quote mocha: "whenever possible we drink straight from the lake.
otherwise we use a gravity feed filter and/or boiling."

quote OBX2Kayak: "I used a friend's Steripen on my last trip and liked the convenience. I've just purchased one for my trip this summer.

Yes, it is dependent on batteries, so I need a back-up. Luckily the water in the B-dub is clean enough to drink from the center of most lakes or, I can always boil it."

quote nctry: "After a guy we had on a trip in the eighties got very sick. He was a contractor and lost his business over it. Spent many weeks in the hospital. He insisted he always drank from the middle of the lake. I filter everything... Well, not my dish water. I've used a Pur which is now the Hiker. I go through many replacement filters. I'm tempted to go the MSR Gravity Filter. I drink a lot of water out there. And I do all the preventative things like the coffee filter over the pre filter and letting my water sit. Like last May, there was a lot of pollen or something in the water everywhere. I remember Beatty Portage stinking from it."

quote drnatus: "

quote nctry: "After a guy we had on a trip in the eighties got very sick. He was a contractor and lost his business over it. Spent many weeks in the hospital. He insisted he always drank from the middle of the lake. I filter everything... Well, not my dish water. I've used a Pur which is now the Hiker. I go through many replacement filters. I'm tempted to go the MSR Gravity Filter. I drink a lot of water out there. And I do all the preventative things like the coffee filter over the pre filter and letting my water sit. Like last May, there was a lot of pollen or something in the water everywhere. I remember Beatty Portage stinking from it."

Exactly. It is not worth the risk to me. If I don't work, I don't get paid. We used a Katadyn base camp and some sort of "hiker". The base camp was bit of a disappointment. (search in the gear thread for more info on that)"

quote fishguts: "Straight from the lake, take care where we dip, never been sick. Not a problem."

quote Jrod: "Whats your system for getting drinking water?

Water filter bottle?
gravity water filter?
boiling ?
straight from the lake?

I had a strange idea of making my own water filter by buying a replacement cartridge and somehow rigging it into my camel back.

Boiled it one year but didnt have a funnel, so we spilled ALOT when filling up canteens (3 first timers alone). Oh and we boiled it over an open fire, no camp stoves hahahaha not too smart.
"

quote Woods Walker: "I have drank from the lake on trips before, but most of the time I use the Katadyn (Pur) Hiker & pump my water from shore. My cooking water is boiled.


I think I may buy a Steripen & only use the filter pump to fill the camp water bag from shore.


"

quote threehorse: "I started out years ago with the iodine tablets, then moved to a Pur (now Katadyn) Hiker Pro, and this year I am switching to a Katadyn Vario just to increase the filtration speed."

quote SunCatcher: "Word of caution on Steripen's. I had mine on a River trip, It is the Journey Model, I had it in my thwart bag and we dumbed the canoe at a falls, and it got wet and hasnt worked since, $100 out the door.
the point is you have to keep em dry. Call me a dumb dumb.
SunCatcher"

quote SunCatcher: "I have a base camp filter and a hiker pro filter from Katadyn. (By the way these both use the same filter) I like the concept of the base camp for groups but am using the hiker pro for myself solo or if just a couple go.
Word of caution on Steripen's. I had mine on a River trip, It is the Journey Model, I had it in my thwart bag and we dumbed the canoe at a falls, and it got wet and hasnt worked since, $100 out the door.
the point is you have to keep em dry. Call me a dumb dumb.
SunCatcher"

quote drnatus: "

quote nctry: "After a guy we had on a trip in the eighties got very sick. He was a contractor and lost his business over it. Spent many weeks in the hospital. He insisted he always drank from the middle of the lake. I filter everything... Well, not my dish water. I've used a Pur which is now the Hiker. I go through many replacement filters. I'm tempted to go the MSR Gravity Filter. I drink a lot of water out there. And I do all the preventative things like the coffee filter over the pre filter and letting my water sit. Like last May, there was a lot of pollen or something in the water everywhere. I remember Beatty Portage stinking from it."

Exactly. It is not worth the risk to me. If I don't work, I don't get paid. We used a Katadyn base camp and some sort of "hiker". The base camp was bit of a disappointment. (search in the gear thread for more info on that)"

quote bjager: "My dad does water conditioning and he made this really cool filter and i still haven't seen anything quite as efficient, basically i use 1/4" poly tubing, a five gallon collapsible bag, a home made PVC charcoal filter, iodine tablets and a small cork or cap for tubing. first you fill your bag and hang it from a tree, then tape your filter underneath, throw a few iodine tabs in, wait ten minutes then start a siphon through the charcoal filter, put the cap on, and you've got running water whenever you need it. the charcoal filter is just a piece of PVC pipe filled with charcoal and a screen in the outlet, it takes out any particles or sediment, and completely knocks out the iodine taste, best water you can get besides straight from the lake. "