water purifier advice?

[fast but dim]

hi: sick of taking ( and often forgetting to take ) a bottle of water out with me for a brew when i go down the woods.

what are my options for purifying stream water from a typical lowland/ woodland stream that has flowed through farmland.

will only be used occasionally, but i want it to last, and must be safe, as i will be letting my very precious little lad drink it, and i don't want to poison him.

 

[Shambling Shaman]

You could take some puri tabs there light and you could leave them in your pocket..
you will need to remember to take a container..

 

[Podcast Bob]

Have you not heard of the Aquagear Survivor Bottle? Instant purification and filtration in a normal looking bottle. Gets rid of all the nasties and ideal for lowland use. Worth considering.

 

[spamel]

If you are forgetting to take water, you'd forget to take a water purifying tool! Water that's flowed through farmland, I'd be certain I took my own water to be honest. If there is livestock on the farm then consider getting your water from one of the troughs. Hold the ball cock shut and bail out the trough so that you can get your water bottle under the outlet without any of the dirty water in the trough getting into your bottle. Fill up your bottle from the outlet by releasing the ball cock and then be on your way, or better still, knock on the farm door and ask if you can fill your bottle up at a tap. As long as you're polite, you'll often get a yes.

 

[littlebiglane]

I swear by my Aqua Mira. Effective against cryptosporidium (unlike straight chlorine or iodine.) and all the usual nasties and has little or NO aftertaste (about the same as tap water).

http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/aquamira_mcnett.html

 

[fast but dim]

sorry, was thinking more along the lines of a water filter: ie katadyn / msr etc.

would that do the job?

 

[Mistwalker]

The last I heard this one was the only one used and endorsed by the Red Cross, it even filters out viruses. It's a little bit bulky in a pack but not heavy, a little pricy as well but not as much as some others.

http://www.rei.com/gear/feature/sea..._-First Need&gclid=CJXD6p3Zs5YCFQcCswodhAsoLQ

 

[Mastino]

I use a Steripen UV purifier. No frills, easy & fast to use. The only thing you'll have to do is remove turbity when this is too much.
As a backup I have the usual chlorine tablets.

 

[Podcast Bob]

The Aquagear has been tested to, and exceeds, MOD specifications and passed ALL tests to over 1600 litres. That includes heavy metal, pesticides and so on. There's a podcast about it on The Outdoors Station which will clarify it's use. I've drank out of rivers and my wife from Horse troughs, plus my children from dubious sources when travelling in South America.

 

[Native Justice]

I've used the Katadyn (used to be Pur) Hiker for many years and love it. Wouldn't use anything else.

Easy to use, great water taste, safe, filters last almost forever (seems like it, lol), great flow rate, inexpensive replacement filters, light weight, nearly "idiot proof" to use, small foot print in the pack.

Give it a look see, you'll like it!

Be safe.

NJ

 

[Shewie]

Have you had a look at the surviva pure stuff lately ?

I don`t rate the straw much but the inline and bottle systems look good.

Kev at Endicotts said he was getting these in soon so it might be worth a phone call.

http://www.surviva-pure.co.uk/

 

[fast but dim]

The Aquagear has been tested to, and exceeds, MOD specifications and passed ALL tests to over 1600 litres. That includes heavy metal, pesticides and so on. There's a podcast about it on The Outdoors Station which will clarify it's use. I've drank out of rivers and my wife from Horse troughs, plus my children from dubious sources when travelling in South America.

looks good: perfect for on holiday too.

 

[Spikey DaPikey]

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-AQUAGEAR-SURVIVOR-FILTER-PURIFICATION-BOTTLE-WATER_W0QQitemZ330226042702QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item330226042702&_trkparms=72%3A1301|39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A12|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14

Seen a review of these on a different site, and got VERY good reviews.

 

[Dana Hawkeye]

Have a look at the LIFESAVER purifying system.

http://www.lifesaversystems.com/index.html

This has been tested and certified by The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. It is also under evaluation by the MOD. It removes Bacteria, Viruses, Cysts, Parasites and Fungi from water.

 

[Mr Adoby]

The Aquagear Survivor and the Explorer Canteen seems really nice.

http://www.drinksafe-systems.co.uk/completekit.htmlhttp://www.drinksafe-systems.co.uk/completekit.html

I just ordered an Explorer Canteen for myself. We usually have very nice water in Sweden, but better safe than sorry...

A.

 

[Chitterne]

I would offer that the primary concern relates to what's on the farmland (Dairy or arable) and what's upstream (industry etc) -barring slurry spills, anything from pee or poo or carcasses will be dealt with by a good filter (katadyn filters proved themselves to me beyond all doubt some years ago in the Indian Himalaya when we found (after we'd all drunk the water!) that our 'duty water filterers' had inadvertantly used hotel bum-wiping jugs to pump the water from -and no one was ill)

but on UK farmland I would want to know what's been done chemically upstream (pesticides, fertilisers etc)....if I didn't know, I wouldn't let my children near it.

 

[Podcast Bob]

To save confusion the Aquagear and the Surviva Pure are both made by the same company but with different markets in mind. They both work by 'sucking' or 'squeezing' however the Lifesaver Bottle (which has a very similar high quality filtration system) requires pumping. More moving parts and about £70 extra in price.

All the three systems are proven, tested and meet all requirements discussed above. However anyone not convinced can call Giles the importer of both systems and he'll talk your ears off with all the technical and medical bumph. I know ;-))

 

[saddle_tramp]

ive used a katadyn mini for years and im still alive. Mine got a 7000 litre filter life and i havent a clue how far along that life i am, but i can buy replacement ceramic filters. good bit of kit

you need a degree of patience tho, its not got the fastest of flow rates

 

[Neanderthal]

I always keep some Puritabs in my FAK. You could stick some in your wallet and a folded up sandwich bag as a backup, just don't forget your wallet.

I'd be wary of drinking water downstream from a farm as there could be contaminants which can't be removed.

Stu

 

[Lurch]

To save confusion the Aquagear and the Surviva Pure are both made by the same company but with different markets in mind. They both work by 'sucking' or 'squeezing' however the Lifesaver Bottle (which has a very similar high quality filtration system) requires pumping. More moving parts and about £70 extra in price.

I understood that the Aquagear and SurvivaPure used impregnated iodine in their filters to affect virus killing, whereas the Lifesaver uses a very small mesh size to remove viruses.