Water Treatmen/Filtration

Have you considered the Steripen?

Click here for a recent thread on it.

think about the Frontier Pro filter,it only weighs about 2 oz.! I've had good luck with mine.

Kieran…I've never heard of that device, but it sounds really good. Would you suggest I take aquamira tabs for my 3L platy at camp? It looked like it could only do 1L of water at a time. The adventure opti looks enticing. Thanks for the link to the discussion!

Patrick…I've seen the Frontier Pro, but I haven't used it. I thought I read somewhere that the filter is not very good (not good for bacteria). Since we hike near a lot of flowing creeks, I don't imagine there being a lot of bacteria flowing in them, but I might be concerned about the mountain lakes.

Chris,

The major flaw with the Frontier Pro is that it's pore size is something in like 3 microns, which is too large to be able to filter out all of the bad stuff in the water.

A suggestion for something that has worked out very well for my family and I is the Sawyer Inline filter, which I have adapted as a gravity filter and for use on the trail, unit a disposable 1 pint bottle for filtering water on the trail.

If you check out the User Reviews for Sawyer Filter, there are two detailed reviews that will tell you everything you need to know about that system.

For disclosure, I wrote one of the two detailed reports mentioned above.

Might work for you and lighter than what you have now.

P.S. Ben Tang does use the Frontier Pro, but also uses a few drops of bleach in the water to kill off the stuff that the filter fails to get. That might work for you too.

-Tony

"P.S. Ben Tang does use the Frontier Pro, but also uses a few drops of bleach in the water to kill off the stuff that the filter fails to get. That might work for you too."

Chris,

I use the same filtration method as described above. The Frontier Pro pore size is too large to trap bacteria and viruses but that is what the bleach or micropur tablets are for which eliminate these in approximately 15 minutes (regardless of water temperature). The Frontier Pro filters out the larger protozoa(Cryptosporidium, Giardia) so you can drink after the 15 minutes. The protozoa is what takes up to 4 hours for the bleach/micropur tablets to eliminate.
So it's a good lightweight system that will take care of bacteria, viruses, and protozoa….with the benefit of improving water taste and clarity as the filter has an activated carbon element.
Additionally the Frontier Pro can be used as an inline filter with a platypus hydration system or attaches to small mouth water bottles.

Cheers,
Christopher

My gravity filter based around the Sawyer weighs 6 oz including a 1L platy and all caps and tubes. 1L in roughly 2 minutes with a 3' head.

I really like this setup as I can also just fill with untreated water and drink via the filter itself, for a no down time system.

Most easily field serviced filter I've ever had too. I just add the prefilter from my old Hiker pro inside the gravity filter bag to take care of the floaties.

Don't expect to ever go back to pumping unless I'm in the SW dealing with high silt load runoff.

Thanks everyone for the useful tips. I think I've narrowed my choice to two different options that I am considering:

Option #1: Aquaguard Eliminator Inline Purifier – 3 oz ($70)
This one is attractive because it not only filters, but purifies the water.

Option #2: Frontier Pro + MicroPUR Tablet – Less than 3 oz (Less than $40)
I like this option because it only will require a wait time of 15 minutes regardless of water temperature and it is cheaper.

I got a new 3L Platypus with hose. I do like the ability to easily drink while I am hiking. If I go with option #2, which tablet or water treatment would you recommend?

Add one more vote for the Frontier Pro. I use the system mentioned above (Frontier Pro and Micropur) and have been really happy with it so far. I just take 2 1L platys switch from one platy to the other when I finish one off. I got my pro off of Amazon for a cheap 16$

full disclosure: I haven't used the steripen yet, hope to pick mine up in the next couple weeks. it does do only 1L at a time, but really it's not like filtering. You just scoop up the water, turn on the light for 90 seconds, transfer your sterile water to a platy for storage, and then do another batch.

+1 on the Frontier Pro+ Micropur combo! It’s really simple, uber light and inexpensive to acquire and maintain. The cost of a new Frontier Pro is a measly $20, that’s far less than you’ll pay for a new filter element for any pump filter. Depending on how you use the filter and rotate Micropur tablets in your treatment cycle, you really won’t notice the time spent waiting for treated water and I’ve found the minimal weight and simplicity well worth the time.

Unfortunately, the BPL Gear Store is OUT OF STOCK on the Frontier Pro filter, however UL gear aficionado Jason Klass has an excellent video posted on the Frontier Pros product page in the BPL Gear Shop explaining a simple method of using the Frontier Pro Filter:

Jason Klass explains the Frontier Pro Filter

**If I go with option #2, which tablet or water treatment would you recommend?**

I prefer the micropur tablets as I find them more convenient and do not have to worry about leaking/spilling.
Effectiveness between bleach and micropur is probably a wash.
The bleach is by far the cheapest option though.

Steripen user here. I like having the instant water, and not having to haul a filter and sit there pumping. One issue I have with chemicals is that I find myself carrying more water than I might need, which outweighs any weight savings from lightening up my treatment method. I bring aqua mira as a backup, especially when temps might be cold.

