water filters

[Mark H]

<p style=”text-align: center;”>So what’s everyone using for their water filter these days? I bounce around a bit, but seem to come back to my platypus.  I like that my water bottles are always “drink ready” and don’t need to thread on a filter. What I don’t like is the fiddle factor. I only bring my dirty bag, filter and the hose, which I basically cut short to save some weight.  On my most recent trip, I took a Sawyer Squeeze.  I liked it, but hated to keep releasing the vacuum on my water bottle. And I didn’t care for it always being attached and potentially falling out of my side pack pocket because it was top heavy. I tried to attach it when I wanted a drink, but didn’t really care for that too much either.  Maybe I’m just too picky/needy!  What are your solutions to the water thing?</p>

[James Marco]

Steripen Opti, and two 1/2L water bottles.

[Anthony A]

I, like many people, also use the sawyer squeeze. When going solo I put it directly onto my bottle. When going with a group I put it in-line on my old Katadyn 6L bag and let gravity do the work. In my mind, the reliability of the squeeze is unmatched. When it is colder I bring a couple hot hands packs and put my filter in my reflectix cozy to avoid freezing.

[Barry P]

+1 for Steripen Opti

[Dondo .]

James, I’m also using a Steripen with a 1/2L bottle.  I’m using a Nalgene HDPE bottle which is bit on the heavy side at 2.4 oz.  Curious as to what you’ve come up with.

[James Marco]

Dondo, an Opti fits into a full 500ml Gatoraid bottle. Each bottle weighs about 1.25oz. There are lighter bottles out there, but all have smaller tops.

I also carry a 2L (actually 2.5L) platty. This is ALWAYS dirty water. I use it for cooking and for replenishing the 1/2L bottles (usually at camp in the morning/night.) I fill this with my pot when I go down for water for supper. When I am moving, the platty is always empty and I only carry the two full 1/2L bottles (Usually one is coffee/cocoa in the morning, the other is water.)

I just wipe off the threads after zapping a bottle. If I get lazy (like in the middle of a stream,) I will put the lid back on with the water still dirty and continue on to a rest stop. The top threads hold water and I need to dry them three times, being hard to get at.

The Steripen Classic weighs enough more (even though it will fit a lighter small-mouth bottle) that it doesn’t make weight sense to try to go with the lighter bottles. Using my pot, then pouring into my water bottle is just fiddly and takes a lot more time. The rechargable Ultra’s do not give me two weeks of service.

I tried going without the platy, but I had to walk down to get more water after supper, and again for breakfast. In several spots this was a 1/4-1/2 mile away. More of a convenience to avoid this, but for 1.3oz it’s worth it.

I carry a few AM or Kathadyn tablets, but I have never had to use them. I replace these every year, used or not.

[Dondo .]

Thanks for all the detail, James.  It looks like we use similar approaches.  I’ll have to give the Gatoraid bottle a try.

[James Marco]

Dondo, yeah, I didn’t know what to assume…

[Brad Rogers]

I appreciate that too James.  I have used Gatorade (1L) bottles for the past 15 or so with Aquamira drops, but dislike the taste.  I didn’t know the Opti would fit into a Gatorade bottle.

I’m currently trying the Sawyer filter and smartwater bottle, but it ends up being awkwardly tall with the tall bottle and the filter on top, and of course you have to open the filter and let the bottle breathe every so often.  I tried a Steripen 11 years ago on one trip and it failed on me -batteries were dead even though they were brand new a week prior to the trip.  Though it was cold (6*F one night) and I read later the older ones had problems with batteries discharging.  It kind of turned me off to electronic water treatment, but I might be convinced to give it another shot.

[Elliott Wolin]

Some selection from the following, depending on I don’t know what:

• Steripen Adventurer
• Aqua Mira drops
• ClO2 tablets
• Aqua Mira Frontier Pro inline filter

Note that the combination of ClO2 tablets and the Frontier Pro yields drinkable water in minutes.  The ClO2 kills the small stuff quickly (assuming water is clear) and the Frontier Pro filters out the larger but harder to kill stuff (e.g. Giardia).

