Water filters

[Ndheiner]

water filters
Miox or steripen? Its bad ass. forgot name something about techno magic wand? Great for clean (non silty) mountain lakes and streams. Not good for bad tasting water to begin with. Recommend orange colored or clear nalgene with cloth over top when filling. Only filter you need for crystal clear uinta lakes and high mountain streams.

Ceramic filters. Good and cheap, slow going lots of parts to lose when servicing. Plug up quick in heavy silt ( recommend cloth over hose.

Other membrane (first need & katadyn hiker pro) pretty much the shit! Shorter filter life.

Tablets- must need in every first aid kit. Tastes like chlorine, slow, no filter. Only use for backup

 

[Nick]

I think you mean the Steripen, not the Miox. The Miox is that red pen type one from MSR that makes a solution of chlorine and makes your water taste like bleach.

 

[Ndheiner]

Ya that is the name. Steripen.. They totally kick ass. I'm sold. I don't think miox will last now cause it taste like tablets and weighs more. Gotta get me a steripen I just remember it being called the techno magic wand, ha ha. But there's two different models which one?

 

[Deadeye008]

I've got a few Sawyer brand filters. I have 2 set up as gravity filters. One is a "purifier" and filters out bacteria(7 log), protozoa(6 log), AND viruses(5.5 log). It is fairly slow to filter water though as it filters to 0.02 microns. The other one that I have set up as a gravity filter, the one that I use most, filters to 0.1 microns and removes 7 and 6 log bugs. It filters about a liter a minute in the setup I have. I just recently purchased one of their Squeeze filter systems. It has the same filter as the other setup I have (0.1 microns, removes 7 and 6 log) but it has male threads on one end to accept a standard water bottle nozzle and female threads on the other end to accept either one of the squeeze bags that it comes with or any staandard plastic bottle. That way I can just carry a standard water bottle or 2 liter soda bottle or whatever, fill it up, and squeeze the good water out. Sawyer puts a 1 million gallon guarantee on their filters as long as you backflush them periodically. I always bring a tiny bottle of water purification tablets with me just in case something happens to my filter though...

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Cool, I was just going to ask about water purification over here, since that's what's next on my list as I acquire backpacking gear for the spring.

I was looking at getting a Steripen and also some Chlorine Dioxide to keep as a backup since they don't weigh much and take up little room.

I'm also thinking about getting a filter for silt water since all the trips I am planning are on the Colorado Plateau. Any specific filters you would recommend?

Do you think it's overkill for me to want to bring a filter and Steripen? I guess I just want to be sure I have a backup plan....

 

[Deadeye008]

Cool, I was just going to ask about water purification over here, since that's what's next on my list as I acquire backpacking gear for the spring.

I was looking at getting a Steripen and also some Chlorine Dioxide to keep as a backup since they don't weigh much and take up little room.

I'm also thinking about getting a filter for silt water since all the trips I am planning are on the Colorado Plateau. Any specific filters you would recommend?

Do you think it's overkill for me to want to bring a filter and Steripen? I guess I just want to be sure I have a backup plan....

I believe that Steripens aren't very effective in silty water but it probably depends on how silty it is. A prefilter would probably do the trick.

I have used my Sawyer filters in silty water but I have had to backflush them when the flow rate starts to slow.

A backup way to get clean water is always a good idea.

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[Ndheiner]

I've never tried the sawyer brand filters, but gravity fed would be easy. hmmm. The First Need is bulky but has a gravity fed optional bag included and filters bacteria too but is nowhere near a million gallons per filter cartridge, I think a few hundred, so a cost to consider.
As for a silty water trip I would recommend bringing a field serviceable pump, I wouldn't recommend a steripen only for silty water because usually silt = tastes like ass. The trick with any filter and silty water is either bringing a collapsable basin or bucket, filling it with the silty water, letting the sediment settle for a while, and then pumping off the top. OR you can always wrap the inlet hose (or 1L nalgene bottle opening for steripen) with a cheese cloth, clean sock, or shirt to prolong the filter life and save the hard pumping when it gets close to clogging. Also, the wash basin is great for having a clean water basin for washing out a field serviceable pump while not losing crucial gaskets into the river trying to clean it. I've seen a ceramic filter (MSR sweetwater) plug up after a few liters pumped in not so silty water with no pre-filter cloth. But As for the overkill, water is more important than food. In longer or silty trips we usually bring a filter per person for backup. One will bring a steripen and one will bring a pump filter, and we always all have tablets for extra backup. But Filters are important gear man. I carry a Katadyn Hiker pro personally, but love the first needs Liters per minute pumping rate! I'd look into the Sawyer too from the above recommendation.

