Filter or Treatment or Both

“I was planning on getting a PUR Hiker Water Filter, but based on my limited experience so far, treating with Aqua Mira has been great. I can always spend the money on something else I want (DriClime Windshirt). What do you people do? Would a filter be needed for longer days out?”

“Personally, I just drink filth. No need to filter anything. After a few days of vomiting, you'll build up enough immunity to eat at any taco stand or 24-hour chinese buffet. The benefits are endless.”

“Of course with the "Phaedrus method" the side effects are that the "race tracks" become sort of permanent.”

“If your happy with the tablets, don't change. Filters are heavier than what your doing right now. Spend the money on an area that you really need to improve.”

“No no no, Chili.

Bleach is an environmentally safe racetrack remover.”

“Tablets aren't as affective as a water filter. The Pur Hiker is a solid buy, I've had mine for two years and love it. Buy it!!!”

“Just drink the water, for the love of god. It won't kill you.”

“It is my understanding iodine will not remove cysts, such as cryptosporidium?”

“Aqua Mira is a liquid. It just came to mind what laqtis said. I was carrying 2 Nalgene's in my pack, I got rid of one and I have alot more space to play with, the filter will only fill it up again.”

“You are right. Aqua Mira claims it will. The manager at the store I get my stuff at told me Aqua Mira won't either, but he still cares it as backup.”

“Your not getting a lot of help here partly because this issue has been talked to death. Try doing a search on 'filter' or 'water'.

Personally I use a PUR Hiker and add a couple drops of chlorine bleach to each liter. I can drink the water right away but my method is heavier and bulkier than yours.”

“Now that I'm thinking about it, I think crypto is a bacteria, which iodine kills and giardia, is a cyst.

At any rate, a filter is your best protection.”

“And a purifier is even better!”

“Yes. I carry a vial of polarpure as a backup. You can always boil water in a pinch as well.”

“SWA filter here, with iodine tabs as a backup.”

“Ive tried a filter once and found it annoying to use ... I have either always drunken water without treatment or with iodine if it looks questionable and i have never been sick.”

“lucky you. Someday that luck'll probably run out. Hope you can drag yourself out of the wilderness or someone finds you! ;)”

“I have yet to filter a drop of water. Ever.

By the way, if you do get giardiasis, your chances of getting it again are lessened.

To each his own.”

“Phaedrus, I'm glad you've never gotten sick, I hope you stay lucky.
For drinking I use a Pur Voyager and Iodine tablets.
For cooking I use Pur Voyager and boiling.
Occasioally I'll dip and boil for cooking only. It may be overkill but after getting sick once, it's worth the extra effort for me.”

“Hey did you know beavers can get giardia?”

“I heard it takes 7-10 days for crypto syptoms to appear.”

“Rabbitman, I don't know how you got sick, but the chances of it being the water, in general, are less than from another source.

One researcher's opinion”

“Phaedrus,
You and that researcher may be right but I'm not taking any chances if you guys are wrong. Puking my guts out isn't one of my favorite pastimes. When it comes to filtering and boiling, I don't mind the extra work.”

“I think I'll spend the five mintutes to pump a few liters of water rather than have the squirts for a year.”

“So would I, if those were the options.”

“umm and that dog you just passed didnt piss in the spring? willing to bet on it? every hiker out there goes at least 200 ft from the trail? wanna bet?”

“or cows, or horses, or.....

Does a bear....”

“I use both a safewater inline filter and aquamira. Half the time I just take aquamira and so far it seems to work well. In almost 2 years of use I haven't been sick from bad water.”

“I've been way up in Quetico where you would think the water would be as clean as it gets and still the Rangers strongly advised purification. I don't like to take chances, either.”

“I use a pur hiker and polar pure. Its just part of backpack routine. kind of like my credit card and insurance card...never leave home without it. Haven't been sick, and I have no intention of allowing the chances to exist.”

“I use the Pur Guide and I like it.

8)”

“if it's good enough for the US marines, it's good enough for stratty.......that's my motto


if i hurl, i'll be sure to blow chunks on phaedrus, since he's all john whayne n chit..........”

“msr mini works or the pur hiker...mano...i'm prob gonna get one or the other tommorrow...hard decision.”

“Crypto and Giardia are both parasites in which they will have a cyst part of their life cycle. I understand that chlorine dioxide gas, which is produced by a chemical reaction from mixing the drops of Aqua Mira, will take care of everything. This is probably a good question for Pathman.

Either/or, the Pure Hiker or Aqua Mira are both great.

Thumbs up for the Marmot DriClime too!”

“Thanks for the link. I did not see Aqua Mira for sale.”

“I dig my PUR Hiker. It's never let me down.”

“Campmor has Aquamira for $10.99 plus shipping.”

“Since we're on this again, what do the Pur Hiker users in the crowd, use to lube the pumps shaft washer?? Mine sticks a bit on the first pull.”

“Silicone-based lube. It came with it. But you can buy it.”

“Thanks RM

How's that toe??”

“I am leaning more towards filters. Why? I don't know if it will eliminate anything but the big chunks, but it seems to me that iodine and/or chlorine will only be useful for killing bacteria/viruses but do nothing for industrial chemicals. Which are everywhere, by the way. Chemicals migrate! They found DDT in the ice on the N. Pole for God's sake. If you really want to know more about water, and water quality check out this publication: Environmental Health Perspectives. You probably don't want to know, though. The next thing to kill us will be something we know nothing about.”