James wrote:
"Steripen user here. I like having the instant water, and not having to haul a filter and sit there pumping."

A filter does not require pumping if you set it up as a gravity filter. And, the filter itself works within a matter of a few minutes. You don't have to wait around like a Steripen.

–B.G.–

In all honesty, the Steripen is a viable option for backcountry use in clear water conditions assuming the pen actually decides to work! There have been far too many remarks regarding ill and inconsistent performance with the Steripen as of late for me to ever use one as my means for treating water. If a water treatment device requires "backup" or insurance in the form of chemical treatment then I don't find that particular device to be a reliable piece of equipment. A bandana or mesh screen and the proper usage of Aquamira or Micropur will do the trick and keep you hydrated and your GI system operating smoothly.

I'm going to try the bleach + Frontier Pro system next trip. My question is how do you guys/gals handle "cooking" water?

I exclusively do freezer bag cooking, tea and coffee.

Boiling the water for extended times does not appeal to me so I assume I must gravity feed treated water through the Frontier Pro with the bit valve removed?

Anyone have any pictures or descriptions of how they handle their "cook" water. 

I'm assuming the more distance I put between water bag and filter will increase the flow rate? (arrgh, more weight for hose and cap)

Anyone have a source for a cap with standard threads and a spout diameter equal to the diameter of the spout on the intake side of the Frontier Pro?

David, why would you want to boil water for extended periods of time? It's a good way to get rid of excess fuel.

Just about anything in the water will be dead by the time the water boils. Giardia, for example, dies at 175 F.

–B.G.–

>>how do you guys/gals handle "cooking" water?

SNIP

Boiling the water for extended times does not appeal to me<<

Like Bob, my understanding is that extended boiling is not necessary to treat backcountry water. Just getting it to a boil is sufficient. I've never teated any water that I've boiled for cooking, coffee, etc. Waste of materials and effort.

Also:

+5 on Frontier Pro. I use Micrpur tabs to kill the tiny baddies. Love that system.

-1 Steripen. Found it to be fussy, needs batteries, can fail, doesn't help with foul tasting water, needs a wide mouth container (or else dig your pot out of your pack).

G

Frontier Pro system it is!

The price factor is what ended up appealing to me the most. I would order this from backpacking light, but they are out of stock. :(

Thanks everyone for your input! This is going to save me more than 11 ounces in my pack!

Okay, I received the Frontier Pro, and I'm now trying to figure out how to set it up to work with my hydration pack.

What I did was I am attaching the frontier pro directly to my bladder, and then attaching the hose (that goes to my bite valve platy bite valve) to the top of the frontier pro without their bite valve.

The problem though, is that the tube that goes into the frontier pro does not fit very tightly into the unit. What I'm doing now doing is stretching out the end of the hose to see if I can get a more secure fit. Do you have any other ideas in how I can make this a more sealed connection?

My plan is to not take the bite valve for the Frontier pro and just use the attached tube/bite valve that I took from my platypus hydration pack. Do you have any suggestions for this setup?

or just drinking through the FP?

I found the larger sized hoses that came with MSR and Nalgene brand hydration tubes to mate better than Platypus hoses to the FP.

If gravity feed, note that you'll see significant performance improvement if you allow a few feet of tubing between reservoir and filter.

I saved weight by blowing off any bladders. Carry 2 Aquafina 1 L bottles and a Steripen journey (4.5 oz with batteries and 1.3 oz each for the bottles) If I am worried about particulates, then I bring my Steripen filters all 4 micron filter to pre-filter the water 2.4 oz), but a coffee wilter works too, jusr slower.

I won't be using it as a gravy feed (at least not into another bladder).

I did think about having the FP on the outside of the pack and use the bite valve with that, but I would be concerned that the FP could get damaged (especially while doing bushwhacking), and it didn't seem like it would be good to have the FP dangling in front of me while I hike.

rigging my sawyer in a similar way. I've settled on run a short length of tube from the bladder to the filter element, which I keep attached to my shoulder strap, then another short segment with a bite valve to drink from.

If anything fails or leaks, it be outside my pack unless it's the bladder lid. the filter itself is firmly in place so can't get too trashed. I'm just using 2 short lengths of 1/8" shock cord to hold in in and out barbs of the sawyer to the shoulder strap.

Total tubing is shorter than my normal one piece tube.

"I did think about having the FP on the outside of the pack and use the bite valve with that, but I would be concerned that the FP could get damaged (especially while doing bushwhacking), and it didn't seem like it would be good to have the FP dangling in front of me while I hike.
"

YMMV of course. The FP is robust and I like the way it protects the bite valve from exposure to dirt and grime. It will take a hard pounding or something to damage the FP.

Some pack shoulder straps have a piece of elastic band that can secure the FP. Very handy. If yours doesn't, you can easily add either an elastic band or two strips of velcro.