Re: Touring water system filters

On Tue, Feb 15, 2011 at 4:02 AM, MH <hoagy-OlwQ/[email protected]> wrote:
> Whats a good bicycle camping water cleaning system folks use?

Depends.

Some cycle tourists simply count on carrying enough water
to get them between potable water sources.  I haven't carried a
filter when touring.  I do have iodine purification tablets in my
first aid kit.  And since I carry a pot (and stove) I could alway
boil water to sterilize it in an emergency.

The requirements for making potable water from 'wild' sources
differ from 'tame' ones.  It may be simpler from the 'wild' ones.

As others have pointed out, in developed areas, there may be
chemical contaminants (e.g., pesticides).   If I wanted to be
able to drink run-off water in developed areas, I would certainly
look at the specs for how well filters remove dissolved
chemicals.

For backpacking, I have used an MSR Waterworks for years.
It's like the current MiniWorks model, but with a second
stage filter (pleated membrane) after the ceramic filter.
I use a foam sponge on the intake and a silt-stopper
pre-filter in the intake line to catch big particles.  I'm
still using the original ceramic filter.  I don't know how
many gallons it has filtered, but where we generally
backpack the water is clear with few suspended
particles.

I haven't followed filter discussions recently, but some
people claimed that the MSR cearmic filter clogged
quickly with certain types of suspended particles.
In particular, water with tannins was reported to clog
the MSR filters perhaps faster than other types.

This past summer's backpacking trip, I didn't bring the
filter.  We used a Steripen UV purifier for backpacking in
the mountains.  No more pumping!  Works great particularly
with clear running streams.  If I were going to use it with
murkier water, I might want some sort of filter to catch
the bigger stuff.

For an extended backpacking trek or a long paddle
trip I would probably still carry my filter.  It's field
serviceable and doesn't require batteries.  For shorter
back country trips, I will carry the Steripen and iodine
tablets for backup.

For touring, unless I venture more off the beaten path
than I have, I will continue carry the iodine tablets and
extra water bags to fill if I need them.

Jon