Water Purifier

[Ross Bleakney]

My wife and I are visiting Nepal in about a month. Even though we both hike, that isn’t why we are making the trip. Our daughter is getting married to a man whose parents are from Nepal, and they are having the ceremony there. So, we figured we would tack on a little trek. We choose a pretty easy three day trip involving the Australian Camp after a flight to Pokhara.

We are a bit concerned about the water. My wife has a kidney problem, so she doesn’t want to use chemical purifiers. We can boil water (or ask people to boil water) but we’ve read that they don’t always do a great job at that. So I’ve started looking at filters that can handle viruses (i. e. water purifiers).

The MSR Guardian sounds like a good option, but it is very expensive. I’ve also read people have had trouble with the handle breaking. Anyone have any suggestions? I don’t mind something that is relatively slow. For example, we would be OK with a drip filter, and just carry a lot. I also wouldn’t mind renting, if anyone has any recommendations for that (we are in Seattle).

 

 

[dirtbag]

Steripen!

[JCH]

Before UL, I used the First Need purifier.  Still have it in the hurricane gear box (a practical requirement in FL).  It has been trusted by many for decades, and is less that 1/2 the cost of the MSR.  Plus General Ecology sells all the bits and pieces separately so that you can repair only what is broken/worn out.

“…water filter removes viruses, bacteria, cysts, giardia, crypto, particles, foul taste, odors, herbicides, and pesticides”

[Hopearotie]

Grayl…its a purifier and it doesn’t have moving parts that can break. It works like a coffee press. they cost about $100. I use mine all the time when I take my little girls on day hikes. I would go with the ultra-press (new version) its more packable that the geo-press.

[Erik G]

Sawyer makes a .02 micron version of their Squeeze filter, called (you guessed it) the Point ZeroTwo. Apparently you now need to contact Sawyer directly to purchase one, but they are still available and they were about $110 when they were sold publicly.

[Ken Larson]

Ross…Send a email to [email protected] and communicate your need as explained in the opening statement of this thread,  followed by asking him if he has any SAWYER SP 125 (purifiers) of early years you could purchase.

https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/5536/

[Iago Vazquez]

When traveling to China a few years back, I used a Rapid Pure filter hooked up gravity style to filter water for a group of six. Lasted about two weeks and suddenly we had no flow. We also had two of their water bottles, but the same issue happened sooner or later. They wouldn’t be my choice again. Their stuff looks a bit different now, so they may have improved on their products? It definitely looks like their line has slimmed down.

I have heard great things about Grayl and MSR Guardian filters. But I have no direct experience.

Steripen would be my choice if you have one. My friends who go to Nepal once or twice a year use a water bottle that has a UV light built into the cap with a rechargeable battery. I can find out the name and let you know if you wish to go UV.

Their pics and videos of Pokhara are gorgeous. Envious!

[Dan]

How about a Platypus Gravityworks. It comes complete with everything, so you don’t need to put together a system out of components, and it will give you 4L at a time. No pumping required, just hang it up and let it do its thing.

[Jerry Adams]

steripen is good for viruses

maybe take two for reliability, even though they’re pretty reliable

the newer model with internal lithium battery USB rechargeable

[Ross Bleakney]

@Dan — The GravityWorks doesn’t filter out viruses.

@Everyone else — It looks like we are going with Grayl. My wife ordered one, and it is pretty easy to use. I was tempted to use a Steripen, but was concerned about reliability. Carrying two might solve the problem, but I’m afraid they both might fail under the same conditions (cloudy water). The filter might eventually clog as well, but this is such a short trip, and I won’t every use this again, so the Grayl seems like a safe bet.

Thanks everybody.

 

[John S.]

Lately I have been hiking with a steripen ultralight and a sawyer mini. I use the steripen for daytime water and the mini for in-camp water. Both have worked fine for about 50 nights out over the last year.

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