Water Filters/Systems on the trail
#1
Hello All
Some of you pack in dry country or very wet country, the goats can drink "Available Water"
But what kind of water filtration systems do you all use for yourselves??
Life Straw ,etc?
I would think that it is not load worthy to pack in a lot of bottled water. Like for a weekend trip/hunt or longer time period.
What kind of systems have you found that work good and could be had for under a $100.
Of course light weight enough and compact enough to not use up the goats caring capability.
All Answers appreciated.
Happy Trails
hihobaron
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#2
Katadyan Hiker Pro. Have had mine for about 8 or more years. I do replace the filters occasionally every couple of years but with 2 prefilters and good maintenance (drying them out before storage and trying to find clean water) they will last for a long time. Light weight, compact, and faster than the Sweetwater and MSR water filters.
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#3
This is the best as far as I am concerned:

http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP...yer+filter

Here's why:

You can fill a 1 liter bottle (standard threads) and screw this to the top and drink directly out of it. You can also use it like a straw and drink out of shallow streams etc because it comes with a rubbery hose segment. It comes with a Mylar bladder which you can fill and filter if you dont want to carry a plastic bottle. I bought a bunch of extra off-brand bags which also work due to the standard threads. Its very very free flowing compared to any other system, and it does a great job. It wont filter atomic poisons like lead, arsonic or whatever, but thats not what I'm worried about on a hike. If the Fukashima fuel pools catch on fire, I'll re-evaluate that. These are small and light, reliable, and come with a big syringe which you can use to back-flush them, giving them a huge lifespan. They're 18-20 bucks each, or cheaper if you buy a multi-pack. I've tried other types but this is the one for me.
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#4
That seems like a great product.
Just had to get a 2 pack. Thanks.
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#5
This thread is long dead - but since I'm a new member and have something to add I'll throw a note down here for historical searching sake.

The platypus gravity filter is my goto filtration of the last 5 years and I can't recommend it enough. Primarily because it's a passive system that accumulates water. So no pumping, and when it comes time to mix drinks or use non-boiling water you have a cache of water on hand at all times. It rolls up and is less bulky than a pump, and the 'clean' water bag is a game changer when it comes to making dinner or refilling bladders. Also, at water stops you can relax rather than do a bunch of work for h20 bladders.

Also in murky waters where sediment is heavy, boiling is suboptimal, so filtration becomes key..... in these circumstances I put a small charcoal filter in line and the taste is vastly improved and the prefilter caputres the big stuff and prevents clogging the main filter.

Cleaning the filter is aslo easy, it backwashes.

My making trips to the water source, I can pump 10's of liters of water in an hour pretty effortlessly.

Hope this helps someone in the future!

https://www.rei.com/product/866422/platy...fgodpa0HRg
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#6
I'll chime in on this resurrected thread as well. I've used filters, tablets, steri-pens and the best I've come across so far is the potable aqua electrolytic purifier. It's around $100 and uses table salt to produce chlorine you dump in your water to purify it. You can do anywhere from a liter up to 5 gallons in much less time than a filter or steri-pen. I've used it for about three years now and don't see myself switching to anything else.
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#7
I'll give a +1 to the 4 liter Platypus gravity filter Syncrofly posted the link to.  Been using this for a few years, it works great for 2 people and I've taken it on solo trips too just because it is so low effort. Fill the bag, hang it on a branch or rock start another chore come back in a few minutes it's done. Pretty darn quickly too particularly when the filter is new. You can easily interrupt it in the middle of filtering and get some water sooner or just filter right into your bottle or mouth.  They offer a 2 liter version now too I think.


The one drawback I've found is you must backwash regularly to keep the filter working for a longer period of time. I've toyed with the idea of adding a prefilter as mentioned by Syncrofly but it adds a bit of weight so I haven't.  Backwash just means leaving a bit of water in the "clean" bag and hanging the filter upside down so it drains back thru.
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