Water Treatment Question

Bump

Waterborne pathogens die when they dry out.

There is a technique to treating water in, say, a Nalgene bottle. After the treatment cycle (3-4 hours or more, depending on treatment option, water temp, etc.), invert the water bottle, unscrew the cap, and let some water flow (trickle) out. This (I believe) flushes out any pathogens that weren't in the bottle proper, but hanging around on the outside in the thread grooves (where your lips would touch when you take a swig)…

Protozoa such as Cryptosporidia and Giardia have protective cysts — they remain viable even after being exposed to air for a while. The inverted rinse method works best if you are using bleach or chlorine dioxide to treat your water. With other treatments you are likely just mechanically washing down the bottle threads. Some people carry a small plastic cup to dip water out of the stream with, pouring it carefully into the treatment container so as not to splash. This also has the advantage of letting you skim the water surface, which can be quite important when using highly turbid sources like glacial streams and lakes.

So for washing hair/body do you bother with water treatment or just use the water directly?

Depends. Are you using a cattle trough or stream frequented by cattle? Perhaps not in that case. In most situations it's OK as long as you don't ingest the water.