Filtering Water

mywindingroad

So far I have always packed my water in or had a source that didn't need to be filtered first. But I am planning on hiking the AT for 10 days this spring. What type of water filters or treatments do you have? How do they work?

Also, do I have to worry about cross contamination between dirty bottles used to collect water and clean bottles used to drink from? Or is mostly good enough?

beemerphile1

I have not done an extended trip. I am only a weekend hiker.

I have a Sawyer Mini that I like. It can be used inline with a hydration pack, as a straw, or as a filter from one container to another.

I am very cautious about preventing contamination of my clean containers by the dirty container.

No matter what you use, hydration is possibly the number one concern, so carry multiple methods of purifying water. I carry the Sawyer Mini and tablets as a backup. If on a long trip I would probably carry two filters plus the tablets.

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I'm the same way... never have I not been able to refill my water with clean water. However, I did a beginner backpacking class once and was taught to be careful about every detail. For example, let's say you collect into a bottle by putting a hankerchief over the top (to filter out large items like dirt and leaves and such) and dipping into a clear stream. Then, you put a tablet into the water (do NOT touch the tablet.. you will get a chemical burn - you cut open the edge and drop it into the bottle of water by touching the outside packaging only). Put the lid on the bottle and seal it up. After the water has been treated (give it about 20-30 min. and the tablet will be gone), loosen the lid and slowly tip the bottle to pour treated water through the ajar lid to get treated water over the threads of the lid (because bacteria could have gotten on the threads). Then you can take the lid off and drink.

I've thought about getting a steri-pen - the water must be filtered for debris first and be clear, but I have heard they work well (it seems like magic). They are also pricey, which is why I haven't gotten one yet... it is hard to justify when I'm not on trips where I would use it.

kasaz

I have a filter that is very small, but I don't recommend it and don't remember the name. I also have a steri pen and I always carry tablets, just in case.

kasaz

A lot of people I know have and like the Katadyn. I have an MSR mini-works that still works but apparently a lot of people have had problems with it.

mywindingroad

Thanks for the information/advice and for confirming my suspition that cross contamination is important to be mindful of. I am going to go with the steripen because it seems the easiest to use and I have preteen/teen boys that will be using it at times.

jenglish712

Late to the party.

I have a buddy with a katydyn hiker that is rock awesome. Without him I use tabs. Chlorime dioxide isnt bad... iodine based tastes awful.

I fimd lifestraw to be nice for a short hike that doesnt require much cooking.

winninginlosing

I have the Katadyn Hiker Water Filter that they sell at REI (although I have a slightly older model than what they currently sell). With the Katadyn you literally place a tube into the running water of a stream, it has a small filter on the end, put the tube on the other end into your water bottle and pump your water through the system by hand. My fiance and I used this for the entire length of our 16 day John Muir Trail hike, as well as other shorter hikes and it has worked pretty well. Unlike the steri pens you don't have to worry about larger contaminants in the water or replacing batteries, but you will have to replace your filter eventually (you should be fine on a 10 day trip, we didn't replace ours until after our trip and we were pumping for two people the entire time). It is a little large however and something like 12 ounces.

As far as contamination is concerned it would probably depend on the water quality you're pumping from (not that I am an expert or anything). I personally would avoid putting unfiltered water into your drinking bottle and just bring a separate bottle or collapsible sink or something for washing water or whatever else you are planning not to filter. We brought empty smart water bottles, thinner plastic = less weight on the trail than a nalgene, but didn't bring any sort of washing basin and looking back I wish I would have just brought one of those collapsible fabric ones.

theonewiththedream

I would suggest a Kathadin water filter. You can find them online. However, I would suggest bringing some type of tablet or drop in addition as the last time I did a longer hike my water filter broke halfway through.

wtgrey

I use an MSR Sweetwater filter. ALWAYS bring a secondary treatment option though - I have had water filters freeze or break, and relied on tablets to keep me alive!

iplayoutside19

winninginlosing wrote: »

I have the Katadyn Hiker Water Filter that they sell at REI (although I have a slightly older model than what they currently sell). With the Katadyn you literally place a tube into the running water of a stream, it has a small filter on the end, put the tube on the other end into your water bottle and pump your water through the system by hand. My fiance and I used this for the entire length of our 16 day John Muir Trail hike, as well as other shorter hikes and it has worked pretty well. Unlike the steri pens you don't have to worry about larger contaminants in the water or replacing batteries, but you will have to replace your filter eventually (you should be fine on a 10 day trip, we didn't replace ours until after our trip and we were pumping for two people the entire time). It is a little large however and something like 12 ounces.

