Water Treatment
- Thread starter Justin
- Start date
No idea if it is the best or not, but I use Pristine water drops.
http://www.advancechemicals.ca/Pristine-Water-Purification-Systems
http://www.advancechemicals.ca/Pristine-Water-Purification-Systems
Would have to agree with Duk Dog on the Pristine water drops. Another really light weight option is Pottable Aqua, they are an iodine tablet. Just keep in mind that niether option takes sediments out of the water. So if the area you are in only has standing water a lightweight pump filter is a good idea as well. I carry both an MSR Sweetwater filter, and Pottable Aqua. It is a touch extra weight, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.
*******
Active Member
I use a MSR filter for some water and then put in the drops to purify it further. Where I am lots of the water is pretty full of dirt, moss, sticks, and other solid crap. The filter makes a big difference.
If your into waiting on the tabs to work (read instructions, some take hours to kill stuff) and can stand the taste go with iodine tabs for "light weight". I personally carry a katadyn filter as the water is processed then and there, plus you can pull from some pretty nasty seeps and have a nice product to drink. I got a quickconnect to where I can fill the camelbak up without taking it out of the sleeve in the Eberlestock pack. This is one area I don't mind carrying extra weight in. I do carry tabs for emergencies, but this katadyn has been going strong for years. Good luck!
iowashedhunter
New Member
I do the exact same thing as Archer32 and have never had a problem with the katadyn, it is a great filter system and having the quick connect makes refilling my water bladder a breeze as you dont even need to take it out of your pack. Do remember to carry a backup but I have never had a problem with it.
abrowland
New Member
- Mar 9, 2011
- 10
- 0
Last year, I went out on a limb and bought the MSR Hyperflow. It uses glass tube technology to filter the water. From what I read this has been used in commercial treatment plants for quite a while and this is the first backpack implementation. It can be cleaned in the field by switching a couple of valves and backflushing. There is a concern with freezing - apparently if the thing freezes, the tubes can shatter, rendering it useless. Anytime I've been concerned about this, I make sure to pump it dry and keep it in my sleeping bag at night. I've had ZERO problems with this filter and really like it. It will fill a liter bottle in about 1/3 the time of any other filter out there (around 19 strokes of the pump). Weight is minimal, as is space required. I think the whole thing is under 9 oz and it is about as big as a hot dog bun. You'll never beat the weight of chemical treatment, but I find this filter is a good option. Small, lightweight and no nasty chemical taste. I'm very happy with it. It trimmed quite a bit of weight and space from my pack. Good luck!
rocky mt addict
New Member
i have the Katadyn and love it. with the amount of water that you drink when hiking miles every day, it is nice to have water that tastes good and doesn't have any floaties.
MT backcountry hunter
Active Member
The best lightweight water treatment system that I have found is a product call Aquamira. It is a 2 part system that you mix together and kills everything in the water. It is a 2 part system of acid/base so it cancels each other out leaving no after taste. The only problem is that you are not filtering the water.
+1 on the Katadyn, I use the hiker model. I also carry a frontier filter straw in my little emergency kit in my pocket. That way I have a back-up, and if I drop my pack for a stalk that gets drawn out I can drink from any available source if needed.
jhpam3117
New Member
I have a MSR water filter and it works great. It is durable but a little bulky, which I don't mind as it works for me for now.
Maineboy
Member
this worked well for my brother and I last year 14 days afield. it was quick and you could just walk away and do other things like cook while the water transfered. http://cascadedesigns.com/platypus/filtration-and-storage/gravityworks-filter/product
pcc2b
Member
I have used a steripen for the past few years and it has worked great. i do take an extra battery and a couple of backup tablets just in case. for the weight and time it takes to treat, pretty handy little piece of equipment.
BKC
Very Active Member
I basically have the same thing from Katadyn. A bag you dip in the creek and let gravity feed thru the filter and I fill up a 3 gallon collapsible clear plastic water bladder. It takes about 1/2 hour to drain the bag. I keep iy in camp. I do not carry a pump in the field. I just carry 2-20 ounce water bottles. If I get something down, I use a little water to clean up for the pictures and then I usually run out but 40 ounces usually gets me thru the day. Do not eat snow! I did this when I shot my goat so I could clean him up for pictures and used all my water. I read somewhere that you use more energy to melt snow than you get. I found out the hard way. It depends on how high you hunt but sometimes I will take a chance drinking snow melt or creek water unfiltered. I like to live on the edge
Maybe I've been lucky, but for more than 40 years of hunting and camping, I've never used any purification system at all. No one I've hunted or camped with has come up sick or had any problems from the water! You have to be a little selective where you get your water from but with a little care it is not hard to find. My favorite is fresh spring water right out of the rocks!
Colorado Cowboy
Super Moderator
Me too. One thing I know is that the only place I will use water W/O any purification is in wilderness areas where there is no livestock.