allthumbs Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 I'm tired of filtering water for myself on day hikes. Anybody ever tried one of those Exstreem purifier bottles that you just dip and go? Seems like an fast, easy way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juneriver Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 They're OK for day hikes if you don't want to just carry a Nalgene. Anything more than that and I find they're just a pain. They are heavy, don't hold much water (the space in the bottle is taken up by the large filter) and they're extremely slow. I guess the upside is you can get a good workout just trying to squeeze the water through it at any kind of pace to drink if you're thirsty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Trask: I know there are many that will disagree with me on this, but I never use any form of filter. Niether do any of my climbing friends. Everyone I know uses iodine tablets. They are quick, easy, light, conpact, don't break, etc. Yes, they can have a bit of bad flavor, but this is no where near as bad as it used to be. They really have gotten much better. And take along a packet of crystal light and you can't taste it anyway. I am sure there are those out there saying no way, but try it. Low cost, no weight. Most filter manufacturers put in their directions something like: ALWAYS TAKE ALONG WATER PURIFICATION TABLETS IN CASE FILETR SHOULD BREAK Why not just take the tablets? [ 02-25-2002: Message edited by: nobody ] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 Iodine tablets are ineffective against Giardia sp. and Cryptosporidium sp. I prefer chlorine dioxide based treatments such as Aqua Mira. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted February 25, 2002 Author Share Posted February 25, 2002 Other than lakes or lowland pools, most of the water I see in the Cascades seems to be rushing pretty good and looking pretty pure as is. I still filter, but would imagine that it's pretty safe without anything...at least up high. I might be wrong; I was once last year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobody Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 DPS, quote: Originally posted by danielpatricksmith: Iodine tablets are ineffective against Giardia sp. Are you sure that is true as to Giardia? I have never heard this, I have heard it as to Crypto. Could be just that I have never heard that....but I have been using iodine tablets for over twenty years without any problems. Maybe I'm just lucky? Anyone know of a good web site...not owned/funded by a filter company? Curious.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moron Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 I have the Orinoco and it sucks. It is too slow. But do not go by what I say, I am a moron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted February 25, 2002 Author Share Posted February 25, 2002 I heard the Orinoco was the slowest of the bunch. I tried the Exstreem and it wasn't all that slow. Yeah, ya don't get a big gulp all at once, but who gives a shit...didn't know we were racing out there. As to the squeeze pressure required, get real, aren't we all "hardmen"? I'm gonna try it and if it sucks I'm filling it with Wild Turkey and leaving it on the trail for Taz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freeclimb9 Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 The cheapest way to go is 5 drops of Clorox per gallon of water. Iodine tablets are more convenient, and I keep a couple taped to the side of one of my bottles. The "Potable Aqua" brand does kill Giardia most of the time (the water can't be too cold or cloudy), but won't kill Crypto. Boiling for 1 minute kills both Giardia and Crypto parasites. But a healthy person won't be strongly affected by Crypto anyways. But for a day hike's worth of water, it's pretty easy to carry it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtnnut Posted February 25, 2002 Share Posted February 25, 2002 I don't tend to take a filter for most of the Cascades. If I know I will be in the lowlands, I might consider using something, but usually I'll bring enough water to get me started toward the high country. Many of the long approaches in the Olympics put you in the valley floor, further subjecting you to runoff from fauna or people upstream. I tend to gather water from streams that come off of the sides of the valley that don't have lakes above. I get a little more paranoid about water from desert sources in Utah, however. All the runoff either sits in pools for an undetermined duration or can be easily contaminated by the wildlife and people that are trying to find it. Filters are nice in the desert so that you don't have to wait for the cure time needed by chemicals to be able to drink. I don't know about Crypto specifically, but iodine kills the nasties that filters can't get in third world environments, so why not just use iodine if you are really concerned? Otherwise, I don't bother filtering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPS Posted February 26, 2002 Share Posted February 26, 2002 Nobody, No that is not exactly true, but at ambient tempartures and using the suggested contact time, iodine is not very effective against Giardia spores. Much more effective is chlorine dioxide, even more effective than bleach (calcium hypochloride). Of course boiling kills everything, except thermophilic bacteria, but thermophiles are likely to be in creek water. BTW, the notion that Cryptosporidium does not affect healthy folks is contrary to epideimilogical data. While it is true that most deaths associated with Crypto are in immunocompromised individuals, several thousand healthy people were hospitalized in Milwaukee in the early 90s from a crypto outbreak. Dan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
allthumbs Posted February 26, 2002 Author Share Posted February 26, 2002 So why not just use this exstream for the season, and kill everything off including virus's? Thanks for the input, I'm gettin it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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