How do you purify water in the field?

[Cob]

I'm planning a camping hunting trip, and wanted to inquire on the best way to treat stream water for drinking.
I know the most obvious:
1. Boil it
2. Use chemicals
3. Filter it,

or a combo of the above 3. it has to be lightweight, but wondering how yo would do it? I've heard regular household bleach can work, as well as iodine.
anything i'm missing?

 

[Tim the student]

Consider taste, IMO. Boiling is fine for cooking at night IME, but a pain for drinking water. Takes a long time too.

I don't care for the taste of potable aqua or whatever the iodine tabs these days are called. Don't care much for bleach either.

Filters can be had for around $70. If you are wanting to use it for a lot of people, take an extra look at the rate - for a couple liters, for 6 guys, some can take what will seem like forever. There are now UV purifiers now too I think.

 

[Geckgo]

I don't have a link, but I like those little portable drinking straw filters. I think that they are a superb idea. Some of it depends on where you are though. There are a couple of survival websites that tell you how much water a capful of bleach will purify, it doesn't take much, and the little tabs are good to have for emergencies, but if it isn't an emergency (i.e. camping) then bring a pot and cook some water, use filters, or just bring a supply with you.

 

[oneounceload]

From Clorox:

In an emergency, think of this (one gallon of Regular Clorox Bleach) as 3,800 gallons of drinking water.

When the tap water stops flowing, Regular Clorox Bleach isn't just a laundry-aid, it's a lifesaver. Use it to purify water, and you'll have something to drink.

It's the same in any natural disaster. As the shock wears off and the days wear on, the biggest demand is for drinking water. Time after time, relief crews hand out free Clorox Bleach with simple instructions: use it to kill bacteria in your water and you'll have purified water to drink. Here's how: (Store these directions with your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach.)

First let water stand until particles settle. Pour the clear water into an uncontaminated container and add Regular Clorox Bleach per the chart.* Mix well. Wait 30 min. Water should have a slight bleach odor. If not, repeat dose. Wait 15 min. Sniff again. Keep an eyedropper taped to your emergency bottle of Clorox Bleach, since purifying small amounts of water requires only a few drops. See chart* suggestions for storage bottle replacement.

Don't pour purified water into contaminated containers. To sanitize water jugs first, see instructions** at right.

Without water and electricity, even everyday tasks are tough. In lieu of steaming hot water, sanitize dishes with a little Clorox Bleach. Just follow the directions below to keep dishes clean.

Whether you use Clorox Bleach in an emergency or for everyday chores, it's always an environmentally sound choice. After its work is done, Clorox Bleach breaks down to little more than salt and water, which is good news anytime.

*Ratio of Clorox Bleach to Water for Purification

2 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per quart of water

8 drops of Regular Clorox Bleach per gallon of water

1/2 teaspoon Regular Clorox Bleach per five gallons of water

If water is cloudy, double the recommended dosages of Clorox Bleach.

(Only use Regular Clorox Bleach

 

[303tom]

With one of these.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

On foot or vehicle

If I have my vehicle, I haul in the two 5 gallon bucket filter system. I got the filter-spigot kit online for 28 bucks.

Choose clean white buckets with a number "2" stamped on the bottom.

Works great, we use it all the time at home.

 

[tarosean]

Ive have a steripen.. However I just ordered a hand crank model.

http://www.steripen.com/sidewinder

 

[Mike1234567]

I've read where those in third world countries with no safe water just fill small plastic bottles then lay them on their roofs allowing them to sit in bright sunshine all day. By the end of the day the water is safe to drink. Of course, this may not work in colder climates and certainly not in overcast conditions. Obviously, the bottles are reusable. It's simple, cheap and effective.

ETA: Also, this only works for microbes that would be killed by sunlight and heat. And, of course, this method wouldn't mitigate chemical and bad mineral contamination.

 

[Supertac45]

MSR water filter.

 

[CoRoMo]

I have one of these.

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Kata...water+filter&WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products

 

[HGUNHNTR]

An MSR purifier, or just drink it as it is coming out of the rocks if I happen to be in the North GA mountains.

 

[cbrgator]

If you were at home in the wake of some natural disaster, would those BRITA water pitchers with the built in filters work?

 

[mbopp]

From my canoeing, backpacking, and hiking days I have a PUR (now Katadin) Hiker filter. For my wife & I it worked out fine.
I swear I got gardia once from a youth group when the kids were less than careful about the water. Not a fun time.

 

[kyle1974]

you have to remember, not all filters will filter certain things out of the water...

some areas of the country have waters with given pollutants that can't be removed by any conventional means in the field. Make sure you do a little research on the basic water quality where ever it is you're going.

 

[MJ_ATL]

MSR Sweetwater filter plus chlorination drops - should clean just about any water source to be be biologically safe.

 

[two gun charlie]

just a note on the boiling of water to get rid of bacteria etc , it has to boil for at least 3 to preferably 5 mins.

