[Case82]

I'm trying to put together a pack for 1-2 night hikes.

What are some portable water purifiers would you use?

Something small that I could easily fill my own bottles with.

[Pat McCoy]

Steripen

[ArfinGreebly]

Without more to go on, you might try starting here (http://www.pwgazette.com/gravity.htm).

SK101 : Sterasyl Siphon : $40.00
http://www.pwgazette.com/img/sk101.jpg

SK101
Sterasyl Siphon Filter

Our simplest unit consists of our adapter and a Doulton Sterasyl candle. It removes pathogens. Operation is simple: Put the candle into a container of the water to be purified, wait until it sinks (indicating that it is completely saturated), then suck through the tube until you get water in your mouth. When you taste water, lower the tube to a level below the container and water will continue to flow. Catch the purified water in a second container.

This unit has a long life expectancy because the ceramic can be rinsed and wiped cleaned when sediment collects on the surface.

And so on. They have a number of models.

You may have to hunt for size and weight, but they look pretty portable.

[middleground]

I work as a sales rep for a water filter brand, so I deal with this type of question pretty often.

The most common brands are Katadyn and MSR. Both companies make good products that can be found at camping and outdoor stores.

I would suggest either a katadyn hiker (or hiker plus) or an MSR sweetwater.

There are also other "non-filter" options.

-chemical treatment tablets
-MSR Miox (I don't know much about this one)
-Steri pen. This using UV light to kill off any nasty stuff in the water

Keep in mind that chemical tablets will be the lightest weight option, but have their own drawbacks.

Also, if you use a filter without any chemical treatment, your water could still be contaminated by viruses. When I camp (mostly in SE PA) I only use a filter, but you should be aware of their limitations.

Where are you headed, and what time of year?

[afortiori550]

I use MSR's MiniWorks and love it. It works great with Nalgene bottles. I cannot recomend MSR products enough. Check them out. Here is a link to the miniworks (http://www.msrcorp.com/filters/miniworks_ex.asp)

[VTFatBastard]

I use the First Need water purifier from General Ecology. I believe it's the only water purifier that doesn't use chemicals. All the rest are water filters, not purifiers.

[Bobarino]

http://media.rei.com/media/457573.jpg

Katadyn Hiker PRO Water Filter. $70 at REI.

Steripen is cool but around here at least, water sources can be silty. a good filter is better in most cases. you can also go really lightweight and get Iodine tablets or Chlorine Dioxide tabs. tastes bad though. throw some Crystal light or Emergen-C in 'em to cover the taste.

Bobby

[offroaddiver]

Ah the backpacker in me has something i can really add.
Personally i use a msr "pump" filter and non iodine tablet treatment like aquamira drops or the tablets. now there are purifiers that are supposed to even treat sewage clean enough to drink but very pricey.

[Case82]

What types of viruses would I have to worry about using just a filter like the Katadyn HIker?

[middleground]

Viruses are small enough to get through any standard filter (purifiers are a different story).

An example of this virus would be Norwalk.

Of all the bad things that can get in water, viruses are the most rare. Most people just use a standard filter and never have any problems (myself incuded).

It's more common to worry about viruses in water if you're traveling overseas (south america, africa). If you're camping somewhere in the U.S. a regular filter should be fine.

[wuchak]

I've used a Katadyne Hiker model for years. Now I have a couple of the water bottles with the filter (that will remove viruses) built in. I like the bottles for their dip-n-drink ease of use. If I were going hiking or backpacking where I would be near a lake or river I would just take a bottle with the built in filter, a set of Aquamira drops to use in a regular Nalgene bottle or for cooking, and a clean hankie for use as a prefilter. The regular filter takes up a fair amount of room in the pack and if I were going where there is a clean water source I'd leave the big filter at home. To me the big filter with the pump has a place when you will be hiking in areas where you have to get water from puddles or murky streams.