As far as contamination is concerned it would probably depend on the water quality you're pumping from (not that I am an expert or anything). I personally would avoid putting unfiltered water into your drinking bottle and just bring a separate bottle or collapsible sink or something for washing water or whatever else you are planning not to filter. We brought empty smart water bottles, thinner plastic = less weight on the trail than a nalgene, but didn't bring any sort of washing basin and looking back I wish I would have just brought one of those collapsible fabric ones.

I had not had any experience with water filtering until this weekend. We also used the Katadyn Water Filter and pumped water straight out of the streams and into our water containers. We didn't get sick from contamination so I guess it worked. The water even tasted better than the water we filled up with at the TH.

Since it rained nearly 2 inches while we were on the trail, at one point we filtered the water running in the middle of the trail.

whmscll

I've been using a Katadyn filter to pump water out of lakes and rivers for years. Neither I nor anyone I know has ever gotten sick. That's the point of filtering water! Yes, it works.

momwow17

I saw a solar filter today. Does anyone have experience using these? What was your experience with it?

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I've never heard of a solar filter. I've heard of the Steripen, which uses UV light to filter water. The water needs to be clear for this to work... not cloudy. I've never drank water filtered with this to see if I get sick, but I've heard from someone who has that it works.

momwow17

It was pretty neat... It is a bag that has an anti-microbial mesh on the inside that activates in the sun.

mywindingroad

I haven't seen the solar water filter but my concern would be how do I know if it gets enough sun on a cloudy day. Also, for rainy days you would have to have a back up system.

An update: Since I asked this question I bought the Steripen. It works well. I use a bandana to filter the water first. If the water was cloudy I treated it two times as instructed in the manual. BUT I had one son that didn't like the water because it still had "stuff" in it. For him I purchased a Sawyer water filter. He likes this much better. I don't really have a preference between the two. With the Sawyer water filter you only have one step where as the Steripen you have to filter it through a bandana and then treat it two times. But with the Sawyer you either have to squeeze or wait for gravity to do it's thing (which is what my son does.)

Cheesy567

I pre-filter through a coffee filter, too. I'll use a bandana if there's large debris or if it's a beaver pond, then a coffee filter, *then* my filter's prefilter. Saves the ceramic filter that way. The coffee filter is much cheaper than the purchased pre-filters and prolongs their life substantially.

The coffee filter catches most of the little floaters that your son (and I!) doesn't like (I use that when I just boil water and don't use the ceramic filter and it's fine)

I use an MSR sweet water ceramic filter and pump system (have had it for over 15 years and it's still working great, have had to replace the filter once but that's expected. Water becomes crystal clear and delicious, even when your only source is a beaver pond.). It doesn't filter out viruses, so I add anti-viral drops for that.

murphy612

I've always used the Sawyer PointOne Squeeze Water system. Long and short trips and I've never had a problem, even in the murkiest of water. You can use the bag or even attach the filter to a water bottle. It easy and light. Sometimes the bags might be a little difficult to fill if you're using standing water though. And yes always be aware of cross contamination, from your hands, bottles, bags, dishes, etc.

Edjeep

I use an MSR miniworks I have had for years. I have always had luck finding plenty of moving fresh water, so it worked pretty good. This weekend, backpacking with a friend we used his to pull some water from a lake, with a lot of algae in it. The filter was plugged after 40 oz's. He "says" the filter had only been used 2x and cleaned, but I don't know for sure. I have also started adding the MSR tablets, because why not?

Admittedly my gear is old, and I am a little out of practice, but I have been on 2 trips this year after a 15 year hiatus.