Water Purification whats your method

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Rexplorer

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Educator I

4,360
Lake Country, BC, Canada
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6856

I bring a few liters from home but when i need more i used to use an msr pump filter. Then i tried a gravity filter and it was a game changer. Packs up just as small but no more crouching by a creek. I built a gravity filter using a platypus inline filter that hangs from the roofrack. The dirty bag holds 4 liters. No clean bag, just screw it on a nalgene. Whoever kills it fills it. I still occasionally bring the pump filter but never have used it since i started gravity filtering.
 

Edward Gentle

Rank V
Launch Member

Pathfinder I

2,528
Huntsville Al
Member #

6045

I carry a couple of the life straw water bottles with me but I'm looking at getting a SAF H2O system for the rig. That way I don't have to carry as much with me from the start and it's easy to refill.
 

Flipper

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,865
Florida
First Name
John
Last Name
F
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5021

How do you purify your water when out camping. Filter, chemical, boil or something else. This is for when no fresh tap water is available.
Sawyer filters on our Camelbak backbacks they make a whole line of filters.
 

Curtis2010

Rank III

Advocate II

549
Panamá
Sawyer 2 liter gravity feed system. Years ago I had a small pump system...really makes me appreciate the convenience of a gravity feed system. Fill the grey water bladder when setting up camp and in a few minutes have 2 liters of clean drinking water.

Clean water bag doubes as a hydration pack.

https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-2-liter-water-filtration-system-2/

Also have 5 & 10 liter MSR water bladders which are flexible so stow easily. Esp good for kayaking as they can be put in the bilge to keep weight low.
 

HEYElliott

Rank VI
Launch Member

Influencer II

3,969
Markham, Ontario, Canada
Member #

9232

I have a few filtration/purification strategies.
1. Sawyer squeeze with 500ml 1 L and 2L soft bottles
2. Aquatabs (small purification tablets good for large quantities at a time)

Gravity based systems are definitely tempting for base camp set ups as they work fast and without constant attention. Will invest in one eventually
 
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LandPirate

Rank V
Launch Member

Influencer II

1,977
Fort Collins, CO
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3359

I have a few filtration/purification strategies.
1. Sawyer squeeze with 500ml 1 L and 2L soft bottles
2. Aquatabs (small purification tablets good for large quantities at a time)

Gravity based systems are definitely tempting for base camp set ups as they work fast and without constant attention. Will invest in one eventually
My exact current setup and thoughts exactly. I do also carry a lifestraw because I'm a gear addict and I love redundancy.
 

adventure_is_necessary

Rocky Mountain Region Local Expert Kansas
Member

Traveler III

4,007
Bonner Springs, Kansas, United States
First Name
Lucas
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Antes
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7082

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KE0ZXA
IF I need water that bad, I will either use my LifeStraw or my Sawyer water filter to get me by until I can replenish my stock. AquaPure tab goes in after I filter it usually even tho it's technically not needed. I have resorted to filtering through a bandana to get all of the particulates out and then I boil. I tend to refill my water whenever I can from a safe source tho to not have to worry about running out
 

GeoCampers #4771

Mid Europe Local Expert, France, Belgium
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

1,988
Werm, Belgium
First Name
Toon
Last Name
Dams
Member #

4771

We have a Katadyn Hiker Pro. in the rig and on hikes. We also have a 20l water container in the rig we fill this up every time we come across a campsite with tap water.
 

Wanderlost

Rank VI
Launch Member

Member III

3,316
Caledonia, Illinois
Member #

8490

A little background on us; Before getting into vehicle based exploring we were heavily involved in wilderness canoeing. The vast majority of our trips involved extensive portaging of our gear and canoes so hauling containers full of water wasn't an option for us. We relied on filtering all our drinking water.

Below is a photo of our system;

We totally agree with the convenience of a hanging gravity filter for in camp use. The problem with any filter is just that, the filter. Most off the shelf units have a paper element, including the Katadyn Basecamp. These are a one use then throw them away unit. Depending on your water source the life of this type of filter can be very short lived, in some cases almost immediately. In the canoeing genre there's a well known hack to improve it. Take the paper filter and cut the filter part off, leaving just the plastic base in order to be able to use just the bag. Put a Sawyer inline filter downstream from the bag. The Sawyer can be easily back-flushed when it starts to plug, and ALL filters will eventually get enough silt and tannin in them to plug. The pump unit in the photo is also a Katadyn but has a cleanable ceramic filter, very expensive initially but saves money in the long run. We use it during the day when we don't have time for the gravity filter. Also in the photo is a bottle of alum. We use it in extreme conditions where the water is full of silt and will plug any filter instantly. I'll include a link to a video showing its use.
If the water is fairly free of silt and debris we don't bother filtering it for cooking and coffee, boiling takes care of the bad stuff in it.DSC_0125.JPG
 

Funmobile

Rank V
Launch Member

Enthusiast III

2,352
Yuba City
Member #

6041

I am a fan of the MSR mini works. I have several and while they are somewhat slow in terms of volume, they are light, inexpensive and ridiculously easy to service in the field. Additionally, the threaded bottom fits any wide mouth Nalgene, Camelback bottle or MSR dromedary bag. I also have a couple of the Camelback UV purifiers that are fast and handy, of the water source is fairly clean.