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Water Purification

For those of you that have used some form of water purification, regardless of continent, what worked the best for you?

I am familiar with iodine/chlorine (1 drop per 100 drops of water)....there is a "straw" which is a type of filtration system....a microwave "pen".....and even boiling water. I am open to ideas and suggestions.....

I wonder if an Rx for Metronidazole (Flagyl) would be a wise pre-caution....as long as no adult beverages are consumed.....

I have purified water for drinking thousands of times with zero negative results. I have purified everything from rushing mountain streams to stagnant beaver ponds to stock tanks that have no flow for months at a time and "floater" cow patties.

My preferred method, especially for when the water is questionable, is a Katadyn Hiker Pro water filter followed by Sweetwater Purifier Solution.

There is a difference between filtering and purifying. If you do both you will be extremely safe and not have to worry about getting sidelined due to a stomach bug or worse. The Hiker Pro water filter works extremely quickly. You will be able to filter multiple liters of water in under five minutes. The Sweetwater drops take only 5 minutes before you are safe to drink the water and have little to no taste.

If I know I will be in the mountains and the water quality is excellent, I will take either just the Hiker Pro filter or Aquamira. Aquamira is a two-part solution that you mix together and add to the water. It does not have much of a taste and works well but it does not filter the water and is not as "super safe" as my preferred method.

Because you asked about the Steripen and the "straw" - The Steripen is extremely faulty. It does not filter so your water will still have "floaters." I have also personally seen the Steripen fail multiple times. It is very finicky and should not be relied upon. The straw is meant as an emergency-only backup. It does not remove nearly as much as the other systems I have mentioned and also does not possess the capability to filter many liters of water successfully.

The Sawyer Squeeze filter is becoming increasingly popular, and for good reason. Keep in mind, again, that filtering is different from purifying. Combine the Sawyer Squeeze with the Sweetwater purification drops and you would be good to go although I still prefer the Katadyn Hiker Pro.

It is also worth mentioning that Iodine is the traditional stand-by and is effective. In my personal opinion, Iodine tastes terrible and has potentially unpleasant side-effects. Boiling water is essentially a sure-thing, if boiled for long enough. Boiling water is impractical when on the go as it takes quite a bit of fuel and takes a significant amount of time.

Hope this helps and feel free to shoot me any additional questions.

Thank you for the input!! Now I just need to locate the Katadyn Hiker Pro and Sweetwater Purification System....I have a lot of Cabelas points, so I am hoping that they will have them.

James, any experience with the Sawyer Mini (only weighs 2 oz)? I was considering using it in-line on my bladder as well as the drops.

I bought the Sawyer All-In-One before they came out with the Mini, and I love it. The All-In-One is the Squeeze with more hardware connectors. It can be set up inline, as a regular filter, and as a gravity system. It even comes with the hardware to turn a 5gal bucket into a bulk tank for a a gravity system, which is great for emergency prepardness at home. It weighs something like 3oz, and can filter 1,000,000 gallons. just don't let it freeze or it won't filter properly anymore and must be replaced. Still at $40, it is very affordable. The Mini is only $20, and what I would buy if I were shopping for one today.

Katadyn Hiker Pro at Cabela's: http://www.cabelas.com/product/Katadyn-Hiker-Pro-Water-Microfilter/727428.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dhiker%2Bpro%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=hiker+pro&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Sweetwater Purification Drops at Cabela's: http://www.cabelas.com/product/MSRreg-SweetWaterreg-Purifier-Accessories/1186349.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch.cmd%3Fform_state%3DsearchForm%26N%3D0%26fsch%3Dtrue%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3Dsweetwater%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26x%3D0%26y%3D0&Ntt=sweetwater&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Bob, I have no personal experience with the Sawyer Mini.

I saw surviver man purify water through a dry cow party...not recommended for concrete walkers.

I have used Katydin filters for many years without any issues. I highly recommend them. One year, I bought a new filter cartridge that contained iodine. I think it was labeled as a purifying filter. During the entire time, the filtered water was orange and tasted horrible. It was a backcountry hunt! Right after the hunt, that cartridge was thrown away!

I started using them when they were named PUR; the Hiker model remains the same though with improvements.... They can filter a liter in a minute or two; you can sense the right pumping rate by how the pump feels.

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