lightest technique to improve water taste?

[EndoftheTrail]

I just timed my Frontier Pro filter: 2 minutes and 45 seconds to filter one quart of tap water by gravity.

[Jason Griffin]

Is it hard to get enough water through the frontier pro when drinking through it? Im interested in it for the same reason as the original post.

[EndoftheTrail]

You can't take big gulps obviously, but sipping water through the Frontier Pro is easy.

[Yoyo]

Hey Ben,

That's not bad. I have my Frontier Pro on order–can't wait to try it out! I'll have to compare to the flow rate of my MSR Sweetwater.

The only downside to gravity filters is that if there are no trees handy you'll have to stand there and hold the thing. I wonder what's less work–holding a bag or pumping a pump?

PS–You mentioned that you use a Platy 3L bottle as your "dirty" bag. It appears Platy no longer carries these? (They have a 1L and 2L+).

[Christopher Holden]

David,
Hit up a local REI if you have one close. I was in one a few days ago and they still had 3L platys on the shelf.
They even have a new design:
http://www.rei.com/product/767108

FWIW, I just changed my gear around to do the same. Older style 3L dirty bag gets a shot of Klear Water/Aqua Mira/MicroPur and then gets filtered through the Frontier Pro to 2 1L Platypus bottles and a .5L Platy (for flavored drinks or plain H2O). I took the Whisper out for a couple miles on the greenway this morning. Walking pavement isn't the same, but it's a good test for testing fit/weight of gear changes in the pack and a sample of river water. No abuse of toilet paper yet!

[EndoftheTrail]

Kind of unfair comparing flow rate between a 2oz gravity feed filter and a 11oz pump filter, no? :)

Even in the absence of trees, surely you can set the "dirty bladder" atop a boulder or even your own tent or tarp?

Click here for a 3L platy.

[Yoyo]

Chris,

Thanks for the link–but what's up with the new design on the hydration reservoirs? The part where the drink tube attaches is not at the bottom of the bag–does this make sense? Also, it seems that the funky big zip design adds unnecessary weight. I'm happy with my older Platypus bag.

Ben,

Thanks for the link–this is the same bag I'm currently using as my hydration reservoir. Looks like these are going to be phased out by Platypus. I was referring to a Platy bottle though, not hydration reservoir–the ones that have the spout in the middle. Not sure if having the spout on the corner or the middle will affect the efficiency of the gravity-filter setup. I'd love to find a way to use my Platy 4L camp bag (the one with handles), but I tried it upside down–the water leaks out the zipper. The nice thing about the camp bag is that you can carry water to and from camp using the handles. The larger capacity is nice for camp needs (taking showers, etc.).

[Christopher Holden]

David,
I just found the new design when I was trying to find you a link. I have no specific knowledge of either of your questions, but I could share a few guesses.
My thought is that the new zip top allows easier "scooping" to fill it. Extra weight, but extra function. It makes adding ice cubes easier! Just a guess…
As for the tube connection, it's close to the bottom, but not a part of the main body seam. I have heard of a few of these leaking at the corner (seam split) where the opening meets the main body. Maybe this was an engineering improvement to reduce that seam splitting/leaking possibility? I'm not sure, but one thing that is clear is that with the opening pointing to the outside, it will take up more space in the depth of the bag instead of just going up around the side (like my Platy Hoser models). I've been using two Platy hoser tanks interchangeably for the last couple of years without issue. I'm not in a rush to grab the new design when I have two that work fine.
My two cents. Keep the change.
Chris

[EndoftheTrail]

Dave:

The bottles are meant to be hand held and the 2+L (80oz capacity) is the largest in that series. The 3L Reservoir will work — doesn't matter at all whether the spout is in the middle or at one corner. I have both the 2+L "bottle" and the 3L "reservoir". The reservoirs are getting hard to find.

[Rod Lawlor]

David asked

"but what's up with the new design on the hydration reservoirs? The part where the drink tube attaches is not at the bottom of the bag–does this make sense? Also, it seems that the funky big zip design adds unnecessary weight. I'm happy with my older Platypus bag"

I think it's pretty fair to say that it's a direct rip off of the Source Widepac design
http://www.source-vagabond.com/a-hsystems7.html
which has been around for four or five years now. These aren't perfect. The tube coming off the side wall is a pain in the bot bot, and makes it hard to drain the bag completely, and I still love the Platy Duck Lips. The extra weight of the closure is a no brainer however, and the main reason I haven't bought a Platy for three years.

It allows a FULL opening, rather than the 5/6 that Platy Big Zip gives, with no ridges to trap grunge. It seals fast AND secure. Try sealing a Big Zip with cold wet hands when the temp is around freezing, or when it's 40 C (102 F) in the desert, with the sand blowing.

The only downside is that I have to let my teammates fill their Platys first when we're racing, since I know it will take them longer to Zip up, especially if they're adding powder.

This is an extra ounce that pays it's own way.

Rod

[Yoyo]

http://www.platypushydration.com/product_detail.aspx?ProdID=9

I stand to be corrected. Platypus still carries the hoser–looks like they just made it a bit narrower? My local REI only carries the new Big Zip bladders.

[Dave .]

I hope this doesn't derail the discussion you guys have going (some nice ideas by the way), but is there any particular reason that nobody in this thread is bringing up Klearwater?

I've been using Klearwater exclusively so far this spring on my day hikes and weekend/long weekend trips. So far I think it's great.

