This year one of my goals is to go from regular day hikes to some longer two- to three-day backpacking/camping type hikes. In addition to preparing for this physically, I also understand I'm going to need to prepare for this equipment-wise too... hopefully without turning this into a huge shopping spree.
One important new thing I'm going to have to learn is, how to produce clean drinking water from wild sources. There seem to be a lot of options, from special filters to battery-operated UV lights to tablets. Boiling the water would work, but I'd ideally like to preserve the option of packing only raw foods and not bother with cooking gear.
Have folks here had much experience locating water sources and purifying them, and if so, what techniques or devices do you recommend? Are there trade-offs that come with using one method versus another?
A friend recommended SteriPEN, http://www.steripen.com, to me. It's a portable purifier that uses UV light. There's no filter to change, which is convenient.
thru-hike water purification
Posted by John J.
This year one of my goals is to go from regular day hikes to some longer two- to three-day backpacking/camping type hikes. In addition to preparing for this physically, I also understand I'm going to need to prepare for this equipment-wise too... hopefully without turning this into a huge shopping spree.
One important new thing I'm going to have to learn is, how to produce clean drinking water from wild sources. There seem to be a lot of options, from special filters to battery-operated UV lights to tablets. Boiling the water would work, but I'd ideally like to preserve the option of packing only raw foods and not bother with cooking gear.
Have folks here had much experience locating water sources and purifying them, and if so, what techniques or devices do you recommend? Are there trade-offs that come with using one method versus another?
Many thanks.