Water filter

[wilf yu]

So has anybody got any reviews or advice about portable water filters. From my last adventure i relised the majority of the weight i carried was water. I usually go camping somewhere with little walking from the car. But if i am to go back to bowscale tarn again for a couple of nights i think a water filter would be a great idea.

So firstly can you drink any water or are certain bodies of water not recomended.

Are water filters for emergencies only, like are they not good for you and should only be used in emergency situatuons.

Is there much difference in quality with price. Or do they all do the same thing.

I found this one on ebay and seems right up my alley. Its small. Cheap. It attatches to a bottle so my thoughts were take 2 plastic bottles of water then when i run out i can use one bottle for lake water to filter through to the clean bottle and repeat. No unnecessary bells and whistles like a pump or extra long tubes and straws.

What are your thoughts. Im just a bit doubtful about doing it, like drinking lake water.... using a very small £10 filter!?

 

[Madriverrob]

I use an MSR trailshot , around £40 , simple to use , reasonable life on filter and solid reputation.

cheaper options not always best , can you rely on it filtering majority of pathogens ?

sawyer squeeze seems popular too .....

 

[WolfsHead]

Mike mcquilton has you well covered here.

 

[wilf yu]

Yer thats what ive been thinking. Is going cheap on this not the way to go. But i have read good things about the lifestraw and thats only about £20 but the functionality of it is a bit awkward i think. You have to have it submerged into some water. So everytome you want a quick drink you would have to go to the source. I have also seen a lifestraw bottle adaptation which seemed quite good.

Thanks ill give it a watch.

 

[Bam]

I've got a couple options, it depends what you're looking to do. I've got a water bottle with a life straw built in which is fine for drinking as you go. For longer term or when stopped I love the Sawyer. I've not tried anything else although I've a mate who uses a pump system and swears by it.

 

[Brambling]

I'm the same as Bam. I have an Aquamira Frontier pro for jogging along, a Sawyer Mini for longer term demands and I also carry good old water purification tablets.
The thing with water filters is you definitely get what you pay for.

 

[Madriverrob]

I'm the same as Bam. I have an Aquamira Frontier pro for jogging along, a Sawyer Mini for longer term demands and I also carry good old water purification tablets.
The thing with water filters is you definitely get what you pay for.

plus one on puritabs

 

[Bam]

I'm the same as Bam. I have an Aquamira Frontier pro for jogging along, a Sawyer Mini for longer term demands and I also carry good old water purification tablets.
The thing with water filters is you definitely get what you pay for.

I keep puritabs, a couple plastic bags with 1l and 2l marked off and also a millbank bag along with my Sawyer (and gubbins) in a pouch. I usually have other puritabs on me anyway (they're that small you can keep some in your wallet or whatever).

 

[Bopdude]

I couldn't say about the one mentioned in the OP as there are no specs, I have had a few, Befree, Trailshot and Sawer, the only one that didn't slow down was the Sawer, on the subject of filters, I gave all mine a flush out last week and every one of them had blackish gung come out of them, I have obviously not stored them right I think rather than risk using them they may be binned, unless someone here can give me a guaranteed fix that will sterilize them ? TIA

 

[Bam]

I couldn't say about the one mentioned in the OP as there are no specs, I have had a few, Befree, Trailshot and Sawer, the only one that didn't slow down was the Sawer, on the subject of filters, I gave all mine a flush out last week and every one of them had blackish gung come out of them, I have obviously not stored them right I think rather than risk using them they may be binned, unless someone here can give me a guaranteed fix that will sterilize them ? TIA

I've always tried to keep on top of the Sawyers and touch wood, I've not had any issues. With the Lifestraw as soon as I'm back I try and get the water out of it through gravity and blowing it through as best I can. Seems to work so far.

