Water Purification/Filtonatir

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=45905

I have good experience with the Platypus Gravity system for groups of two to four. It can filter 4 liters in a few minutes.

I would expect your Ranger will strongly recommend if not require use of chlorine dioxide which Philmont provides.

Actually there is less to break in a gravity filter than a pump.

I rarely take a pump filter any longer. The Platypus unit mentioned above is great for groups. I just got back from a volunteer trip with the forest service building a bridge over Bridal Falls. I let everybody that wanted use my filter.

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Alan, I see you are not hooked up to the PM. Shoot me an email.
ray AT backpackinglight DOT com

Went to Philmont this year. We left our water pumps at basecamp and took the clorine dioxide pills provided by Philmont. We only used them once or twice. Most staff and trail camps have clean water on tap. It's the rare occasion where you have to treat the tap water and it will be labelled as such. We just used the pills to treat it. We never had to take water out of a stream or pond. We were on itinerary 27, of course your itinerary will vary. That being said, a gravity filter will work fine for a group, especially your training hikes.

I figure the Sawyer Squeeze wins hands down over my pump type filter. There is no loss in robustness or functionality. It is simpler and much lighter. The only caveate is that you apparently are not supposed to let the filter freeze if it is still wet. So you might need to keep it in your jacket and take it in the sleeping bag with you in freezing weather.

Oh one other thing… You do need to have a way to get water into the bag if you need to get it from very shallow sources. Some kind of scoop or will suffice, and I have heard of folks using a ziploc bag for that. I took the smallest bag that came with it and cut the top off (after my dog ruined the neck of the bag). It makes a nice scoop and the filter and the other two bags fit inside.