I keep ClO2 tablets in my emergency kit, as well.

The AM drops are great for treating large quantities of water, e.g. six liters for a group.  If you leave the water overnight you can use less ClO2 as the dwell time is much longer (but I wouldn’t go below half of a full dose).

I take spare batteries for the Steripen, and always have a backup method (typically ClO2 tablets).

[James Marco]

Brad, Yeah. It actually doesn’t fit in the top, a good thing. It just wedges part way in. I wave it around in the bottle for 45sec or so. With the 1L bottles, I need to circle it around (they both have the same size top) fairly rapidly to create a circulation in the bottle. It is marginally lighter, I think…maybe 1-3/4 to 2.0 oz. But, I like the redundancy of having two. I lost one in an ice cold stream one time. If had been my only bottle, I would have been back to treating in my pot and carrying water in the platy after cleaning it out well.

The old Adventurer model had two metal contacts on the sides. The switches on those drew like 60-100ma current. I killed my first set of batteries on a trip, realized what was happening, and got into the habit of always flipping one battery after use. (Note that on the Classic, you have to flip the diagonal two.) I still do it with the Opti, but it only draws about 20-30ma. I leave the nut loose enough to undo with my thumb nail.

Anyway, I get about two weeks (~16 days) with a new set of batteries (C123.) Even old batteries can still operate the flashlight, though. Energizer and Duracell are about the same, so, I try to bring one set of new batteries, the opposite type. When the set in the steripen starts to fail, I put them in my ditty bag and use them at night for a flash light.

Cold weather doesn’t effect the batteries much. But, in cold weather, you can get one or two more uses by keeping the pen on an inside pocket. I usually carry mine in my pants pocket so it’s handy.

[John Vance]

I roll with two 500ml bottles and either a Steripen Opti or a Befree depending on the water sources. Back up is bleach which I haven’t used in decades. I do refresh the bleach each year.
I typically treat about half the water I drink as many sources are fine where I hike. I use a cut off 2L Platy with the Steripen and a 2L bag with the BeFree and drink from the 500ml bottles. One is always water and the other always has some powder mix in it.

[Dondo .]

I take spare batteries for the Steripen, and always have a backup method (typically ClO2 tablets).

Elliott, that’s my method as well.  So far, I haven’t had a problem with my Adventurer, but I don’t really trust anything that relies on battery power.  I have had to use CLO2 tabs when I left my Sawyer Squeeze out of my sleeping bag on a night that unexpectedly dropped below freezing.

The old Adventurer model had two metal contacts on the sides. The switches on those drew like 60-100ma current.

James, that’s interesting.  I’m using the original Adventurer model and also have learned to flip a battery between uses.  Seeing that the Opti draws so much less current, I may have to pick one up. Did you measure this yourself?

 

[James Marco]

No, I didn’t. As I remember there was an article on BPL with something around those numbers. I believe that the number was actually higher on many units (120ma?) I really didn’t need the numbers to tell me the electronic switch was killing the battery quickly. There was also another article, or maybe a post, on epoxying a thumbscrew to the original screw for this purpose. I never bothered.

Well, the difference is in idle current and versatility. The Opti draws a lot less idle current, ~30ma. I often leave the batteries in for a day of hiking. I flip them in the morning (after preparing my water) and don’t need them for several hours. I flip them for use and leave them. I get to camp, and flip them after preparing water for the evening. Any old batteries, get put in for a light at night. (A rather powerful light doubles as the sensor.)

All electronic switches carry a slight current draw, just to be able to detect a change in state. On->Off, Off->On is basic binary or a flip-flop. All transistors leak a bit of current, so technically they go from a low current to a high current upon activation. The “leakage” is the residual current draw. The good thing is there are no moving parts that gum up, experience metal erosion (due to use), corrode when wet, or simply break. A little varnish makes them water proof and they stay that way. The plastic film has a conductance so a “switch” is already waterproof and carries only a very light current. The reliability is very high. Instead of thousands of uses it goes up to hundreds of thousands. Few fail before anything else fails.

