water for spike camp question
Elk
Water filtration, what works best for 2 guys on a 3 day spike camp. A larger gravity system or just a sawyer mini? Or what have you used that works.
A Katydyn Hiker filter pump is light, simple easy. I use it for weeks at a time.
It totally depends on what water sources are available. If water is readily available and a gravity filter is easy to fill, then that's your best option.
However, if your looking at a small seep spring, or a trickle off of a snow drift you might be much better served by a pump filter like the Katadyn.
Also, if you're looking at water sources with a lot of glacial silt in them you should really consider something like a Steripen. Glacial silt will plug up filtration devices in a big hurry.
If water is readily available take a look at the Camelbackk Ultra Violet Purification system. If you have access to relatively clear water they are far superior to anything else. You just dip the bottle into the water, screw on the cap, press the button and in one minute you have approx. a liter of safe water. No pumping, no sucking through a straw, no worries about a filter getting closed. I virtually live on one for four days at a time all summer. I work on a river in a very hot climate and it's the greatest gadget I've ever had. They claim you 70 applications out of one battery charge. I have used it on a seven day trip and didn't reach 70, b ut it was still working when I got home. It doesn't work as well in really muddy water, but that's not usually the case in elk country. Give it a look.
I haven't done a bivy hunt to date but have used the Katadyn Pro Hiker filter & it has worked very well from our basecamp. I see no issues with it!
ElkNut1
Platypus GravityWorks 2l
see link
I have a Katadyn expedition sized filter. We can make 5 gallons of water in about 6 minutes and supply an entire camp, but for 1 or 2 guys you can't beat the UV system. They are 10 times easier then the little pumps. You are going to need every ounce of energy to chase the elk, don't waste it pumping water if you have a good source.
Katadyn Hiker Pro. Pumps and moves a lot of water fast.
Leave the Sawyer at home.
For a gravity filter the Katadyn base camp is fantastic. That said, I don't pack it spiking.
I've used the katadyn hiker pro, if there's a lot of water around. You don't have to carry a lot of water just stop and get a quart. A lot lighter than carrying 3 or 4 quarts.
Also used the Katadyn Micropur pills. If the water is clear and I don't want to carry a lot of weight I used the pills. 1 Pill to a quart water, but you got to wait 30 minutes for the pills to do there thing. Taste in ok for me with the pills.
You can also use house hold Clorox beach.. Here's a link to..
http://www.i4at.org/surv/bleach.htm
I've been a die hard backpacker for over 30 years and done all 3 above and never got sick.
Ed
I do a gallon at a time with the Hiker Pro and it works pretty fast. There are lighter options but I like the convenience. After having a bad case of cryptosporidium from water coming right out of a granite fissure, I don't take chances.
I also use hiker pro, bought the giant Dromedary bag, fill it up and I have ample water for brushing teeth, cooking, drinking etc for a couple of days without having to ration. I put a coffee filter over the intake as a pre filter. Pretty awesome piece of gear!
I love tablets quick and easy but I do not have a mental hang up and drinking dirty (but safe) water.
If not gravity fed IMO.
Tabs are great, 30 minutes kills most stiff, 4 hours all stuff. PUR microtablets
LOVE THEM
As has been said if you use a gravity system you still need a way to collect the water and get it into the bag. Pumps can suck it up from a small depression you dig in a little trickle.
I use the Katadyn Vario. I prefer the lever action pump instead of the one that pushes in and out. it is super FAST too.
I have the Katadyn Vario. We have been using it the last 4 years. Works great, but there are smaller ones. When me and my cuz go out we split what we carry. I will carry the stove and filter he will have the tent. Works out good as long as you have another person, less weight.
I just use Aqua Mira drops ... no filter. The drops are fast, easy, lightweight and don't take up any room in my pack. I haven't filtered water in years.
I've used both.
When hiking, I like the Katydyn Hiker. I also use it at camp sometimes.
At camp, I really like the Katydyn basecamp. For 2-4 guys, the basecamp really makes things easy. It is almost like a tap at home. Just fill the bag, hang the bag, and set a jug under it. You can check back in 5-15 minutes and use the jug to fill everyones individual Nalgene or other bottles...
And the new basecamp filter element is even faster and more reliable than the old one.
As for glacial silt, I have used this system on a very silty river in Alaska for 4 different moose hunts. The basecamp worked great for 2 weeks with no sign of plugging.
(But I also plugged several basecamps in the Boundary Waters in Minnesota. The water looked crystal clear but still plugged in a day or two. That was a known issue by Katydyn. I think it was a major driver for the new filter design.)
I echo Katydyn Base Camp. Pumping a gallon or two of water is a pain in the...hand. Gravity works fantastic. I did have some problems with plugging, but we just had a lightweight plastic bucket that we'd allow water to settle first. That was apparently with the older style filter.
Another option to a filter system are purifying tablets.
I have used them here in Colorado for the past 24 years on all of my elk trips and most are spike camps. No ill effects. The vast majority of the water is from a mt spring or streams.
these come in a 2-bottle pack. the first bottle is for purifying the water. the second bottle is for taking away the iodine taste and color. just follow directions for how many of each per amount of water.
Last year I hunted elk, spike camped, for 21 days and used stream water and these tablets.
my best, Paul
Last years CO Elk hunt I used a Geigerrig(sp) water bag that has an inline filter attached. You just fill the bag, use the bulb pump to pressurize the bag and drink from the tube. Or, hold the mouthpiece with your hand and pump it out into cooking pot or whatever with the bulb.
Sawyer Mini. Simple, versatile, cheap, easy to use and lasts forever(100k gal) Oh, and lightest filter on the market.
In the Boundary waters, plugging of the Katydyn basecamp filter was a real problem. Folks would convert them to the Sawyer filter. Here is a thread describing the process...
+1 for the Platypus GravityWorks
I have a Basecamp if two of us pack in that we take. We also each have the Saywer, it's quick, simple, and efficient. I always keep it in my sleeping bag at night though.
I sold my Hiker, too much hand work for me.