 

[Deadeye008]

The Sawyer filters I have are field serviceable. The only thing you have to do to service them is backflush them. For my gravity fed filters I use a syringe to force water through it. For the squeeze filter I use a "Tornado Tube" to connect a bottle to the male side of the filter and force water through it.

 

[Nick]

Deadeye008, I think I want to go backpacking with you just to see your water filter systems! That and this freezer bag thing I've heard about.

Anyway, I have more than two cents on this water filter subject. Will post later when I have time to write it up.

 

[Deadeye008]

Deadeye008, I think I want to go backpacking with you just to see your water filter systems! That and this freezer bag thing I've heard about.

Anyway, I have more than two cents on this water filter subject. Will post later when I have time to write it up.

For sure! The gravity system I have is a DIY system I made with a dry bag, rubber tubing, and a couple PVC parts from Lowes. I have seen gravity systems for sale online that you just attach a filter to but I built mine to save some $. Freezer bag cooking is the way to go! No cleanup!

 

[Deadeye008]

One other thing to remember when using a filter like the Sawyer filter, if the temperature is going to be near or below freezing you'll need to keep the filter warm so that the little bit of water doesn't freeze, expand, and ruin the filter. I bring a ziploc bag that I put the filter in and then keep it in my sleeping bag at night or in a pants/coat pocket during the day if it's that cold.

 

[cirrus2000]

I'm a fan of the MSR MiniWorks filter. I've had mine for about 10 or 12 years. Never had a problem. I always bring along some Pristine drops as well (some other name in the US, is it Aquamira?) just in case, and have used them in addition to the filter in really skanky water. In Dark Canyon, the water was running and clear, and I used the drops only. I use a water bag to collect the water and let it settle if the water is turbid or just plain gross.

My water tree in the Paria Canyon:

I've been considering a change in filter - some sort of upgrade, but I don't really see the point - if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Yvonne]

so far I only have the MSR Hyperflow and I like it a lot. It's a little bit bulky, but okay.
But I'm thinking of adding a Steri Pen to my equipment.

 

[HomerJ]

For pump style filters, I've read about people using coffee filters as a pre-filter for silty water. Just put one on the end of your hose intake screen and slap a rubber band around it to secure it!

 

[mattvogt7]

Another + 1 for the Sawyer gravity filters, have been using them for years and they're super convenient and are great for group trips.

Attached is a pic of my dad using the filter in the Needles last Fall. Gives a decent idea of the filter set-up.

 

[pixie1339]

What a perfectly timed post. I have been looking at water filters for backpacking. I was already leaning toward the Sawyer gravity filter, and now I think I'm pretty much sold. Has anyone tried the Platypus gravity filter? Same idea, but a little cheaper.

 

[Deadeye008]

What a perfectly timed post. I have been looking at water filters for backpacking. I was already leaning toward the Sawyer gravity filter, and now I think I'm pretty much sold. Has anyone tried the Platypus gravity filter? Same idea, but a little cheaper.

You can just buy the filter from Sawyer and make your own gravity setup which makes it cheaper than buying their gravity system.

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[pixie1339]

You can just buy the filter from Sawyer and make your own gravity setup which makes it cheaper than buying their gravity system.

Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

I'm not the craftiest mofo I know. Would you be willing to tell me how to make it?