 

[Mike1234567]

More on boiling. Water boils at a lower temperature at high altitude and this very slightly affects procedure.

You May Need To Boil Rapidly For a Full Minute

 

[rcmodel]

By the end of the day the water is safe to drink. Of course, this may not work in colder climates and certainly not in overcast conditions.

It may not work for Americans who have no natural immunity against microbes in dirty water either!

Kind of like "La Turesta" or "Montezuma's Revenge." in Mexico.

The people who live there don't get it, but we sure do!

rc

 

[Cob]

Thanks for the posts. I'm not looking ot spend a fortune on a filter, as i"ll rarely use it.
I did order this "Frontier Water Filter Straw" from cabella's for $12.99. It only filters particles/bugs to 2 microns, but easy to carry:
http://www.cabelas.com/product/Fron...w/745200.uts?WTz_l=Header;Search-All+Products
I'll probably carry water in on horseback, boil some, take a smal bottle of bleach (and not lemon fresh scent! ) and then use the filter only in emergency.

 

[stillkickin]

2% Iodine @ 5 drops per quart of "clear" water: 10 drops per quart if turbid or verry cold. have used this method in central America and Africa. any flavoring with significant amounts of Vitiman C will help with the taste, if you treat the water and let it stand over-night, it will taste a lot better. as for health concerns, you would have to dring water treated with iodine for an extended length of time to suffer any ill effects. chlorine bleach is not nearly as effective on some of the nastier critters you may ingest.

 

[Oathkeeper1775]

On foot

I'm a believer in the military purification tablets for dismounted use;

We drank water out of the Yellow River in Florida, the Chattahoochee in Georgia, the Rhine in Germany, The Lampasas in Texas, Well-water in Dugway, Utah and any number of small streams, creeks and ponds. I never got sick. They work. I did have an extensive list of inoculations but still.

Several guys did mention that some people are effected and some aren't; we had a guy from Kentucky who didn't use the tablets in Florida's Yellow R, he said "water purification is for sissies".

So if weight is an issue, I recommend the tabs, if not, haul in what ever you have room for.

Field expediency? Run an evaporation drip-is probably the best, I also seen where running water through a sock filled with sand will take out the "skoshi-chingos".

I don't believe drinking urine would save a life........

 

[Loyalist Dave]

Some good info above, and some often repeated but perhaps outdated info...,

First, a Britta filter is to take metal impurities out of tap water. It won't purify wilderness water.

Well it's possible that CLEAR water in a CLEAR bottle, set in the sun would reduce the organisms, but muddy water, or if you were under a forest or jungle canopy ??? Nope. Can you afford to wait 12 hours in your sunny spot while the water "purifies", and then roll the dice?

Iodine tablets or iodine will work; and if a person with a shellfish alergy drinks it, have the epipen ready. Most of the current tablets use oxygenated bleach.

A Katadyn or other microbial water filter made for hikers is a good choice, as suggested look at the flow rate. The filter catches the microbes, but allows the water to pass through to a container. I also carry bleach as a backup. IF for some reason I broke the filter, a few ounces of bleach in a bottle with a water dropper cap goes a long way. It needs to be at least 5%, and plain bleach, not scented. It takes a bit to work, while the filter will immediately produce drinking water. If I was really worried, I'd use both.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, a rolling boil only takes one minute (at sea level) to kill the organisms. Longer would ensure sanitation at higher altitudes.

Understand, none of the above will pull chemicals out of the water. You need a charcoal filter for that, and they still might not work.

LD

 

[LiveLife]

CDC's field techniques for water treatment:

http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowb...ultation/water-disinfection-for-travelers.htm


US Military Technical Bulletin: sanitary control of field water supplies:

http://armypubs.army.mil/med/DR_pubs/dr_a/pdf/tbmed577.pdf

 

[MCgunner]

I just carry tablets. Filters take up too much room in a day pack and I've got an iron gut and don't care what it tastes like so long as it's wet and sulfur free. Stream water is sulfur free. The tablets are handy, always carry 'em along.

I've been so thirsty on a hot day that it seemed like forever waiting on the tablets. You have to let 'em sit 20 minutes before drinking. When I'm that thirsty, a little iodine is not a big deal. It ain't a big deal anyway, just sayin'....

Oh, yeah, I keep some coffee filters and a rubber band along to put over the mouth of the canteen, helps clean any particulates out. These fit down in my canteen pouch and there's a pocket on that pouch for the tablets.

 

[waffentomas]

I keep a MSR MIOX in my pack - military issues these, and is a pretty good indicator - if nothing else. There's enough running water/snow where I hunt that the water is very clear, so I just concern myself with purifying it, as opposed to filtering. The battery is the achilles heel of the MIOX, but I also have a Surefire headlamp and flashlight that use the same battery. I like the idea of bleach, and will be adding a 1 oz bottle to the pack.

One guy I hunt with thinks I'm a panty-waste, and just drinks from the streams. He hasn't gotten sick in 10 years...