Amount of water for a trip

[Keweenaw]

Most folks just filter and are fine. If you are a confirmed germophobe, then treat with chlorine dioxide after filtering.

That being said, it's always best to use the cleanest looking source possible and plan ahead so you don't get stuck with a muddy, slimy beaver pond as your only option.

Bob

[zims]

I have only been there on the island 4 times, and each time I filter all my water except in washingotn creek where there is a source from the faucet. The first trip I used tablets and filtered, but i have never gotten sick, and never gotten thirsty. I have found sometimes its easier to carry just a bit extra for the simple fact that you don't know what time you will be runnin into camp, and its sometimes nice to just already have water to cook with, wash your face or drink. I have rolled in at dusk, and its not something I want to deal with in the dark at the waters edge, 2 years ago at feldtman, almost got run over by a bull moose at the waters edge.

[bobonabike]

Hello! My first post/question. I've planned my first trip to IR for the end of this month. I had planned to go last August and had been in training for four months. A few weeks before departure I had emergency bowel surgery and was in the ICU for over a week. I jokingly asked the surgeon, "I'm planning a week-long backpacking trip at the end of the month. Is it OK if I go?" She just smiled. Oh well, "Maybe next year," I thought (I'm used to it, I'm a Cub's fan).

Well, it's next year already. This time I've been in training since February, alternating bicycling one day (my primary activity, as you probably can tell) with practicing with a fully loaded pack the alternate day, doing things like making 180 round trips up and down the stairs in my house (I figure it's equivalent to a 1500 ft elevation gain and loss). I know, I know, walking up nice, evenly spaced carpeted stairs is nothing like being on a trail, but what are you gonna do - I live in northern Illinois and there's not much topography around here, at least not within 40 miles.

I've read almost everything in all of these forum topics, and have found it most helpful in answering questions I've had (most importantly, how to pronounce the park's name!), and with tidying up my final planning.

My question is this: All the posts appear address water treatment by filtering, boiling, or chemicals. What about UV treatment, e.g. a Steripen? It kills protozoa, bacteria and viruses. From a post above it appears that it doesn't take care of tapeworm eggs, but the Steripen has an accessory 4 micron prefilter, and a post above indicates that tapeworms eggs are considerably larger. Does anybody have experience with a Steripen on IR? It seems that people either love it or hate it (see REI's website). Other than the issue of its voracious appetite for expensive batteries, assuming a user follows the directions, does anybody see a problem relying on a Steripen?

Thanks for any input.

(Note: You may see I've posted this same question with other topics, as it seems water treatment is covered in more than one area).

[zims]

The rangers will tell you as will everyone else who has visited the island jsut have a good water filter and know how to use it. You will be fine.

[Toy Yoda]

I carry two "one liter" Gatorade bottles with me while I hike. (They are cheaper than Nalgenes and are disposable after each trip to help reduce any possible bacteria buildup). I also carry a 4 liter MSR Dromedary "bladder"--it is usually empty (or close to empty) when I actually hike.

When I arrive at my campsite for the night, I filter and purify enough water to fill the 2 Gatorade bottles and the 4 liter bladder. That is almost always enough water for me on Isle Royale for the next 24 hours (for cooking, drinking, brushing teeth etc). I "bag cook"--so I do not usually need water to wash dishes.

In the morning, I start out hiking with the 2 Gatorade bottles full and maybe a liter still leftover in the MSR bladder. Only once or twice have I stopped at midday to filter more water "just to be safe".

On Isle Royale, I try to not carry a whole lot of water while I hike--if I can help it. Water is usually pretty abundant in most places on the Island. (Some days, I have hiked the whole day and probably never been much more than 1/4 mile away from some kind of water source--as the crow flies. Other days, it was quite a distance between water sources.) Personally, by using a water filter, I could probably get by with often carrying just one liter of water at a time--but I typically start my day carrying at least 2 liters at a time--just to be safe.

Remember, a gallon of water weighs approximately 8.35 lbs. (A liter of water weighs about 2.25 lbs). Therefore, it is often easier on your back and legs to carry less water at one time and to filter smaller amounts of water (more often) throughout the day.

[zims]

I have always used a katadyn pocket water microfilter. I have never gotten sick and we were there during the algae bloom. When we talked to the experts, they said as long as you have a good filter, you should be ok, and only filter moving water if you can.