Water Purification

A

akee

Joined
Aug 25, 2004
Messages
179
What do you use to make your water drinkable? Do you have any filtration system or use any chemical for that purpose? Let us know of your experience. Thanks.
 
I have the PUR Hiker, now Katadyn Hiker. I also carry a plastic squeeze dropper bottle of bleach, a bandana and have just recently added a few coffee filters.

The Hiker works good, but could use a higher capacity cartridge.

Boiling the water works great.

I havn't tried it yet, but making a 3 level filter system using soil, rock and the charcoal from the fire is supposed to work well too.
 
longbow50 said:
I havn't tried it yet, but making a 3 level filter system using soil, rock and the charcoal from the fire is supposed to work well too.
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It was Milwaukee, IIRC, that discovered that even commercial sand filters do not keep all the nasties out. Thousands became ill. So field expedient filters are better than zip, but imperfect.
 
I grew up always using iodine tablets, and they have always worked well. The available nutralizer tablets eliminated the strong taste. http://www.rei.com/product/603.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CAMPING_TOC For a brief while I used the above mentioned PUR Hiker without incident, but found it not worth the effort or weight, and freezing in winter was a problem, so I gave up on it.

A few years a go I switched to those chlorine drops (http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...071&PRODUCT<>prd_id=16917&bmUID=1107287319889). This methode consists of two bottles and a little mixing cup. Several drops of each solution are mixed in the cup for 5 minutes, then the mix is poured into your water bottle. Twice the bottles became damaged and leaked empty, and freezing in winter was a problem. It was also more effort than the iodine becuse the solution had to be mixed for 5 minutes first, and only one water bottle could be treated at a time (unless you had more little mixing cups).

Katadyn now make chlorine tablets which are as easy to use as the iodine, but do not leave a taste in the water. http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_...71&PRODUCT<>prd_id=612013&bmUID=1107287319888 They are also suppose to be better in cold water and against cryptosporodia, which the iodine was not. They are much more expensive than the iodine tablets, so I usually just leave them in the survival kit, and use iodine as my regular treatment. Another good things about these Katadyn tablets is that each pill gets its own seperate packaging (like a pack of excel gum), so unlike idine which is all in one bottle, opening one does not expose the rest to air which weakens them. Here is another link showing how they are packaged: http://www.rei.com/product/47575360.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CAMPING_TOC

Will
 
I use PolarPure. Low weight, small bottle, easy to use, better taste than iodine tablets, very inexpensive.

I've come across too many people with broken/clogged filters to trust them as my only method, even IF I was willing to carry the weight (which I'm not).

-Bob

I'd like to try those Catadyn tablets; they seem perfect for my needs.
 
My filter has a removable, cleanable filter and is built like a tank. :) A heavy tank. :(

There's always boiling, fuel and time permitting.

Also, the water gathered in a solar still is pure if you "do it right."
 
I use the pur hiker as others and have never had a problem with it except in winter but I keep it in my coat. It filters well more than others before clogging but the filter can't be cleaned is the only drawback.

I also use the MP1 micropur tabs (not cheap) as they taste better than iodine but iodine works too.

I was thinking about the Katadyn filter but my friend split the ceramic filter in his and it cost him $250 to replace it :eek: so I haven't got it as I am rough on my gear. I hear good things about them though.

Skam
 
Bob W said:
I use PolarPure. Low weight, small bottle, easy to use, better taste than iodine tablets, very inexpensive.

I've come across too many people with broken/clogged filters to trust them as my only method, even IF I was willing to carry the weight (which I'm not).

-Bob

I'd like to try those Catadyn tablets; they seem perfect for my needs.
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That reminds me of a time I was hiking and I met a group of several people who had 1 filter between them all. It was some low end peice of junk not designed for heavy use at all. Anyway, the thing broke, and the guy was having a fit. I gave him a handful of my iodine tablets, and he commented that he should have a bottle of those as backup with him. NO KIDDING!!! I can't believe anyone would go anywhere without some sort of back water treatment. Especially conscidering the size/weight/cost of those tablets. It is too easy to break or clog a filter, or to accidentally have your bottle of tablets fall over into the river. ALWAYS CARRY A BACKUP!!

