Water purifier

[Ccooksey11]

I am curious to what water purifiers are being used for the AT. I recently got off the trail and fortunately so due to my new purifier breaking down after only using it 8-10 times pumping 4 liters at a time. (is this normal?) I have the Katadyn Guide with a new filter. Im a family of four that needs something that would hold up longer. If you have any suggestions on this topic, I would greatly appreciate it.
Chris

[Tom Murphy]

There are water filters and there are water purifiers. Not really the same thing.

This filter/purifer is very heavy, but for a family of four it would give you peace of mind. It is what I used when the kids were little.

http://www.rei.com/product/767831/fi...water-purifier

[Edwardo Rodriguez]

I make it a point to stay away from water filters that have moving parts because of the chance of it braking on me look into a http://www.rei.com/product/813799/pl...s-water-filter I own a http://www.rei.com/product/799003/st...water-purifier heard some people don't like the steripen but I had no problem with them

[RevLee]

The Platypus GravityWorks does a good job for large quantities of water. Used it on the AT for 2-3 people and for scout trips. You will need something to use as a scoop for very shallow water (I use a gallon ziplock bag), but otherwise it works great.

[Spokes]

Lots of thru's using the Sawyer 3 way inline filter.

[msimonov]

The Platypus GravityWorks does a good job for large quantities of water. Used it on the AT for 2-3 people and for scout trips. You will need something to use as a scoop for very shallow water (I use a gallon ziplock bag), but otherwise it works great.

+1 on the GravityWorks. Last time out we ended up with 6 people trying to get water from a muddy trickle. The GravityWorks did great. Would not have wanted to pump that much water. I also treat with MSR drops.

[Incahiker]

I use the steripen opti. Only 3.6 ounces with batteries. I carry a paper coffee filter (weight = nothing) for any dirty water and some aqua mira just in case the steri pen ever gives out. I got a titanium kettle that I would use to boil water if nothing else worked, lol. But the steripen has worked fine. All of that is about 5 pounds lighter then the 1 pound MSR Miniworks I have. The mini works is a great filter, but just a bit too heavy.

[Hiking Man]

I would look into the Sawyer squeeze. No moving parts fillers fast and only weighs in around 4oz when the filler is wet.

[checker]

Two drops of bleach in a liter of water. Give an hour for cyst possibilities. Aint the fastest. But you wont touch the weight....
acourse, i think i might be losing teeth on account of cl- drawing ca+ from my grin... but maybe its just genetic.
bleach works. Lotsa people use it....
And if your teeth all fall out, you can eat oatmeal faster than with chewin.
I aint makin thisyear up.

[dmperkins74]

I use a steripen, filter with a handkerchief. I've only used this for a couple of overnights, but worked fine.

[mgeiger]

Aqua Mira or MSR MiniWorks

[yellowsirocco]

I have used my Katadyn Hiker for years and never had any problems with it. I don't know how people break filters, they must be trying to work them too hard or something. I know the filter is kind of heavy, but I like to be able to suck water out of any old sludge.

[Thenixon]

After I got sick of the taste of Aquamira, I switched to an MSR Hyperflow. The cartridge quality was a bit spotty, but otherwise I found it light and fast.

[turtle fast]

The taste of Aquamira? I did not realize a taste to Aquamira purified water. Aqua Mira uses the same chemical purification as many municipal water systems.

[Thenixon]

The taste of Aquamira? I did not realize a taste to Aquamira purified water. Aqua Mira uses the same chemical purification as many municipal water systems.

I found that any chlorine odor dissipated by the time the treatment period was up, but Aquamira Part B is phosphoric acid, the same stuff that gives coca-cola it's 'tang', and it remains in the treated water.

[Rain Man]

The taste of Aquamira? I did not realize a taste to Aquamira purified water. Aqua Mira uses the same chemical purification as many municipal water systems.

Which taste people loose awareness of over time, just like cigarette smokers lose sense of how much they and their clothes and homes smell like cigarettes. That taste is there in the municipal water. People quickly become accustomed to it as "normal."

RainMan

.

[Rain Man]

... my new purifier breaking down after only using it 8-10 times pumping 4 liters at a time. (is this normal?) I have the Katadyn Guide with a new filter. ...

No, that is not normal. I have had a Katadyn Hiker for a decade now, and it's still going strong. I might replace the filter some day "just because." I have seen filters clog up and stop working quickly when hikers put them on a muddy stream bottom, instead of floating the intake in clear water. It's amazing how much silt and sludge can be sucked right off the bottom of a clear stream without knowing it. You also might try wrapping the intake in a piece of pantyhose or a coffee filter to "pre-filter" the gunk from a water source and keep it away from clogging your real filter inside the Katadyn (if that's the problem).

But hard to diagnose without knowing what you mean by "breaking down."

I also have a Steripen Classic, which is what I use mostly these days, as I have yet to run into muddy water that I needed to drink from (when a filter would be better than a purifier/sterilizer).

RainMan

.

[Airman]

I use the steripen but carry extra batteries. I back it up with the purifier pills.

[cknight]

I have a First Need but never carry it on the AT or for them most part at all, I cannot justify the weight. I am 100% Aqua Mira. I cannot taste the treatment.

[shelb]

In the past, I have always carried a filter system. However, after we had a problem with it last July during a hike in the SNP when it was 100 degrees, I will always make sure I have a 2 day back up of tablets. (Luckily, we had just enough iodine tabs). This year, I do plan on trying the AquaMira to save on weight. I can always filter out the chunks in the bandana I carry.