Water purification in Paria Canyon?

[Mike Yang]

Hi everyone,
I'll be doing a through-hike of the Paria River Canyon next month, and was wondering what folks would recommend as optimal water purification system? I have different types of gear mostly geared for alpine (Steripen, Sawyer Squeeze) and don't mind just using treatment tabs, but figured someone here would have suggestions on what is most convenient given the springs, the possible need to filter from the river, etc. Seems like carrying one decent sized empty container for dirty water to help get rid of silt is a no-brainer?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Jeffrey Chandler]

Admittedly I'm not the most well versed in backpacking and purification; however, I will say that if you grab water from levees/springs, the water will have limited amounts of silt in it. I haven't had an ounce of sand on the bottom of my water bottles deter me from drinking from them. Might not be the smartest idea, though, but if you are super worried about that stuff, you hit it right on the nose, keep a water bottle just for dirty water then running it through a bandana or coffee filter (make sure to pack it out) to another water bottle then filter through other means. Also, check beta to make sure you aren't drinking from springs full of sulphur, that can easily mess you up.

 

[Mike Yang]

Admittedly I'm not the most well versed in backpacking and purification; however, I will say that if you grab water from levees/springs, the water will have limited amounts of silt in it. I haven't had an ounce of sand on the bottom of my water bottles deter me from drinking from them. Might not be the smartest idea, though, but if you are super worried about that stuff, you hit it right on the nose, keep a water bottle just for dirty water then running it through a bandana or coffee filter (make sure to pack it out) to another water bottle then filter through other means. Also, check beta to make sure you aren't drinking from springs full of sulphur, that can easily mess you up.

Yeah, it's straightforward if all our water is coming from springs, but I want to plan for the possibility that we may need to filter the river. Am curious if folks have an opinion on what equipment combo works best/is the least hassle.