I made a filter system using the Sawyer filter. I hooked it up with some plastic tubing to a water bag and found it gave me two quarts of filtered water faster than a pump — at a tiny fraction of the weight.
I made a filter system using the Sawyer filter. I hooked it up with some plastic tubing to a water bag and found it gave me two quarts of filtered water faster than a pump — at a tiny fraction of the weight.
My vote is Aqua Mira.
I agree with jersey joe; I used to say that I filtered through my bandana.
I carried a PUR filter through the smokies and got tired of it clogging, plus it would freeze solid unless I slept with the damn thing. I sent it home and never looked back. I used Clorox after that and even then not all the time. if I was way up the side of a mountain and I knew there were no people or cattle living higher up and there was water coming straight out of a rock... well, I drank it. when I did use clorox I used 4 drops per liter usually, any amount over 6 drops I could taste.
and since you openly identify yourself as a neurotic, I feel compelled to pass on some wisdom from Warren Doyle. That being that your pack weight is directly proportional to your fears. If you're afraid of being cold, you'll take too many clothes and too heavy a bag; if your afraid of running out of food, you'll take too much; if you're afraid of getting hurt, you'll take too large a first aid kit. got the concept? you might also learn from a story by Tim O'Brien called "The Things They Carried."
I tried a SteriPen 2 years ago. Loved the light weight
and UV light concept. Found it to be really flaky and unreliable.
It wouldn't light up sometimes. I gave up on it and got a
Katadyne Hiker Pro which works well for me. Removing
the control circuit/timer from the SteriPen and just hooking
up a switch to activate it would probably make it a usable
product.
Katadyn hiker pro does everything the other do plus removes chemical pollutants.. TIP.. while using any filter or purifier, wrap a coffee filter around the input screen with a rubber band..promise it will double the life of filter cartridge
I started with a steripen adventurer last year, didn't get sick, but I stopped using it after hiawasse, GA. (Then I found out it wasn't working anymore when I wanted to treat water later on). I did not get sick at all from drinking untreated water. Its up to you.
I'd 2nd/3rd/whatever the MSR filter. Having a filter is very nice, and some days you will love it and others you will hate it. I personally didn't filter any spring water unless I was getting it out of a puddle, I drank from streams a few times, and never got sick. I used Aqua Mira mostly when I was worried about the water, and filtered when I could use someone's since I didn't carry one.
I've posted this link before. I think it's the best guide to the options hikers have for water.
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drin...treatment.html
GA - NJ 2001; GA - ME 2003; GA - ME 2005; GA - ME 2007; PCT 2006
A wise man changes his mind, a fool never will.
—SPANISH PROVERB
Sawyer mini
Sawyer mini plus Aqua Mira. I've been sick before.
76 HawkMtn w/Rangers
14 LHHT
15 Girard/Quebec/LostTurkey/Saylor/Tuscarora/BlackForest
16 Kennerdell/Cranberry-Otter/DollyS/WRim-NCT
17 BearR
18-19,22 AT NOBO 1562.2
22 Hadrian's Wall
23 Cotswold Way
Life Straw! $20...simple, light, no chemical taste. Been using it for two years and will never go back to drops or other filtering.
Sawyer Squeeze 3.5 oz.
Sawyer Mini 2 oz.
both certified .1 micron absolute
Rather than squeeze, I prefer pour through that is more easily accomplished, for water treatment purposes, with two containers and tubing available at hardware stores. The connectors are sold, separately, by Sawyer. Other connectors are available elsewhere, dependent on the size of tubing. However, the tubing selected should fit the adapters available from Sawyer.
For example, Platypus containers and tubing are compatible.
"can be attached to the included collapsible drinking pouch, inline on a hydration pack, on a standard soda bottle, or simply use the included drinking straw to drink directly from the water source".
Last edited by Connie; 12-19-2014 at 14:29.
Have you looked at the sawyer Mini? Same street price, same weight, smaller, and filters better.
http://prepforshtf.com/sawyer-mini-w...w/#.VJRj5P8vnA
Time is but the stream I go afishin' in.
Thoreau
Sawyer mini on a smart water bottle, just dip and drink.