Water filter recommendation?

[jay182009]

well we can use the PUR filters because it provides delicious drinking water and a fraction of clean bottles.


____________________
Ukf8001axx

[petterz88]

Welcome to the forums!!
First post and you are stirring up a hornets nest!!
I am a diehard MSR Miniworks fan. In a former life I guided trips and we (niners and I)tried both the PUR filters and MSR.
After a few trips, we decided the MSR Miniworks worked for us. Easy to field maintain and clean and the filter element can be cleaned in the field easily. I will say that is slower than the PUR filters, and I am OK with that.

I should also mention on kayaking trips, I use a Katadyn Base Camp. It is a gravity drip filter that works well-and no pumping.

Others will be sure to add their thoughts, opinions and dare I say, a few arguments may ensue!!!

I would recommend going to your local Outfitter and trying the filters before you buy.

yeah your actually right, thanks for giving a wonderful advice now i know, what im gonna do


_________________
Everpure Filters

[Dryrot]

While researching filters, I ran across a reference to the "notoriously silty waters of Isle Royale." Since I haven't been there yet, can someone comment?

[Tom]

While researching filters, I ran across a reference to the "notoriously silty waters of Isle Royale." Since I haven't been there yet, can someone comment?

I wouldn't say they're any worse than other places I've been. What I will say is that when you're on the trail, you don't always get to pick where you need to refill. Sometimes that might mean a stream, that, if rain has been light, is going to be running pretty slow. Island Mine comes to mind. A few places on Feldtman are similar.
For the most part, I find the lakes (both inner and Superior) to be good sources of water, and as long as you watch your intake, you shouldn't have any problems. Sure, let the intake drop toward the bottom and you will find a silty mix setting on the bottom, so keep the float higher..

[fonixmunkee]

While researching filters, I ran across a reference to the "notoriously silty waters of Isle Royale." Since I haven't been there yet, can someone comment?

Yup, Tom is right...it's the same as anywhere else you'd filter water in the BC. Streams are probably the most common place you'll run into a lot of silt, or again, if you let your intake sink to the bottom of the lake.

[dqdave]

I just picked up a Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter. I went with it because it has a micro porous structure with impregnated silver which delays the growth of bacteria. The pore-size of Katadyn ceramic filters is 0.2 micron (0.0002 mm). Bacteria range in size from 0.2 to 5 micron and, like protozoa (1 to 15 micron), are efficiently filtered out. Many filters can not catch the "small stuff".
And, it got outstanding reviews. But, I'm new to it, as I have not tested "in the field". And, it costs as much as a tent does. I'm a believer in you get what you pay for, and I am willing to invest into fresh, clean water.

[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).

[PatrickBDunlap]

I have the Platypus CleanStream Gravity Water Filter System. No pumping or moving parts to break, just need to ensure you back filter every now and then. I heard on guy say when he is on his own he attaches the filter to a mouth piece and just grabs the water in the dirty bag and sucks it through the filter as he hikes.

http://www.rei.com/product/767563

[laqtis]

The algae blooms are clogging filters at Lake Ritchie, and perhaps Chickenbone as well. Folks we talked to at McCargo on 8/25 said that their filter volume dropped off and became harder to pump after using it at Chickenbone.

[LeftOvers]

We took the MSR AutoFlow Gravity Filter (rated 1.75 liters per minute) on our last trip (May, 2010) to Isle Royale. Comparing the two, it seems very similar to the Platypus model PatrickBDunlap mentioned. Worked well for us, but we always started the hike with enough water for the full day, so never had to take water from a stream or puddle.

If you follow the instructions, it needs backflushing (following the instructions) pretty regularly, but, with this care, ours never seemed to clog up.

After filtering we used the MSR Miox Water Purifier. (I'm too old to go backpacking AND get sick to my stomach)

[Tom]

A quick word of awareness for those using gravity systems... (Disclosure: I've never used one but they look simplistically tempting.)
They hold one achillies heel for IR travellers, if you plan to go early or late season. They can't take a freeze. If the filter element freezes, it fails. Maybe make that two heels; in that I've heard that if they fail, they 'fail open' meaning the water still flows through, just unfiltered.

[Backpacker534]

That's a good fact to know, Tom. My buddy and I were thinking of getting one of those gravity filters to replace the PUR filter he has right now. The lack of pumping sounded very intriguing to us. Especially after those long days on the trail when your arms just don't feel like doing about 3000 pumps just to get some water.

[PatrickBDunlap]

Thanks for the heads up Tom.

Tip: Not sure if this does anything but I noted that I needed to take all the air out of the dirty water bag to have it flow correctly into the clean bag. I also do not store my Platypus in the *tiny* provided bag when not hiking but in a larger bag to keep the tubs and bags unkrinked.

[zims]

I have a question for the experts here. Does anyone know anything about using ultra silver for purifying water?

[jerry]

zims,

Are you up in the middle of the night when backpacking?