take the liner out of it.  works great for water, packs to nothing and weighs nothing.   You could make a bag for it or stick it in say a pillow case or something snazzy to hang from a tree.   We used one in WY.   It's what sold me on carrying the 2.5 gallon bota bottles in sheep country.   Normally we'd nix even the smallest 'nicities'.  This one saved our butts walking up and down mountains every day once or twice a day to get water.   There is some large platypus bags out there also that pack to nothing that can hold camp water and still allow you room in your bag without adding excess weight.

[todd smith]

My buddy Dino swears by Polar Pure tablets:

http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Pure-Disinfectant-Iodine-Crystals/dp/B00068M3HY

I bought some for an elk hunt but never had to use them.  


   * Polar Pure Water Disinfectant
   * Portable water disinfectant ideal for camping, backpacking, or traveling
   * Unique bottle design deploys pure crystallized iodine into water
   * Destroys waterborne pathogens, including Giardia and microorganisms
   * Treats up to 2,000 quarts of water per bottle; indefinite shelf life
   * Bottle cap measures and decants solution--no other tools required

Sounds like great stuff.

I have a Hiker too, but have not used it enough to give a report on it.  So far it works but takes a while to fill a quart container.

Have a great hunt and find some color!!    

todd

[Smallwood]

http://www.polarequipment.com/comparison.htm

http://www.alpharubicon.com/prepinfo/waterpurify.htm

http://www.raems.com/store/purifier.html