Filter Recommendation

[Greg Mihalik]

Log 3 – 99.9% inactivation is the current EPA standard for crypto.

Cutting the dose and doubling the time may be OK. (Depends on half-life etc.)

Doubling the dose might not be a good idea. Toxicity will enter into the picture somewhere…
10X is most certainly not a good idea.

Chlorine Dioxide is very potent, and it does not discriminate between "good" and "bad" stuff.

[Jerry Adams]

can we assume we have Giardia and not Crypto?

I wonder why it takes so much longer to kill Crypto?

[Jerry Adams]

"On the the hand I have been using that almost exclusively for 15+ years. No Giardia yet."

That is not logical

Just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean someone else won't, or you will in the future. Different water is different. Other people are more or less sensitive.

[Adam Klags]

I didn't read every single post here, as things got rather specific… but I'd say Roger Caffin has it covered in his first post. I would not recommend drinking unfiltered water, and neither really does he, but his comments sum it up. Steri pen is the best, IMHO, after using them all.

It just means you need an adapter attachment or one large mouth 1L nalgene to get the water filtered in, and then you can pour it into your camelbacks. You ensure that you get all things, including viruses killed, and you have a lot of options for batteries/recharging depending on the different models of steripen you get. They are also extremely light and small.

While sawyers work great on many occasions, I've also seen them fail. I've seen the bags rip or tear or burst, and while you may have a better experience, if that happens in the field it isn't that awesome. Being able to use it to sip directly from the water bottles is also a handy thing to have, but its not really worth it when compared to quickly getting it all purified well with the Steripen. Two of them would have you guys filtered and back on the trail in very very good time. I don't want to be a debbie downer on the sawyer because its also great, but honestly I just would never use anything other than a steripen again. Just my 2c.

[Billy Ray]

"…but honestly I just would never use anything other than a steripen again. Just my 2c.'

You might if the water source were green/brown, silty, stagnant putrid smelling water :)

In that event I use a filter with activated charcoal to remove the smells and the algae..
And… a Steripen would not be effective due to the water not being clear…

There is no magic bullet that works best for all conditions…

billy

[Adam Klags]

Yeah that's true, but that's why there's a pre-filter option when you need it. Any traditional filter would get clogged fast with that kind of water anyway…

[Billy Ray]

"Yeah that's true, but that's why there's a pre-filter option when you need it. Any traditional filter would get clogged fast with that kind of water anyway…"

Any pre-filter that I have seen will also get clogged fast… what then?
And I've never seen a pre-filter with a charcoal element…

In those conditions I use the Katadyn Vario… it has a built in cleanable ceramic filter as a pre-filter… about 30 seconds to clean and water is flowing easily again…
it also has charcoal element to remove odor and improve taste…
And… it is comes in a 'traditional' form…. hence, my choice for the stagnant pothole water of the SE Utah canyons…

billy

[Zorg Zumo]

Where did you find that a micropur tablet gives 4ppm of chlorine dioxide in a liter of water?

[Greg Mihalik]

^^^

From Chris V. at Katadyn.

[Turley]

Couldn't one use Chlorine Dioxide Tabs (15 Min wait for both Virus and Bacteria – regardless of water temp), then drink through a in line or attached AM Frontier Pro Filter? This should trap all cysts and improve the flavor as it uses a charcoal element……

[Greg Mihalik]

"Couldn't one use Chlorine Dioxide Tabs (15 Min wait for both Virus and Bacteria – regardless of water temp), then drink through a in line or attached AM Frontier Pro Filter? This should trap all cysts and improve the flavor as it uses a charcoal element……"

Yes. "Ben 2 World" has been an advocate of the process for a long time.

In fact, he suggests simple chlorine to kill the small stuff, and then use AM FP filter to remove the big stuff and the chlorine.

[Adan Lopez]

Tons of good discussion here. I think Nico's system sounds like my style and I havent seen any arguments why it wouldnt work well in the places that I hike. It also appeals to me that if setup properly its extremely simple to use, even my 10 year old could handle the filtering duties. Technically, I think the Steripen beats this system, but my dislike for electronics is enough to turn me off that. Besides, this guy likes the Sawyer and I believe everything he says: http://hikeitlikeit.com/2013/the-sawyer-mini-filter/

I think I'm ready to purchase the following…

Platy Bigzip Hydration System 2L (25$, comes with hose assembly)
Platy 4L Replacement Reservoirs ($55, same hose attachment)
Sawyer Mini ($20, attaches to hose or sqeeze bottle without adapters)

So for $100 bucks, I get both a family AND solo filter

For a family of 5…..
During the hike and quick overnighters, fill up 4L bag once and filter straight into their bottles or into the cookpot
For Deluxe convenience in camp, filter straight into a clean 4L Bigzip AND keep the dirty 4L full of water and ready for action.
For dry camps with the family, carry up to 8L of water and filter into bottles
For hiking solo…Use 2L Bigzip for dirty water instead of 4L

Dealing with varying conditions…
-if Craig's watching and he told you gravity setups are slow, wait til he looks away and then squeeze the bladder
-if youre running R2R2R and trying to catch up to Malto, drink straight from the filter and go rent a quad.
-if Michael said there would be water, and there KINDA is, at least the Bigzip is super easy to dip or fill with a pot.
-to pre-filter, fill a pot with water and stretch your girls panties over it, now pour into Bigzip.
-during emergencies, put ice and 2 pints of Surly Furious IPA in 4L BigZip and endure anything anywhere.

[Turley]

"Yes. "Ben 2 World" has been an advocate of the process for a long time.
In fact, he suggests simple chlorine to kill the small stuff, and then use AM FP filter to remove the big stuff and the chlorine."

Funny how you mentioned Ben…..I was contemplating saying in my post – where is Ben when you need him :-)

I've use the Chlorine Dioxide Tab (just prefer tablet over liquid bleach for carrying purposes), Frontier Pro Combination now (initially beginning in around 2009 in the PNW until now in SoCal) and really haven't seen a system that is leaps and bounds better. It really seams it takes care of all three components (Bacteria, Virus, Cysts) with a minimal 15 minute waiting period and improves flavor. Additionally, for roughly 2oz, it isn't too heavy and gives me peace of mind.

[Author]

Posts