Aqua Mira

“Hey people, I need some info please. I'm doing a section hike on the AT in May/June. In attempting to cut pack weight, I've decided not to carry my water filter. I've used Potable Aqua and find the taste disgusting. What can you tell me about the Aqua Mira? I'd really appreciate comments as to ease of use, wait time for drinking and (most importantly) dose it harbor a vial taste ? Thanks for your input.”

“Well, lets see here... I believe Aqua Mira comes in a vial, or a glass vial, or is it a glass-size vial. But just because it comes from a vial, of a glass-size vial doesn't mean it tastes like a vial. Frankly, I'm not sure if vials even have a taste. And I doubt if glass, I mean, I never have ever tastes glass from anything I've drunk from it, so I doubt if the glass vial, or glass-size vial would make the stuff taste vial. Know what I mean?”

“NJ, have you tried using equilizer after the potable aqua?”

“I shared a friend's Aqua Mira for a week or so. I liked it enough that I intend to buy some. It's not difficult to use, just count a few drops from two bottles into a cap, wait a 20-30 min (?) and dump in your water bottle. You have to invert the bottle and loosen the cap to treat the bottle threads. It had no taste that I noticed. I sure appreciated losing the weight and bulk of a filter.”

“The mixing and waiting isn't much more complex than the iodine tabs and the waiting isn't as long. In the summer, I prefer the instant, fresh and still cold water you get with the pump/filter - but the chlorine taste is very faint with aqua mira.”

“Hey Mike - I've used both the Potable Aqua tablets and Aqua Mira drops.

Aqua Mira comes in 2 containers. You place 7 drops of each into the mixing cap for each liter of water. You're supposed to let the mixture sit for 5 minutes before pouring it into your water. The wait time after that is 15 minutes. Water tastes great.

I prefer using the tablets because I just pop em in the water bottle and keep on walking. You should try out the neutralizer tablets. They take out the color and that nasty taste.

Remind me before we hike together again and I'll bring along both systems for you to check out.”

“Buddur....LMAO..what do you mean ?!

Thanks everyone for the info. I never realized there is a neutralizer for the Potable Aqua. I like the idea of that much better.

twigeater..thanks for the response. Is it equalizer or neutralizer...LOL...j/k

Bruce....thanks for the offer. I'll remember before we hook up.”

“I've used Aquamira for the last few years and it's pretty good. No bad taste that I could detect, but just make sure you tighten the bottle caps when you store it in your pack. I had one cap come loose and spill in my pack. It was my fault and from now on I just make sure I put the caps on tightly.”

“buddur was Tea-zing you about your spilling and word choicing.”

“LOL...but of course Bruce Almighty!! is right - nuetralizer it is! However, I think I can take credit as the one who got him to use it and LIKE IT.

o(=p”

“Oh Twig, I thought you were suggesting an old Colt Pistol. That way you could shoot anyone who complained about the taste.”

“LOL, I never thought of that, but what a great idea - course, I could also shoot anyone who complained about anything else as well...
how much does one weigh?

o(=D”

“NJPacker, if you drink NJ city water the Auqua Mira will taste great. I drink well water and I notice the taste. To me it tastes like city water.”

“I s'pose it depends on if you want one of Colonel COlt's original equilizer's or would settle for a light weight update.

DeorDex claims his KelTec P3at comes in just under 10oz w/ a full clip.”

“Any one know if Dick's carries aqua mira? More specificaly the ones in Avon IN or Plainfield.”

“Not at the one near my place. They do stock Kayadyn Micropur Water Treatment Tablets which are chlorine dioxide water treatment (same active ingredient as Aqua Mira). It's kind of expensive/liter but they work. The directions say 4 hour wait time but I have read that in EPA tests 15 minutes was all that was required. I keep these in my first aid kit just in case my primary water treatment system fails. They are super light.”

“... that said if you are buying it for the hike next week order it on backpackinglight.com. it will ship free, the price is fair, and if you order it today you just might have it by Friday... just might. they ship fast.

i have seen aqua mira at fleet farms, if you can believe that, in the camping section. it's a "clone" brand, and cheaper. if you have a fleet farms near you try there.”

“Thanks Jimmy. There aren't any near me though. Sucks. Indy is a crappy town when it comes to gear. There is a Gander mt, and a handfull of Dicks that are pretty much useless. That's about it.
last edited: 10/28/06 9:07:19 AM”

“if you want this for the rrg hike i can pick some up for you. no worries. they have it at my local rei.”