Anyway, iff you have the old one, the Gatoraid bottles will NOT work. The old style bottles had a larger mouth/cap that allowed the Adventurer to be more deeply inserted. This was necessary to activate the metal contacts on the side. The newer bottles have a slightly smaller mouth. The Opti has a sensor on the bottom of the body and works fine, provided you fill to near the top.

Anyway, if you have the Adventurer already, I would not worry about replacing it right away. They both use  pretty much the same type of bulb. Within the next  few years, maybe five years, they will make a LED UV/C lamp.    <span>https://www.lasercomponents.com/de-en/product/uvb-uvc-leds-200-315-nm/</span&gt;

[Five Star]

I use a BeFree when water sources are fairly clear, a Sawyer Mini when they’re murkier, and ALWAYS have AquaMira tablets in reserve….those came in real handy on a week-long section hike where I realized I’d left my filter at home (discovered 3 miles into my hike).  Also use the tablets when I filter a real sketchy water source.

[Mark H]

Question to those of you that use the Steripen. When you fill your water container, don’t you also get some sediment/floaties and then you’re drinking that too? Also, I read that the Steripen can treat cloudy water, once its treated, is it still cloudy? If it is still cloudy, can you taste a difference?

I backpack a couple times in the winter and the thought of not sleeping with another piece of equipment is tempting me to buy a Steripen.

[Todd T]

Question to those of you that use the Steripen. When you fill your water container, don’t you also get some sediment/floaties and then you’re drinking that too? Also, I read that the Steripen can treat cloudy water, once its treated, is it still cloudy? If it is still cloudy, can you taste a difference?

It’s UV, not lasers. :-)  So yes, the floaties are still there, as is the cloudiness and all the flavor.  (Beware that cloudy water takes longer to treat with a Steripen.)  Floaties are a fact of life with UV or tablets.  Some folks pre-filter with their sweaty bandanna.

[Brian Devlin]

Mark..if a SteriPen is what you want I have one that I have used on 2 or 3 trips that I’d give you a great deal on. Obviously, it was not to my liking.

[Hanz B]

I finally picked up a Sawyer squeeze micro and a CNOC bag (was using evernew bags and swayed squeeze). No silly vacuum to release with the cnoc bag and the micro worked as well as the regular squeeze for less weight. I just bring the connector to do dirty cnoc to a clean evernew. For me this means the one dirty, one clean water bag, one plunger, the micro squeeze, 6 aqua tabs as back up, and the 12 inch hose connector with adaptor when I want to hang it or sit on it to filter more quickly.  I always brought the unbreakable smart water bottle before but this cnoc bottle bag seems resilient compared to my evernew. I Love that I can fill it easily with the back end fill.

[Mark H]

Brian, thanks for the offer, but I don’t know if I want one.  I seem to keep coming back to my Platypus.  I was just trying to think of another way of maybe saving some weight and eliminating the fiddle factor.  I guess I  won’t know unless I try. Shoot me a pm.

[Sam Farrington]

A lot of discussion about detritus in the water, but apparently that is not seen as important as maximum weight reduction. But maybe it is more important than thought.

So many times I’ve chosen to camp where the only water was from shallow flows, or sinkholes where the only clear water was an inch or two at the top (the rest being full of algae and gunk), or small puddles in the flows. In some areas that is often all there is where the creeks almost dry up in a dry season. Often the only alternative to using that water was to hike on in the dark with a headlamp, burning up batteries expected to last for a week or so. Even carrying a spare fully charged Li-Ion battery, is no guarantee against running out of power if night travelling becomes a habit.  Getting off track is more likely when hiking at night, then even more power must be burned to get back on track.

For me, a simpler approach is to use a pump filter that if necessary can suck clear water from shallow places. Meals and bedtime are at a reasonable hour. No chance of crises in the dark. No batteries prematurely burned out. No gunk in the water. No need to fill water bags, just pump into the water bottle(s). No worries about nasty cryptosporidia that survive chlorine based tablets, purchased instead of iodine based ones. Lastly, am not sure what’s in microscopic foreign bodies. If it’s alive, the UV might kill it; but what if it is chemically harmful.  As humans pollute the planet, even remote places are not guaranteed safe.

