Water filtration

[DonNewcomb]

You're basically down at a bacterial level at that point. Virus will still get through; but it seems to me that E.Coli is less than 1 micron. It at least increases your probability of filtering it out.
E. Coli can become a problem, at least on Superior, when the water warms up enough in sheltered areas.

Both E. Coli and C. Difficile can have diameters around .5 μ although they are considerably longer than 1 μ. AFAIK, all of these bugs can be killed with chemicals. E. Coli is actually a normal component of our digestive flora. It's things like tapeworm eggs that can resist chemical and/or UV treatment which really concern me. Still, it might be a good idea to find a finer mesh filter.

[PoetryRiver]

...two cents from a former backcountry ranger in Colorado.... One of my first trips into the Never Summer range (1984) I was starry eyed and stupid, believing that being above treeline right where the snow was melting in mid-June meant I could drink from a stream. I drank, refilled my water bottles, and drank again.... all while having a filter in the side pocket of my pack. I hosited it, put it on, started back up the trail (next to the stream) and around the corner, lying in the middle of the stream was a dead elk.... a very dead elk. I was lucky, and somehow did not get sick. A friend of mine contracted both giardia (and spotted fever at the same time) that summer, and lost close to 70 pounds while in the hospital.

I have never gone without using a filter since then. I've used one variation or another of the First Need since that time (http://www.rei.com/product/767831). What the ad's don't tell you is that if the canister starts to slow down, due to the filter getting plugged, you can take it off, backflush it with clean water and continue to use it for a long time.

Regardless of which type of filter you chose, it's not worth the risk, even drinking from Lake Superior, if you are miles from help and 3 to 4 times that from a hospital.

2.5 cents from some time on the trail.

Lor

"Make voyages. Attempt them. There is nothing else."

[GonzieB]

Hello all you helpful people. This is my first time logging on. We are coming to IR Sept 12-17. I've looked high and low and am wondering if there are water pumps at the campsites or is all water obtained from streams and/or lakes??? Thanks for any info on this.

[kfinnguy]

From the reviews and forums I've read, I'll just start with the Katadyn Hiker.

[Damon S]

For those of you not too concerned about the extra size...

I've been using the First Need filter/and purifier. Very strong filter with easy back flush maintenance. I've used many others in past, mainly MSR ceramics, but I've used the First Need in some pretty questionable, very murky water and the water came out the other end like fresh spring water.

Downside, the filter cannot be cleaned, you have to chuck it after the flow is significantly reduced and your water test (blue food dye) comes out blue.

We're always kayaking at IR, so the size really isn't a problem.

http://www.rei.com/product/767831

Regards,

Damon

[Gullaker]

Is it true that ceramic filters do not filter out tapeworm egss but paper filters will? The outdoor company in town is telling people that and I was wondering if that was true since Im coming there in September.

[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).