Sea Kayak Trip - Water Filter.

[TeeDee]

Looking for some advice.

With regards to turning salt water into drinking water what is the smallest water filter available and feasible? I have a friend who is planning a long sea kayak trip.

 

[Shewie]

I'll be interested to see what folk suggest, I always thought desalination was expensive unless you go down the DIY route

 

[TeeDee]

I'll be interested to see what folk suggest, I always thought desalination was expensive unless you go down the DIY route

Most likely , there are 15 of them going from a Kayak Club - so in theory they could all chip in and have a shared cost item owned by the club which may make it more realistic in terms of cost. Either that or they all pack potable water with them , which me being a non-kayak seemed a bit 'coals to newcastle'

 

[Tuscor]

I think the options are limited to reverse osmosis or evaporation...

The first is expensive technology (plus slow), the second is fuel and time intensive (although I think you can put together your own fairly cheaply... they are bulky if you want them to work efficiently they have to be large).

I believe Katadyn do some portable desalinators:
http://www.katadyn.com/en/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-entsalzer/

If it were me, I'd want at least 2 ways of getting fresh water available, such as carrying one of these, plus a back-up, plus a couple of bottles of emergency fresh water to use only if the desalinators break!

 

[boatman]

Solar still perhaps. http://turbinegenerator.org/how-a-solar-stills-works but won't they go ashore each night? Is so then it would be a question of water availability at each place plus emergency supply.

 

[C_Claycomb]

A friend of mine has something like the larger of those Katadyn pumps, but bigger. He acquired it without having to pay for it, but as far as I know, he has never found a use for it. Even that Katadyn 35 is going to be bulky, and it produces only 4.5 litres per hour! If you reckon that everyone is going to want at least 1.5 litres a day, that is a lot of pumping! If that is the plan, I would have to say that a different plan is required! Even as a back up, it does not seem a good idea on cost vs practicality.

There is a bit of a write up about the devices here:
http://www.portablewaterfilters.org...katadyn-powersurvivor-40e-desalinator-review/
Interestingly the author comments on the manual model too and reckons it is going to be hard work as a sole water source.

Stopping in on shore locations and filling water storage containers seems a more workable idea.

 

[Simon]

Reviving a slightly old thread. I was trying to see if anyone here had come across or had an opinion on these.

http://www.purestfilters.com/portable-solar-water-desalination-filter.htm#.VvvxVY-cHIV

 

[Fraxinus]

Reviving a slightly old thread. I was trying to see if anyone here had come across or had an opinion on these.

http://www.purestfilters.com/portable-solar-water-desalination-filter.htm#.VvvxVY-cHIV

Looks like something you could knock up for less than £30.00 and relies on sunshine, a process that is very slow even in sunny climes. It is, however, a very low effort solution, so a good concept in a real survival situation where every little bit counts.

Rob.

 

[Simon]

Claims to produce up to 6 litres a day? Sounds efficient enough if true.

I agree about it looking cheap and easy to make. I was actually looking for plans to build something similar which brought me to this thread.

 

[Wayne]

I thought we had moved on from the solar still as a practical solution for a water source. £300 seems a lots of cash for some pvc pipe and a sheet of plastic.