I have a Big Zip Platy that I refill as needed. Upon refill I just add the appropriate amount of Klearwater, slosh the water around in the bag, run some of the treated water through the hose, and then I'm in business 30 minutes later.

And the best part is that Klearwater has no impact on the water's taste.

I've found this method to be really painless. But nobody else seems to be mentioning it… I hope I'm not missing something. I'd be disappointed if I had to find a new purification method after using one this simple!

-Dave

[Jeremy G]

Has anyone tried to pre-mix the aqua-mira A & B and put into a mini-drop bottle?? Similar to using the Klearwater except you only mix what you need for your trip. The Klearwater has such a short shelf life whereas the Aqua Mira lasts much longer. I'm thinking that this might be a way to utilize the longer shelf life of the aqua-mira and the convenience of the pre-mix solution. I haven't used the chlorine dioxide yet, but before I buy some, I'd be curious how long pre-mixing the aqua-mira stays yellow.

[EndoftheTrail]

Jeremy:

Once mixed, the oxidation begins, and continues on until the process peters out. In other words, mixing the two solutions starts the clock ticking — the product becomes ready to use in 5 minutes — but from that point on, as oxidation continues and then decreases, it renders the product ever less effective — until it becomes useless.

Not answering your question, but since you haven't bought the A.M. liquids, I highly recommend that you look into chlorine dioxide tablets instead. No counting droplets, no premixing wait time, more potency, and lighter weight too. Both Katadyn Micropur and AquaMira make chlorine dioxide in tablet form. Both are identical, so I would just buy whichever is cheaper.

[John S.]

Even Potable Aqua is making the chlorine dioxide tablets, but as I mentioned before, the set I bought seemed to be partially crushed even in the packaging. I vowed not to buy PA brand again.

[Greg Mihalik]

David Horton said above –

"I've been using Klearwater exclusively so far this spring on my day hikes and weekend/long weekend trips. So far I think it's great."

"And the best part is that Klearwater has no impact on the water's taste."

Most of the water in my neck of the woods is clear and tastes good. I just need to kill off the badies.

Any consensus on the taste?

Would anyone using Chlorine Dioxide tablets (MicroPur or Potable Aqua) or liquid (KlearWater) care to comment? As David mentions – It's fast , it's simple, it works.

So why not?

Thanks.

[EndoftheTrail]

Greg:

There is NO concensus on the taste of chlorine dioxide. Some people can't taste anything different at all. Others write that it actually makes water taste better. Still others, like me, can't stand its bitter taste.

So, YMMV definitely applies here.

[Terry Morris]

This Sawyer Water Purification filter and the SP194 sound incredible, complete water purification viruses, bacteria, and protozoa. Plus a million gallon guarantee.
http://www.sawyer.com/viral.htm

Wow, is it really possible to eliminate all viruses, or enough so that you don't get sick, without chemicals or UV?

These filters have a very small pore size, 0.02microns. Usually that means that the filter will have a slow flow rate. Has anybody tried using one of these filters as part of a gravity system.? Or the drinking bottle?

The SP194 is sold with 2 hydration bags as a gravity system but they don't say what the bags are made of, except that they have no BPA's. I don't want to take a chance with bad tasting plastic, so I plan to get the SP135 and platypus bags

I travel and camp in third world countries so I'm always looking for a light weight filter that can deal with viruses as well as protozoa and bacteria. If this works it is exactly what I need.

[EndoftheTrail]

Terry,

Rather than asking the same questions again — please just read THIS thread. The advantages — and shortcoming — of the Sawyer purifier — it's all been discussed — right here.

[Christopher Holden]

I got the SP135 and removed it from the plastic bottle for use with a pair of Platypus 3L bags for gravity filtering. I prefer to use chemicals followed by filtering through the Frontier Pro. The FP is ready to go at a moment's notice, whereas the SP135 requires to be flushed out at a faucet prior to use. The SP135 appears to work as advertised, but I've not had it in any water that was known to be contaminated. Using it without flushing takes considerably longer than the recommended method. I keep it in another unused pack at home at the ready in case I plan to go where the water may require more attention.

[Terry Morris]

Christopher – Thanks for your input. Do the instructions call for backflushing the SP135 filter while connected to a faucet with house pressure, or is it actually also possible to backflush it in the field, but just inconvenient, as in taking too much time?

If it is only somewhat inconvenient to use I would rather use the SP135 which gets rid of all the biological baddies and avoids the chemical treatments which take a lot of time and need to be filtered out.

Could you describe what you would have to do to backflush it?

[Christopher Holden]

They suggest flushing it with an included adapter, but it doesn't screw on to the faucet. Just hold it there and turn on the water. It will take a few minutes (and you might spray yourself the first time), but eventually all the little bubbles will be gone and water will flow clear. At that point it is ready to go. I've tried filtering without flushing and it's 20ish minutes for about a quart or so. I forget the details other than it pays to flush first. If using this in the field and you let it dry, it will need another flushing to wet it out again or a longer wait while filtering. Just filtering water through it will not do the same as the faucet. I found it needs the pressure to push it all through.
Considering treatment over time, gravity is the way to go if you're not in a hurry. You could pump if your forearms need a workout. If you are or could be in a rush, Klearwater will have your bottle ready in 30 minutes with a lot less effort. Others can take up to 4 hours for the same results.

[Author]

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