Yet pumps are almost passe`. Because of the weight? Even for those who carry considerable electronic gear?

MSR came out with a very light and compact pump filter several years ago; but it had a tendency to develop air blocks – talk about having to futz around. So finally built my own:

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/99643/

Built this to experiment, including trying different filter cartridges. but it became a regular fixture in the pack.  Pumping is quick and almost effortless, much more than conventional pump filters.  Some day though, MSR or somebody may market an even lighter and more gunk proof one.

[James Marco]

A small amount of gunk in the water never bothered me. I mean a SMALL amount. 1 or 2 bits in a half liter (the bits being less than 1/64″ dia.)  In the ADK’s, there has been a few sketchy spots. It is very easy to simply ladle out a half cup at a time. Most of the time the water is running and it is fairly easy to build a small dam by moving a couple rocks or dig into the stream bottom to make a hole for the bottle. Let it settle and clear from any flow, and fill.  What doesn’t fill, I scoop up with my hand and pour into the bottle to top it off. Lakes/ponds are much harder than streams. All you can do is wipe the scum off, and scoop, wait a second or two as stuff settles, pour into the bottle…repeat. This can get time consuming when every other scoop has crap in it.

A bandana works well in about 90% of the cases where water cannot be gathered easily without detritus in it. Just stuff your bandana down into a bottle about 2 inches, ladle up some water and pour. Eventually pulling the bandana out and filling the bottle. Sometimes, you just have to pass the water source by.

No, UV light does not change flavours. Like sunlight on jar of honey, there is no effect on the taste.

The biggest reason I use it is the combination weight, time, and fiddle-factor. For <4oz, I can bring the pen and 2 sets of batteries. Very reliable, batteries are more iffy than the pen. A new set of batteries will last about two weeks (solo) or a week with a partner. But, I use up old ones, and save them for use as a light (about an hour left in them.)  It takes about 2 minutes to get water, zap it, and go. There is no fiddle factor. No hoses, no bad screw connections, no lost gaskets, etc… The overall reliability between a Sawyer Mini and the Steripen is about even…bad batteries/bulb vs plugged filter is a wash.

[Hanz B]

i would not bring a mini on any trip when compared to the micro squeeze capability and weight.

[Sam Farrington]

The reviews posted on REI suggest that the micro will clog as quickly as the mini, even with clear water. But I’ve found that with clear water, the mini is good for a few weeks in daily use. Daryl and Daryl have posted in detail on BPL about the difficulties of flushing out the minis once used and dried out at home or in transit. I’ve also found that the water pressure available from the kitchen sink at home will still not bring the mini all the way the back to new, so consider twenty bucks for a new mini to be reasonable before a multi-week trek. Had giardia, so $20 seems cheap compared to the discomfort and expense of getting rid of that.

Another reason for sticking to clear water (at least to the naked eye): It may help to reduce the chances of consuming contaminants lodged in foreign bodies and unaffected by UV. There are frequent reports of toxic industrial spills that get into rivers and streams and spread far from their origin. And then there can be human pollution, even at high elevations such as Mt Whitney, the highest in the lower 48. When doing the JMT, the reports of overcrowding and pollution on Whitney persuaded me to skip it, and begin at Onion Valley.

As our environment rapidly changes, unfortunately not for the better, we will have to exercise greater care about the water we drink in the outdoors.

[James Marco]

I went thru 3 sawyers one year. I have seen so many rave reviews, I thought what the heck. Tried one in the ADK’s where it clogged up and turned into a trickle, even squeezing so hard I thought the bag would burst. I tried the smaller on, it clogged up quicker. The third one, I left out one night and we got an unexpected frost (from ~70F during the day to about 28F at night.) I didn’t trust it after that.

My Steripen cost about $59. The sawyers cost $60. I have several years of use on my Steripen. The three filters together got me thru a single year.

Most of the time I use clear water. I got sick one time in the past ten years when I mixed bottles up (I think…I couldn’t remember which I had already zapped.) I used to think that filters would last longer and work more reliably, but, I am learning they do not.

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