On another board I read where a lot of people use water purifiers to cleanse their water before drinking. On my first trip into the BWCA the group I went with was very experienced, and all they used were the potable water tablets, and flavored the water with sugarfree Tang, flavored teas, lemonade, and kool-aid. On subsequent trips that is what I have done also and have had no real adverse effects... but, I am know thinking of purchasing a purifier like the Katadyn Hiker... Any thoughts or suggestions from the rest of you out there... Thanks in advance...

Bruce
Good Paddling, Great Fishing, and God Bless All...

Actually a Hiker is only a filter not a purifier. A purifier does use a chemical or other process to get rid of everything. A filter takes out 99+% of everything through filtration only. My experience is a filter does the job and I still drink staright from middle of lakes, especially deep ones with no ill effects. I have a couple of tablets in my first aid kit for emergencies should the filter break or malfunction.

With that said my filter is a PUR Hiker which is the same as a Katadyn Hiker (Katadyn bought PUR a couple of years ago). I filter some nights for my water bottles for the next day and sometimes add some sugarfree lemonade crystals or tang for flavor-but most times just drink the water. For cooking and cleaning the water gets boiled anyway so that comes right from the lake-no filtering.

One tip for the Hiker or any filter. Place a paper coffee filter over the intake before each trip. This filter will remove alot of the sediment that might clog the filter before it gets into the filter. To store your filter after each trip-run some clean tap water through by filtering out of the sink and store. If you are going to store for more than 30 days then run a solution containing a little bleach. Before heading in rinse the filter element and run some water through to remove the bleach taste. By following these steps I have used my PUR Hiker for 4 years and only replaced the element once. I may need another new element sometime this year, but it should be OK for my first trip hopefully this May. I take 4-5 trips a year so this may be different for your use.

I estimate about 50% of the BWCAW water I drink every trip is unfiltered and almost 100% of the water I drink in Quetico is unfiltered. I use the filter when I am in rivers, at camp needing water, or in real shallow, vegetation choked lakes. I fill my water bottles in the middle of lakes deeper than 25' and try to keep 2 bottles near by full. Near the end of each day I try to fill my bottles. I have never gotten Beaver fever (knock on wood) and think I take proper precautions. I also have an iron gut so what works for me may not work for everyone.

This is an area not to be a he man. If you are not comfortable drinking unfiltered water-don't do it. It does not take long to filter water so err on the side of common sense and do what makes you comfortable. I travel with people who filter every drop and those that do not filter ever. No one questions each others needs and helps out as needed. Have fun and the Hiker is a good choice.

Thanks Bog for the input... and clarification on filter vs purifier. Like you I have a cast iron stomach and very little bothers it. And using the tablets I always dip my water under the surface at least 100 yds or more from bank and in deep water. I too carry two water bottles at a time, easier and also a lot of the drink mixes make two quarts. So I may just stick with my tablets for most occasions and get a Hiker or Guide for special situations like you mentioned...

Bruce

Good for you Bruce and good luck.

The other thing you could look at is a filter bottle like an Exstream. They cost about $40 (can find them for less) and work like a filter. You fill them with water and suck the water through a straw that has a filter attached to it. No need to pump, but it only works for personal water and not group water.

I have one now and will use it this year. I have seen others who use them and swear by them. On some trips it might be nice to have if you do not have a lake or river that you are comfortable with but you do not want to do alot of pumping and you need some water.

I use a Guide. It's a purifier that gets rid of 99.99 percent of giardia and crypto. (which not even iron stomachs can resist) plus it has a carbon core that gets rid of any funny smells or tastes(diminishing the need flavor all of the water you drink).

TIP: When you get to camp, explore a bit. Walk back in the woods to see if you can find a natural spring leading into the lake. they're usually everywhere. It's much better to get your drinking water from moving water rather than standing water, not to mention the spring water will be much colder!!

Good tip. Plus a walk back in the woods is fun and usually presents photo opportunities.

I have not had as much luck as you finding springs near campsites, but I have been fortunate a couple of times. Just think good spring water at the store goes for about $1 for 12-16 ounces. Good Spring water in the wilderness is both priceless and free all at the same time!

One comment-moving water from springs is great and a good source of cool fresh water. Moving water in streams can be the most giardia filled water. Many times Beavers, who carry giardia, inhabit the streams with the moving water. If you take water directly from streams it is best to filter or treat at all times.

Thanks guys for the tips!! And Bog... Every trip I can make into the BWCA is priceless... Haven't been to the Q yet, but thinking about it next year...