Will
 
When Jeep camping I bring 2.5 -5 gal. When back packing I use a Katadyn filter. When going ultra light or on day hikes from basecamp, I use Iodine tabs. (never learned to like the taste though).
Enjoy!
 
Never had any prob with my hiker filter freezing,and I've been out in below zero temps many a night.I dont like the ceramic filters though as they seem to clog to quickly.I always carry iodine as a backup though just in case and for supper time I just boil my water to save wear and tear on my filter,plus its easier.I find it worth the weight to carry as its reassuring to always have a clean clear drink of agua when I need it.
 
marsupial said:
Never had any prob with my hiker filter freezing,and I've been out in below zero temps many a night.
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Seeing as water freezes I can guarantee you your filter will freeze up if cold enough and possibly crack the housing not to mention not being able to use it. Thus, its important to pump as much water out of it after using and is why I keep it in my coat.

Skam
 
Thomas Linton said:
I use a Katadyn filter. If the water seems cloudy, I prefilter with a bandanna.
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If you have one of the early Katadyn's (b4 the merge w/ pur) you shouldn't have to do that. They were made for heavy 'duty-drop-it-in-a-elephant-wallow' type of filtering. Peace Corp uses them a lot.

And along w/ the thread topic, I use a Katadyn pocket and mini filter. Both have the ceramic filter and are supposed to be good for 13 thousand gallons. Because they filter thru ceramic and do such a good job, they can be harder to pump than the other brands. The public wants it easy.
 
I always carry iodine in the woods. Always.
Sometimes I carry a GI Canteen cup and stove.
Sometimes I also carry my Katadyn.
It depends on whether I think I'll need or want to generate more water then I'm carrying. The iodine is used for unexpected refills.
 
i have a nice lightweight pump filter that fits on the top of a nalgene bottle that seems to work quite nice. i've turned mud puddles into drinking water on a few occasions.
 
A water contamination that has become widespread and that my hiker, boiling and chemical treatments won't touch is lead and other pollutants that are in 90+% of all fresh water here in the states. Will the ceramic filters remove them?
 
longbow50 said:
A water contamination that has become widespread and that my hiker, boiling and chemical treatments won't touch is lead and other pollutants that are in 90+% of all fresh water here in the states. Will the ceramic filters remove them?
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Activiated charcoal is included in some filters to remove unwanted chemicals. Ceramic filters remove objects of a certain size, 1 micron in the case of the filter I use.

So far as I know (and I checked today) 90% of all fresh water in the U.S. does not contain dangerous amounts of lead. If it did, those using the Great Lakes for water would all have lead poisoning. A friend is involved in testing children in Cleveland for lead levels. The results do not suport the view that municipal water has high lead levels, and lead is not removed after the water is drawn from Lake Erie. The water is merely filtered through sand and treated with chlorine. Paint residue is where the lead is primarily coming from.
 
longbow50 said:
A water contamination...that my hiker, boiling and chemical treatments won't touch is lead and other pollutants...Will the ceramic filters remove them?
Click to expand...
As Mr Linton noted, activated charcoal will deal with lead and other soluble pollutants in water.

The Seychelle™ - Water Filtration Bottom's Up Sports Bottle from the website of Emergency Resources is one such filtration bottle. Seychelle are the folks who make the Pres2Pure squishy soft-sided filteration canteen that looks like the GI issue canteen. The Pres2Pure is carried by Brigade Quartermaster, among other online vendors.

I have stashed one of the Seychelle 24-ounce flip-top waterbottles in my primary "grab 'n go" bag. The only caveat I would offer is the usual warning to pre-filter the water if it is dirty. For pre-filtering I carry pantyhose material, a bandanna, and coffee filters. For water purification redundancy, I also carry an Esbit stove + fuel tabs and a Sierra cup for boiling water in the pack.

Page of testimonials on the Seychelle filteration units:
http://www.neatitems.com/water_bottle_testimonials.htm

Likewise, many of the hydration pack in-line filters (like the Blackhawk Hydrastorm filter) eliminate chlorine, heavy metals, and other dissolved pollutants.
 
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