 

[Archbishop]

Ya that is the name. Steripen.. They totally kick ass. I'm sold. I don't think miox will last now cause it taste like tablets and weighs more. Gotta get me a steripen I just remember it being called the techno magic wand, ha ha. But there's two different models which one?

love my steripen I have, I believe, the original model. (Takes 4 AA batteries.) I bit bulkier, but not by much and I can share batteries with flashlights, gps etc. Not sure of the count, but there are several different models. I see the biggest difference it mine takes 4 AAs while all the rest are smaller and take a smaller 123a battery.
I also have the MSR Miniworks. Love it to. Each purifier has it's place and pack according to where I'm going. I always pack iodine tablets as my back up.

 

[Nick]

Alright, it's late, I'm tired but I feel like ranting about water filters...

Ceramic
When I first started backpacking, I used the MSR Miniworks. It's a solid filter, very reliable and if you're not a dumbass, totally field-serviceable. If it gets plugged up, remove the cartridge and scrub it a bit, keep going. It's really a great filter. But it's slow. At it's peak efficiency you're looking at .83 liters per minute. Not bad but not great. The second issue I had was the small parts. Back around 2005 I was on a trip in Death Hollow. We had two Miniworks on hand amongst the three of us. Mine was newer so we were using it. But despite the clear looking water, it was getting plugged up. So there we sat alongside Mamie Creek, disassembling this field-serviceable filter when I heard 'plop plop'. There goes the critical parts of the filter into the river. Yeah, I know, we were idiots for doing it over running water. Not the filters fault. But still, too many small parts! The Miniworks is definitely one of the best filters on the market for reliability and being field serviceable but if you pack one, make sure you pack a spare parts kit too.

The ultimate deal breaker for the Miniworks was the speed, particularly when it isn't at the top of it's game. This video of Smokey and his Miniworks on our 2011 trip to Shingle Creek pretty much covers it.

Chemical
My next filter after the Miniworks was the MSR Miox. It's claim to fame was that it was super light and killed everything. It weighed 3.5 ounces compared to 16 ounces for the pump. DuhhhhH!! No brainer, right? Yeah not so much. It was light but it wasn't much different from pouring bleach into your water. It made that wonderful mountain water taste terrible. Anyone want to buy a used Miox?

Purifiers
My next purifier was a First Needs XL. It weighs about the same as the Miniworks at 16 ounces but it pumps FAST. 1.83 liters per minute, more than twice as fast as the Miniworks and most other pump style filters. And when it gets plugged up, just flip the cartridge around and run some clean water through it. Easy and there's no losing critical parts. It also cleans out viruses which the ceramic filters can't do. Probably not something I'll ever worry about in the backcountry but it's nice to know it gets everything. If you have the time to gravity filter, the XL comes with a bag but I've never used it. I really like the First Needs XL.

Ultraviolet
The First Needs works well but after backpacking a few times with lostlandscapes, I was hooked on the SteriPen AdventurerOpti. It weighs nothing, the water tastes like it should and there is no pumping. Perfection! It kills harmful bacteria with ultraviolet light by swirling it in a nalgene, pot or bladder for around a minute. I believe Taylor said it well when he called it the 'techno magic water blessing stick'. It's really quite magical. For the first month after using it, every time I had even an inkling of stomach illness, I thought it must be that damn SteriPen. But it never happened, that thing is rock solid. I'll still use my First Needs if I'm going anywhere that the water might be silty or otherwise murky, but for everything else, I'm sold on the Steripen.

As for all the other stuff, I can't say because I haven't used it. I've backpacked with friends who used the MSR Sweetwater (wasn't impressed). And m buddy Nate uses the Katadyn Hiker Pro which is pretty light but pumps just as slow as the Miniworks. I will say that the filters like the MSR HyperFlow using HollowFiber scare the bejeesus out of me. Think about it, if you let it freeze or drop it, it won't work anymore but it will appear to work like normal. How scary is that?

So ultimately I would rate it like this.

#1 SteriPen AdventurerOpti
#2 First Needs XL
#3 Everything else

And I always keep a backup water treatment method like Aquamira in my first aid kit.

That's my two cents.