Fall Water in Nepal

Lots of people seem happy with the Sawyer Squeeze. I enjoy not pumping and fewer parts to fail. I use a ULA product no longer manufactured the H2 Amigo. It's essentially an upside down parachute that serves as a dirty water catcher/container and the water drips down through a sawyer squeeze-like cartridge and into a clean container. If you alreay carry a platypus bag or two, all you need is to designate one dirty and one clean and put a filter between them. There are lots of DIY models for this and again, less to carry and fewer parts to fail than the pumps. A lot of excellent reviews, tests and other musings can be found over at sectionhiker:

http://sectionhiker.com/category/hydration/

Brian,

Wouldn't I still need some additional treatment for the viruses?

Daryl

I think that you will want virus treatment for water in Nepal.

All of the water you see in Nepal needs to be treated for viruses.

–B.G.–

Use Chlorine Dioxide tables in addition to a filter. Katadyn tables will kill all viruses and bacteria in 15 minutes at a water temperature of 4C. For Cysts it needs 4 hours. But the Sawyer filters will take care of the cycsts. http://www.allfilters.com/files/micropur_brochure.pdf

I just purchased a sawyer 3 in 1 filter which is currently attached to my water bladder hose. I simply fill the bladder with water and add 1 tablet for each Leter of water. The filter will filter the water as I drink and the 15minute wait time for it to kill all viruses is resonable. The 3 in 1 filter can also be used as a gravity filter.

Water filters have some limitations in Nepal since so much of the water is of glacial origin. There is a lot of glacial silt in the water, and it can plug up a filter in no time flat. This would call for some sort of a pre-filter that can be cleaned often and quickly.

So, upstream from the villages, glacial silt is the problem. Downstream from the villages, viruses are the problem.

–B.G.–

Alrighty then, this is coming together.

(1)Filter for the giardia, crypto, cysts, pond skimmers, etc.

(2)Tablets or bleach to kill viruses and bacteria.

(3)Cleanable silt stopping pre-filter for preserving the main filter's capabilities.

I already have everything execpt the cleanable silt stopping pre-filter. Any suggestions for this piece?

A steripen was recommended by the trip leader but the silt may be a deal breaker because I don't think steripens do well in cloudy water.

Please keep giving me ideas and advice. It has been very helpful so far.

a bandana?

The first time that I trekked in Nepal, I was in a trekking group where supposedly all of our water was being boiled. Just to back that up, I also took some iodine and used a little. Out of nine trekkers, I was the only one that didn't get sick from the water by the end of the trek. It is difficult to make a solid assumption about that.

The second time that I trekked in Nepal, it was twelve in the group, and again the water was supposedly boiled. Early in the trek, I popped into the cook tent and watched them boil water this time. Nobody got sick from the water, although the rest got sick in general ways.

Still, you want to stock up on Immodium and a broad-spectrum antibiotic for internal use. Even if the water doesn't get you, there are other bugs that will.

–B.G.–

Not sure about glacial silt, but I've had good results with a bandanna down here with FL muck. Others have reported women's nylon stockings work well, as do (apparently) paper coffee filters.

Hope it helps!

We used Aqua Mira for overnight treatment of water we would start the next day with, and a SteriPen for treatment of water from sources on the way, including water gotten from "inns" or "tea houses". You can ask for and pay for boiled water at these places, but we just preferred to treat everything without exception. This worked well for three of us on a 2-week trek from Lukla to EBC and back.

Robert,

My wife will be staying in tea houses and the trip leader recommnended a steripen. Now I see where it fits into the equation.

Daryl