Bruce

Arkansas Man-hope you make it to Quetico soon. It is a great experience-very much the same and very much different then BWCAW.

Same mode of travel usually with fewer other travellers around.

I'm with you Bruce, I'm lookin forward to getting up there. I managed to get my RABC permit and Entry permit for Quetico for the first time this year. Really looking forward to it.

Hex

Oh, and by the way Bog... I will be gathering alot of information from you after my trip this year, and before next year about some good routes and fishing areas. I have thought about doing a second trip toward the end of July this year if time and chance permit. Being a school administrator I have to go back on contract on August 1. Only free time I have is from mid-June to August 1, and it is hard to find someone down here who is ready to go when I can... Too many responsibilities keep me from staying up there for 6 weeks...

Bruce

I wish everyone who loves the area could live up closer. Even then it is hard to go as often as we would like to. Life and other obligations always are around.

This year I may have to settle for only two or three trips with only one of them being a week long. I may have a couple of 2-3 day trips. When you retire Bruce you should move closer so you can go more often and even do the short trips. The 2-3 day trips have some adavantages and disadvantages-can't travel far but the food pack sure is light.

Good for you Hex-you will have a good time. Hope the fishing and the scenery meet all of your expectations.

Another thing that works with the Hiker (to keep out sediment, etcetera) is a piece of pantyhose! And the filter closes easier and you can always rince out the pantyhose.

The coffee filter probably does a more thorough job, but I like the ease of the nylon.

Lynn-never thought of that-I like the long use instead of changing filters often. I'll have to ask my wife for an old pair and try it. Thanks for the tip. Leave it to a resourceful woman!

Wife or notm, I think I would go with a NEW pair instead of an OLD pair!

I'll wash them and the water, after all, will be filtered so I think I will be OK. lol

I have used the tablets in the past and I'm not to fond of the sulfur taste. We always put a drink mix in to kill the taste. Does anyone make a tablet that dosen't have that taste?

"Sulfer" taste? Iodine maybe?

I personally drag a filter along and make good use of it (Pur Scout) Sure they can be a pain once in a while but once your used to all the little "quirks" of your filter it'll just be second nature for you to fix in the field. I, for one, do not have an "iron stomach" and have had a brief (THANK GOD!) experience with bad water.

For cooking I just boil.

Other options that you may use and are available to you with a little research on the subject.

Potassium Permanganate has been used effectively.
(I have never tried this but have seen procedures on it's use in several backpacking books... it discolors the water a bit, and can be a little pricey.)

Chlorine (bleach) has been used effectively.
(I have used this, I can't remember the dosage per liter or gallon, but it was easy to do and didn't put too bad of an off flavor)

Hydrogen Peroxide has been used.
(I have not tried this and have seen limited suggestion of it's use... I guess it'd be something worth looking into... it's cheap like bleach)

Forms of Silver in solution have been used.
(For some reason after working in a lab this is scary to me)

As far as water purification for potability goes there are lot's of options it just depends on what you want to carry (bottles, messy chemistry, measuring devices) with you and how long you want to wait till it's drinkable.

Hope this helps,
Hex

I have had a giardia infection before, and saying it is not pleasant, is the biggest understatement i can make. I wouldn't run the risk of having this happen again. I constantly argue with my dad about whether or not purification is a waste of time. He seems to think that it is of no use. My main point is always this:

if you are on an extended trip and end up with everyone ingesting the contaminated water the first day, most water-borne illnesses have incubation periods ranging from 2 days to 2 weeks. you could end up with everyone being sick and unable to cope with being in a wilderness area.

anyway, I ALWAYS use a filter, and purification if its availible. On a trip that I went to South America, we used a two-stage MSR Purifier to filter out bacteria and parasites, and a MSR mixed-oxidant purification system to kill viruses that had been found in the water. anyway, i don't know exactly what contaminants are in BWCAW water, but not having to worry about getting sick is worth the price tag.