“That would totally ROCK! That is what I am needing it for. How much is it?”

“BTW I carry the potable aqua tabs, but have never used them. I have been told that they make the water taste like crap even with the neutralizer. Any one have experience?”

“potable aqua is iodine. some people don't like the taste. others either can't taste it or don't mind. you can put some vitamin c in the water and that helps.

i'll see what i can do, meangrean. i think its like 12-13 bucks.”

“That's fine. Wait till I confirm before you go buy it though. I am still waiting on an e-mail from a co-worker about the shift trade. I will e-mail you as soon as I hear from him. I don't expect any trouble though.”

“So I just went to the outfitter to pick up a replacement filter for my Katadyn Pur Hiker. They are out!!!!!!! I leave for my trip in like 3 hours and didn't have time to drive around town to find a filter.

Instead I picked up some Aquamira. I've never used the stuff. In reading the information enclosed with the product, no where does it tell you exactly what little nasty buggers this stuff kills.

Does it work? Or am I gonna end with with hershey squirts if I use this stuff????”

“I've used it on trips for a few years now and never got sick from bad water. It either works or the water I used wasn't bad to begin with.”

“Ok, thanks RichB!”

“I second what RichB said!

Plus...I don't notice a bad taste with Aqua Mira the way I do with other chemical treatments.”

“One thing to be careful with Aquamira is to make sure you tighten the caps on the Aquamira before you put it in your pack. One came loose on mine and I lost half the bottle of one of the solutions. That was just my fault and I don't know how it happened, but just something that did happen.”

“Oh, okay, I will be sure to tighten the caps.

I saw some other pills and drops at the outfitter that described what kind of stuff the product kills. You had to wait like 4 hours for the pills!! The problem is that Aquamira says nothing about exactly what it kills - just that it "kills odor causing bacteria". That concerns me. Why don't they say what it kills?

Welp, I will let you guys know on Monday.”

“It is kind of strange ~ even their website doesn't list exactly what it kills. Just says "a variety of waterborne pathogens".

Huh.”

“Weird huh?

I really dislike the idea of ingesting chemicals, which is why I use a water filter, but I suppose I drink chemicals everyday when I drink tap water.”

“Micropur is great stuff.”

“unless youre going someplace that specifically requires a filter, like isle royale and their tapeworms, youll be fine with aqua mira. i dont like the taste, but they also sell neutralizing tablets that you can ha half hour later to remedy that”

“the four hour wait is like this...

both the pill and aquamira are the same active ingredient: chlorine dioxide

they BOTH "require" a 4 hour period to be fully effective.

what does "fully effective" mean?

...well. this is what is referred to as "maximum dwell time".

so what the he11 does that mean? haha!

ok, so chlorine dioxide works because produces oxidants in the water. these oxidants disperse over time. when you first put the pill/mixed aquamira solution in you have the maximum dose of oxidants but over time oxidants disperse and after four hours they are totally gone.

...so "maxium dwell time" means maximum exposure to the oxidants which is 4 hours.

it's the same for the pills as it is for aquamira.

do you have to wait four hours?

i don't. i drink the water after 30 minutes -and- treat a bottle before i go to bed at night (which easily gets 4 hours).

so clearly my personal decision, which has not resulted in any consequences, is to use the water after a 30 minute exposure time.

i love it when people complain that they can smell/taste chlorine dioxide in water. well you can at first (it's that 'swimming pool water' smell) but after four hours there is nothing left... just O2... which if anything should make the water taste BETTER. funny.

i use the ClO2 (chlorine dioxide) pills because it is easily the lightest water treatment option on the market. a weeks worth of water weighs almost nothing. i keep it in my first aid kit... it is very effective.”

“oh, crash, and i think you are talking about iodine when you say neutralizing tablets. there is no such thing for aquamira.

with iodine you can taste that metallic flavor which is... iodine.

when you mix vitamin-c (ascorbic acid) with iodine you get... iodide...

iodide is harmless and flavorless but it also does nothing to treat the water.

so you add your iodine, wait for the treatment to take effect, then add a little ascorbic acid (vitamin c) to turn the iodine to iodide and you are good to go with no metallic flavor.”

“...and if you dislike ingesting chemicals then

a) don't drink tap water since most municipal water treatments use ClO2 to treat their water supplies (as creek dancer said)

b) wait 4 hours in which case all the ClO2 will be gone... all of it.”

“oh yea. aqua mira is that 2 step stuff. my bad”