I Cain't really dispute that logic. The Boy Scouts still teach boiling for a couple of minutes though. I'm sure the pot temp would continue to rise and possibly the heat trapped in mass of the water? I'm just throwing an idea out here.
Has anyone caught any 'nasties' from water.
- Thread starter walshy155
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i remember once with a mate in Wales drinking straight from a crystal clear, cold, fast running stream and it was beautiful............only to get round the next bend and find a rotting sheeps carcas wedged between two boulders in the stream ! didn't get ill though 
I've been ill from bad water, I don't know what it was, but I spent two days throwing up.
"It'll be alright, I'm in the highlands"
Rubbish,
I treat all water as dodgy now.
"It'll be alright, I'm in the highlands"
Rubbish,
I treat all water as dodgy now.
I caught a Gurnard from water once.
That looked kind of nasty but tasted great.
.. Good one Gary what a fugly nasty.. I always boil water when away, be it camping or hiking, better safe than sorry and sick.
A pal drunk some nasty water up in Scotland a few years ago, he did nothing different to what he usually did but he ended up peeing out of his backside for a week.
Never drink the tap water in Magaluf either, I got up after a heavy night out and downed three pints of water and then went back to bed. A couple of hours later I was retching into the bog and spent the next two days never far from a lav.
Never drink the tap water in Magaluf either, I got up after a heavy night out and downed three pints of water and then went back to bed. A couple of hours later I was retching into the bog and spent the next two days never far from a lav.
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I once got some giardia at Ft. Hood, Texas. They allow herds of cattle to roam the area and they do their duty everywhere. It had rained some 7 inches just before we arrived there and since we were out in the field as a 12 man team, the only water we could manage was from streams. I added military purification tabs but apparently they were out of date. I didn't have a problem until a week or so after and then it was pretty ugly. It meant staying very close to the privy and was quite uncomfortable for near 2 weeks. Avoid the issue if you can!
I caught a Gurnard from water once.
That looked kind of nasty but tasted great.
Hahah, nice one.
cought giardia twice one in dominican republic the water may have been filterd but the ice cubes were brought in from outside the complex.
and the second time was in the uk when the water bord was working on the water supply and sent someone around to tell the residents. unfortunatly i was at work
and the second time was in the uk when the water bord was working on the water supply and sent someone around to tell the residents. unfortunatly i was at work
Back to the original question.
I caught a bug in Central America. It really sucks for a week to ten days unless you have some antibiotics.
The Wee Beasties are not fatal as long as you continue to hydrate. They usually get out of your system within a fortnight.
Now malaria is a completely different ball game........
I caught a bug in Central America. It really sucks for a week to ten days unless you have some antibiotics.
The Wee Beasties are not fatal as long as you continue to hydrate. They usually get out of your system within a fortnight.
Now malaria is a completely different ball game........
I don't tend to drink from streams etc as usually have enough water anyway but the occasional times I do I will happily drink water without boiling or any sterilising if it is fairly fast flowing and clear looking (quite a few streams in the hope valley area I have drank from) its a good feeling drinking it straight from the cold stream on a hot day.
It hasn't made me ill yet
It hasn't made me ill yet
I was sick in Feb this year. Wild camping, I was at the top of a wee mountain, and I made some risotto- I used water brought from home. Instead of putting dirty crusader cup into my pack, I thought I would wash it in a big puddle. The puddle was pretty green, and had sheep poo in it, but I figured I would wash it properly when I got down again.
That was Friday, Monday I was getting pretty violent cramps, and going to the toilet 10-15 times a day. Felt so incredibly sick and weak, that I couldn't face any food!
Went to the Docs on Wednesday, and he was pretty convinced it was some form of parasite, wanted to get me tested. Turned out tests were not conclusive, but I had to take 3 weeks off work, and lost a stone! Was still going to the toilet 7/8 times a day 5 weeks after!
Apparently you can get gardia (Which on reading I think it was what I had) from a cut, or even splashing water in your eye!
Now I wouldn't stick my hands in dirty water ever again, pretty paranoid about boiling it too, but saying that I have drank fast flowing, pretty high up stream water a few times since with no ill effects!
That was Friday, Monday I was getting pretty violent cramps, and going to the toilet 10-15 times a day. Felt so incredibly sick and weak, that I couldn't face any food!
Went to the Docs on Wednesday, and he was pretty convinced it was some form of parasite, wanted to get me tested. Turned out tests were not conclusive, but I had to take 3 weeks off work, and lost a stone! Was still going to the toilet 7/8 times a day 5 weeks after!
Apparently you can get gardia (Which on reading I think it was what I had) from a cut, or even splashing water in your eye!
Now I wouldn't stick my hands in dirty water ever again, pretty paranoid about boiling it too, but saying that I have drank fast flowing, pretty high up stream water a few times since with no ill effects!
Well I'm 15 and 2 years ago when I was more immature I walked through a small stream, having a laugh it was to me then, and I didn't get any nasties, now I hate putting my hands in water, with deeps cuts, but I think giardia has to get into your lower intestine to make you ill.