I have used several different purification procedures and here is my opinion of them:

MSR Miox - PROS- Kills EVERYTHING with a brine solution - extremely compact CONS- Doesn't eliminate floaters, bog stain, or bad taste - this purifier has no element to remove these things - High price $130 - you have to wait anywhere from 15 minutes to 4 hours before you can drink the water depending on contaminants

Katadyn Pocket - PROS- Durablity
CONS - heavy, $200 price tag

Cohglans Water Purification Pump - PROS - Price Tag $15
CONS - very low output, no durability, bulky

MSR Miniworks - PROS - High output, Durable, field maintainable
CONS- bulky, $80 price tag

MSR Waterworks - PROS - High Output, 2 Stage, Durable, Field Maintainable
CONS - Bulky, $130 price tag

Katadyn Hiker - PROS - Reasonable $60 - compact
CONS - not very durable (mine broke within a year of purchase)

i'm not gonna even bother with the tabs and iodine i've used, lets just say i'm not a big fan

anyway, my go everywhere filter is a MSR Miniworks. I have complete faith that this filter gets the job done. unless you are worried about viruses, this is the one i recommend. Again all of this is my opinions from personal expierience, and i'm not trying to say the filters i don't like won't perform as advertised.

If you decide to purchase a filter, remeber that about 80% of the cost is for the element (the ceramic or microfiber thing inside it that actually does the filtering). The element will eventually need replaced, so take the replacement element cost into consideration.

Anyway, i hope this is helpful in some way and if you want me to clarify any of this for you, just email me

kclamken

Thanks for the input... I purchased a Katadyn Hiker to take this year. Usually I just use the tablets and make sure I carry two bottles and dip my water at least 100 yards from shore and from a deep lake. So far no problems, but I purchased the Hiker for a friend who is going this year and probably would not like the taste of the tablets. I just use Tang, lemonaide, Koolaid, or flavored teas to hide the taste of the tablets.
Bruce

As I mentioned before, you may still want to bring a small bottle of tablets in case the filter clogs or breaks. I have never had this happen, but that is probably because I have the tablets just in case. Of course if your filter breaks you could just boil all water also-that works just as well, just uses alot of fuel or wood.

I had the handle snap off on a water filter last year. Luckely, super glue worked in repairing it, and we continued on without water incident.

i myself have an MSR water works(from 98 or 99) and i love the thing it filters out all sorts of nasty stuff not just micro-orginisms but pesticides and other unwholesome chemicals as long as they are attached to a .007 micron or larger.(some where around there anyways) it also takes color taste ans odor out too,and has a handy dromadary bag it screws onto when pumping. ive used it all over the country and NEVER gotten sick from any water ive filterd with it. even taken water out of the mississippi here in minneapolis.

Flyangler, that is gutsy, I live right next to Coon Rapids
Dam on the Mississippi north of Minneapolis. I am not confident the nuclear plants return perfectly clean water.

I filter everything using my PUR Hiker (I call it that since I bought it 3 years ago). I knew that coffee filters or nylons
would increase the life of the element but had had good luck
even filtering from small creeks and ponds backpacking. Well the Pur Hiker met its match 2 weeks ago when I was on the Cascade river SHT loop backpacking.The Friday night it rained heavy and endlessly.
When I awoke I thought it was windy out by the noise, the noise
was actually coming from the small creek below the our camp was now a roaring small river. Creeks were everywhere. I attempted to filter water that morning getting only on bottle full when my filter clogged with sediment. I needed to use the Leatherman Supertool
pliers to remove the element due to the air lock. So the tablets came in handy, but we didn't like drinking all of the floaters and sediment. I kind of think our own G.I. bacteria take a beating
using iodine. Well it was almost perfect timing being that it
was the last trip of the season needing a filter. Thanks for all of the info.
MTM

Mike, Nuclear Plants use water for cooling purposes only and the water returned is just warmer than when it entered. However, I would worry more about the sewage dumped into the Mississippi.

Welcome to the site Malachi!

From my experience you always always bring both a filter and tablets because we once had a filter break down on us in the bw and we had a group full of thirsty church kids. My dad and I were doing all we could to keep water boiled and everyone happy. Then we got to the last portage (we thought) and happened to come out a portage early. My dad and i were drinking straight out of the lake, but I just couldn't seem to keep enough water in me (I'm quite small 5'7 110 lbs) and I was dizzy and I had nose bleeds then on that last mistaken portage that happened to be a 190 rod one I ended up having to sit down before I passed out and someone came back and got my pack. and now here's where other problems start ... we were 7 miles from the truck and the church van. so my dad and the lady who came along started walking while I stayed with the kids. That day I almost became a robber when I saw a massive jug of water sitting in someones locked car. But soon after they hitched a ride and came back with 5 gallons of clean fresh water, then we all went to dairy queen! so that was our little adventure with the broken pump. and trust me water is even worse when it's boiled ashes and sticks floating in it, good thing we had kool-aid!

Very true, but given industries historical contempt
towards nature I still wouldn't drink for fear of
industrial contamination, I just don't trust them enough.
MTM