htt

Can any recommend a good lightweight pump style water treater? I did 10 miles of the Lone Star Trail near Double Lake this weekend and carrying multiple water bottles was tiresome. We ran across several streams where I could of refilled. Price is not an issue since it has to do with my health.
Thanks.

ploddinTod

I bought my PUR Hiker water filter from Oshman's Sporting Goods for $50-$55. I've never had a problem with it clogging but then I'm careful to keep the intake tube off the bottom of the stream or creek. It weighs 15 or 16 ounces.

__________________
PloddinTod

lost_but_found

I use a SweetWater Guardian purifier system. It works great - even for that nasty EastTexas water. It it fairly light - compared to most others. There are some lighter ones out there though - and may be better. But the SweetWater is all I have ever used and know about. I know PUR makes a good one - it is supposed to be even lighter than the SweetWater. I will look it up and post some links below for you.

SweetWater:
http://www.backpackreviews.com/sweet...fiersystem.htm

PUR:
http://www.purwaterfilter.com/hikguidpor.html

REI's list:
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Cate...goryId=4500461

And it is still recommended that you use iodine or chlorine solutions to purify the water. I strongly recommend it for the water along the Lone Star Trail. That is some nasty yellow water!!!

ploddinTod

I strongly agree. I've only day hiked the LST. And the only reason I haven't backpacked it, is the water along the trail. There's a bunch of private property that borders the trail in many areas and who knows what those people are discharging into the streams. I've even seen the water foaming in places.

__________________
PloddinTod

lost_but_found

EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!

I didn't think of it that way. And I know exactly what you mean about the foaming water. Last time I was out there it was like that along most of the creeks. YUMMY! Now that's mineral water!!!

kai

yea... you have no idea what people on adjacent properties might discharge... chemicals, pesticides, sewage... (oil/gasoline from old tractors/trucks that are rusting to pieces in the middle of a field...) they might even discharge unknowingly. even just runoff from parking lots- that sort of thing (I dunno- never been there). I would be hesitant to filter the water where you don't know its headsource and its course between the source and where you are.

ploddinTod

Well, Brett and a small group went backpacking there and lived to hike another day. So I guess it wasn't that bad. But still the water doesn't look too appetizing. I'm not saying people illegally dump stuff in the water because I really DON'T know. What's causing it to foam like that??

__________________
PloddinTod

lost_but_found

I think it is just the decomposition of organic matter, the lose sandy soil and red clay combination, and the region. My parents live in Livingston and all the creeks in their area are like that. I don't think it would have anymore man-made pollution than any other creeks or rivers. At least we hope not.

hiwayman

I own the PUR (now Katadyn) Hiker which has served me well and was also given a Gold Choice Award by Backpacker mag.. It is only a filter and not a purifier. A purifier is only needed where viruses are a concern which seems to be a none issue in U.S. waters. A recent issue of Backpacker mag had an excellent article on backcountry waters in the U.S. I am less worried about drinking creek water after reading the article although I will continue to filter.

Place a coffee filter around the prefilter to extend the life of your filter.

TrussMonkey

I just got back from the LSHT, mainly on the Four Notch. I was mainly there to test equipment and get a little more experienced in backpacking.
I used my MSR Miniworks. Worked GREAT! However, the sandy water clogs fairly quickly. This will happen with ANY filter, but the Miniworks can be cleaned IN THE FIELD. All I had to do was wipe the outside of the filter with a bandana and rinse. -- EASY. The IN THE FIELD maintenance feature is VERY IMPORTANT. Some filters are a major pain to clean and some are impossible in the field. Make sure that you can take yours apart with little to no effort. (I used a bandana as an extra prefilter but next time I will try a coffee filter or cheese cloth.)

As an added precaution, and since I was usually in no hurry to drink and I was testing equipment, I added Katadyn Micropur drops after the filtration. These not only remove what the filter did but also kills VIRUSES. Much better then the Potable Aqua which does NOT remove viruses.

The filtered water actually tasted MUCH better then this Austin water and am considering making myself up some to keep in the frig.

It has been several days since drinking out of Hidden Lake and another lake with no name and a couple of the many creeks on the LSHT, and so far no side effects.

By the way, the trip was a blast!

TrussMonkey

The reason I did NOT go with the MSR Sweetwater is because most of the reviews I have read and most of the people I asked about them said that the Sweetwater is easily broken. This is why MSR made the Miniworks so much more durable. PUR, or Kayadyn, tends to not be as seviceable in the field.

check this out:
http://www.rei.com/online/store/Spec...cat=REI_SEARCH

Alchemist2000

I have seen the Katadyn Micropur drops suggested many places. What is the advantage of these over the Katadyn tablets? I picked up some of the tablets, but have not tried them yet. As best I can tell, both of these are a source of chlorine dioxide, the the type of chlorine used in municipal water treatment. Seems like the tablets might be less trouble to use.

TrussMonkey

Oops, I meant TABLETS, those chalky little pills in the foil wrapper. I haven't actually heard of the drops.
If you read the instructions, you might get scared. They say to use rubber gloves, a face shield, and all types of precautionary mumbo jumbo while handling the tablets. My answer was to not handle them but just cut a hole in the foil (and YES, you will need a knife or scissors to cut them open unless your teeth are MUCH sharper then mine) and then simply drop them from the foil into your water.
And don't feed them to the fish!
Of course, I had to resist putting them in my eyes



(P.S. Hey, Alchemist2000, are you the guy that made me ride my bike out to the mines in BB?)

lost_but_found

I didn't do much research other than easy to use, clean, and weight. SweetWater fit all these catagories well. My personal opinion is that it is a great filter. I have had it for 4 years now and it works as good as the day I bought it. I generally take pretty good care of my gear, and don't jump rope with it or anything . I don't really see how someone would break it. But I guess nothing is impossible.

Alchemist2000

Yes, that is me! (although my husband might take offense to you calling me a guy. )

BTW...very glad to hear about your success with the Katadyn tablets. We are definitely going to give them a try.