 

[Joecole]

I couldn't say about the one mentioned in the OP as there are no specs, I have had a few, Befree, Trailshot and Sawer, the only one that didn't slow down was the Sawer, on the subject of filters, I gave all mine a flush out last week and every one of them had blackish gung come out of them, I have obviously not stored them right I think rather than risk using them they may be binned, unless someone here can give me a guaranteed fix that will sterilize them ? TIA

Can you soak them in Milton sterilising fluid for about 72 hours Al and then if you have one blow them through with a hand held steam cleaner

 

[Bopdude]

I have got the steamer but have got Miltons, I've posted on another forum where the members use these filters every week, I'll await the collective conclusion before I do anything in case I screw them up further, I like the idea of the Miltons though, could be the way to go in future after use

 

[Joecole]

I have got the steamer but have got Miltons, I've posted on another forum where the members use these filters every week, I'll await the collective conclusion before I do anything in case I screw them up further, I like the idea of the Miltons though, could be the way to go in future after use

I'd defo go the Milton route mate, you've nothing to lose if your considering binning them anyway*

 

[WolfsHead]

I have got the steamer but have got Miltons, I've posted on another forum where the members use these filters every week, I'll await the collective conclusion before I do anything in case I screw them up further, I like the idea of the Miltons though, could be the way to go in future after use

Miltons is always a safe bet for sterilising stuff. If large industry types trust for babies to not get them sued then it's as good as you'll get anywhere.

I'm also a plus one on puritabs. Ive used them plenty of times when I was able to go out for long periods of time. You get accustomes to tge slightly rank taste lol.

I keep meaning to get the sawyer with bag. Dont forget theres no point cleaning your water if you then stick your mouth straight over something that's been in the same 'dirty' water. Hence why I think the bag is a simple user friendly option.

 

[Bopdude]

This just in from one member

"
Most of the Sawyer type need a backflush and then a rinse with dilute bleach or vinegar if being stored for a few weeks. It's usually printed on the instructions that came with the unit. Its printed on my Hyrodblu bags. A dulite solution of both stops things growing, much like the chlorine does in supplied drinking water.


Are they knackered? I think if you need to ask the question then replacement is the safest approach.

Bleach kills everything. It doesn't remove the mould (which is what the black gunk mostly is), but will stop it growing. The mould will pit what it grows on and could have made the physical size of the pathways the water passes through bigger.

Personally, I'd use some stronger bleach and then blast them out with a tap adapter.

Tap adapters are a lot better than the feeble syringes. They backflush out a lot more and are well worth getting hold of. "

 

[WolfsHead]

If theyre pitted sounds like the best bet is to replace. Thats a good bit of gen there. I'll maybe keep an unused sawyer in reserve for emergencies when I do get one.

 

[Bopdude]

Yeah good advice and something I hadn't even thought of, I think I'll just bin them for piece of mind, keep the attachments like bags syringes etc but the filters can go.

 

[saxonaxe]

I usually camp for more than a couple of nights at a time, usually it's 4+ nights and as I am a tea-aholic my water consumption is not small. I have a 15 litre Drink Safe system which I normally use. I also use a Sawyer as an emergency system but have yet to use it as the Drink Safe has been bullet proof.

The water at my old campsite came from a Medieval Well, clear and cold but also occasionally used by wild life. I always boiled the filtered water before use. Over all the years I never had a problem, and always back flushed the Charcoal based filter after every trip. Not cheap, back in the day £60-70ish but well tested for Gov/Military use, so a system I could trust it.

 

[wilf yu]

Wow so much advice here. This is great. I think i will go for the sawyer filter. Bit more than id want to pay but seems to be a good one.
Saxonaxe. Your bag one looks cool, maybey too pricey for me right now but for longer camps that looks perfect.

 

[Brambling]

You can use the Sawyer Mini as an inline filter, screw it onto a bottle and use it as a gravity fitler. It's versatility is one of the many reasons it's so popular. It would be easy enough to set up a system like Sax's with some tubing and a couple of folding containers.
You won't regret your purchase.