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  1. #51
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    the gach
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    5,661
    So glad I live in Alaska.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  2. #52
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    15,768
    Quote Originally Posted by Chugachjed View Post
    So glad I don't live in Interior Alaska.
    Fixed. Giardia is fairly common there.

  3. #53
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    the gach
    Posts
    5,661
    I have had to drink water straight out of the Innoko an Iditarod rivers, like when the boat ran out of gas I had cruised past literally over 100 beaver lodges tons of moose and bears. No ill effects. Maybe I've got an immunity, either way that incident changed my way of thinking.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  4. #54
    Join Date
    Dec 2005
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    15,768
    ^Or lucky. I've seen people drink the water between tussocks on fires in the Interior with no ill effects so I wouldn't say that it's widespread, but OTOH I've known a couple people that got giardia from drinking out of creeks. <shrug> I didn't like drinking water in the bush that I wasn't sure of.

  5. #55
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
    Location
    the gach
    Posts
    5,661
    True, and come to think of it there's no villages to speak of upstream from where I was drinking.
    But Ellen kicks ass - if she had a beard it would be much more haggard. -Jer

  6. #56
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    SW Jongistan
    Posts
    447
    Water purification methods are very much situation dependent. I would choose different methods for, say, hiking in the Grand Canyon; hiking in California or Colorado mountains in/below a valley that sees a lot of backpacker camping; and hiking above campsites or in little traveled areas in winter/spring with mostly snow above you.

    Also, group size matters, I have carried a First Need filter for myself which is silly because it's heavy, but for a group of four it's the bomb because the weight averages out and it pumps fast and reliable.

    I doubt you really need to worry about virus filtering in the BC in most US or generally 1st world countries. Some people use a virus-capable filter (like the First Need) to filter any water, including/especially city water, in developing countries.

    Bad water is one of those low-probability, high consequence risks that is difficult to evaluate. You never know if the purification was necessary or if the water was safe anyway. I kind of believe the claim that bad water in the BC is rare and poor hygiene is more often a cause of backpackers who get sick. However, I wouldn't want to roll the dice on, say, a 1 in 100 chance per trip in well used areas that humans or livestock have been pooping too close to water above me.

  7. #57
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Posts
    5

  8. #58
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    aspen xtreme/hakuba
    Posts
    428
    Iodine crystals.Easy to use.Small non-liquid bottle.Cheap.Lasts many years.Kills all bugs/viruses/parasites.Can be used to clean cuts too
    “THE EDGE, there is no honest way to explain it because the only people who really know where it is are the ones who have gone over.” HST

  9. #59
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Whistler, BC
    Posts
    1,495
    Surprised that no one as mentioned this, but if your going for a day why don't you just take enough water? Hydrate before you go, take a liter or two, more if it's hot, have a bottle waiting in the car when you get back.

    If it gets to an emergency situation just drink up, bugs and all.

  10. #60
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    33,440

  11. #61
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    bozeman
    Posts
    81
    Quote Originally Posted by splat View Post
    I keep one of these with my first aid/ emergency kit. Saved me once mountain biking. Simple, lightweight, and it works.

  12. #62
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Denver/Dillon, CO
    Posts
    1,519
    This question is actually location, climate, and task dependent. This is my favorite subject and through extension, my job. If you guys haven't read about SODIS, look it up. It isn't perfected for high latitude use yet but advancements to cut timing down were made and I am preparing to do some PhD work on altitude and climate studies in addition to some social justice applications.
    Someone once told me that I ski like a Scandinavian angel.

  13. #63
    Join Date
    Jan 2015
    Posts
    4
    I use a platypus gravity works. its not particularly heavy though you can puncture it if you not careful. best part is that it requires no hands (pumps are for chumps afterall) and you can set it up to just drink through the filter if you want.

  14. #64
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Posts
    33,440
    Quote Originally Posted by jcolingham View Post
    This question is actually location, climate, and task dependent. This is my favorite subject and through extension, my job. If you guys haven't read about SODIS, look it up. It isn't perfected for high latitude use yet but advancements to cut timing down were made and I am preparing to do some PhD work on altitude and climate studies in addition to some social justice applications.
    I don't really understand how it purifies water, but this is the first google return on SODIS:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/bravefrontie...n_chief_sodis/

  15. #65
    Join Date
    Dec 2015
    Posts
    4
    There's a reason they gave us lifestraws in the military

  16. #66
    Join Date
    Apr 2007
    Location
    Wa wa..tatic
    Posts
    3,980
    Ha, I was gonna say "surprised nobody has said lifestraws"

    small, lightweight, easy to use, inexpensive. checks all the boxes

  17. #67
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Denver/Dillon, CO
    Posts
    1,519
    Quote Originally Posted by splat View Post
    I don't really understand how it purifies water, but this is the first google return on SODIS:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/bravefrontie...n_chief_sodis/
    Splat for the win!

    Sodis is solar disinfection. Should show up on pubmed and maybe a few public publishing sites.

    Basically, it depends on a few variables but in simplest form oxygenation and solar UV plus IR can clean water in a couple hours between the meridians. Faster in specialized containers. I intend to work out contributions to this in high altitude (more UV and IR) and non tropical applications. I also hope to use some novel design models for containers to decrease time in tropical locations.
    Someone once told me that I ski like a Scandinavian angel.

  18. #68
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    Denver/Dillon, CO
    Posts
    1,519
    Quote Originally Posted by Diamond Joe View Post
    Ha, I was gonna say "surprised nobody has said lifestraws"

    small, lightweight, easy to use, inexpensive. checks all the boxes
    Good for drinking. Adaptable for gravity and force flow purification too.
    Someone once told me that I ski like a Scandinavian angel.

  19. #69
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    13
    I use a Steripen when hiking near 'clearer' bodies of water such as creeks or lakes. If the rivers are muddy or silty, use a pump filter.

  20. #70
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Shuswap Highlands
    Posts
    4,336
    A flask of well aged alcohol. And if the situation is dire, a set of good kidneys.
    Click image for larger version. 

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  21. #71
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Location
    Cascadia
    Posts
    2

    steripen rocks!

    i've used a steripen in ground water in nepal, bhutan, congo . . . never a problem. do carry an extra set of batteries. it's the best.
    please be very careful about using iodine anything more than sporadically, it's just not good for your health.

  22. #72
    Join Date
    Jan 2016
    Posts
    12

    Steripen

    Only weighs 3 oz and I don't have to worry about it freezing.

  23. #73
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    111
    Sawyer mini ftmfw!
    Treat large amounts or use as a straw(lifestraw eq. but lighter)...

  24. #74
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Eburg
    Posts
    13,243
    Yup, Sawyer Squeeze or Sawyer Mini, but note that those are filters, not purifiers.

    We seldom filter in the high country in the WA Cascades and Olympics

  25. #75
    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Location
    Pleasuretown
    Posts
    1,095
    One more Steripen vote, with qualifiers. I try to plan hikes so that I don't need to get water from silty sources. For longer hikes, I bring an extra set of batteries. Steripens are just so fast and effective, it is hard to beat. But I understand there are circumstances where they aren't the best choice.

    Also,
    Quote Originally Posted by rob stokes View Post
    If it gets to an emergency situation just drink up, bugs and all.
    JigaRex Universal Ski Mounting Jig

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