Water Purification

[tedw]

Good idea . I've e-mailed them and will pass on any reply. The E-bay sale will be over by then, but its worth storing away for the future.

Ted W

 

[alick]

Hi Raz,
I think that the approach to water depends a lot on where you are.
In my old home ground - the lakes - I drink water straight from the stream and always have done with no ill effects. But it's pretty clean up there except for maybe the nuclear fallout. :twisted:

In more cultivated and developed areas, I'm not so confident and actually I've just managed to pick up an MSR miniworks off ebay. Reasons for this choice - I don't care for chemical purification if I can avoid it.

There's so much chemical crap in our food and air these days that my standards for what I consider safe for my kids is a lot more rigorous than my standards for myself.

Seems to me a good filter will deal with everything except viruses. Viruses aren't a problem in every water source - they're much more of an issue in inhabited areas. When I need to, I can pre treat the water with a chemical disinfectant to zap the viruses (and I have the choice of using chlorine, iodine, oxygen etc treatments, I don't have to drink Iodine every time I use it). Then I can filter it, and the charcoal stage of the MSR will help get rid of the disinfectant taste.

And we still have to be careful, since there are plenty of chemical pollutants that will go right through any filter.

So much for the theory - I should get the MSR later in the week. Cheers

 

[Raz]

Hey Alick,

Excellent, let us know how you get on with it.
I don't think it's ever really worth taking the chance personaly. Yah just don't know!

 

[alick]

Raz, will do

By the way, lots of user reviews of Katadyn and MSR filters here :
http://www.outdoorreview.com/Backpacking,Camping,Hiking/Water,Filters/PLS_2960crx.aspx

Cheers, Alick

 

[tedw]

Old news now, probably, but just to confirm that the British military issue the Pre-Mac SWP water purifier for survival purposes.

As to the Seychelles Pres2Pure water bottles - suspicion of the marketing blurb was justified. I spoke to a chap at the RN Sea Survival School at HMS Sultan and they have NOT tested these things. They issue the Pre-Mac SWP to all their students.

 

[Ed]

Cheers for the getting that info tedw. It looked too good to be true... what a shame :-(

Ed

 

[Mikey P]

Have used the Katadyn Trek Ranger Well and that seemed to work OK. I'm still here, anyway.

Mind you, can be a bit expensive to replace the filters. Suggest you filter through Millbank bag or - euurrgghhh - sock before you pump.

 

[Fallow Way]

I have a Pre-Mac, and with anything I buy to use, I`ve tested it, and it copes. I used it to supply drinking water in a few areas, I cant recommend it enough.

 

[Mikey P]

"Errrr...hang on a minute" (in a Blackadder style)

I've just had a look at the Pre-Mac and, blow me if it doesn't look exactly the same as the Katadyn Trek Well Ranger! Is this the case or have I just made a complete ar*e of myself?

 

[Hoodoo]

Good thread guys!

My first water filter was a First Need. Didn't take long for that one to plug up. Ya definitely want to carry a spare filter if you choose that one but if you are worried about organics, that's prolly an excellent choice. I carred a Katadyn Pocket Filter for over twenty years but it seemed to get heavier and heavier as the years went by. Takes a grown man and a boy to pump it too. I now carry a Pur Hiker (now owned by Katadyn as well) and love it. Light and easy to pump. Extra filters are light too. This is an ultrareliable filter that you can backflush if hardpressed. Not much good for organics but where I hike and canoe, this is usually not a serious problem. I've also heard great things about MSR as well. Most filters that take out organics aren't all that effective anyway imo, especially after prolonged use.

 

[alick]

Well the ebay transaction came off. Very decent private seller and I've now got a new "used once" MSR miniworks.

It's a well made piece of kit if not to the same spec as the classic, heavy Katadyn. Pretty much all plastic but the mouldings all look and feel robust. It weighs about 460grams packed and dry.

It's quite large, so this is for camping out not daywalks with a small pack. That's OK for me - I hope to take my kids camping out up around Scawfell next year so this is to get drinking water from the tarns up on the tops.

Good points:
- the handle is generously sized and it's fast enough and easy to pump
- it's very straightforward to stip down and clean - buying secondhand, that's the first thing I did. No tools needed at all. -
- I like the fact that the ceramic filter (a compact cylinder with plastic end caps) can be sterilised in a pan of boiling water if you've any concerns about bugs growing in it. Leave it in the airing cupboard for a couple of days and it dries out completely so it won't go mouldy between trips.
- it has an end cap to keep the outlet clean, and is made to screw onto nalgene bottles for easy filling.
- the activated charcoal inside the filter cleans up the taste - I can clearly taste the difference even to decent tapwater.
- the intake hose is a generous length and made of some type of silicon tubing for flexibility.

Snags
- there's one small valve that some buyer reports say could easily be lost if you need to clean it - true, but once you're aware of this I don't see a problem
- it's quite bulky so definately for bigger trips when you expect to use it, not just-in-case on a day hike

Overall, no nasty surprises (yet!) Cheers, Alick

PS - these seem to be regularly advertised on ebay (new, not used) at present. Priced well below UK shop prices even after shipping from the US.