Fieldcraft Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

[BadBowtie03]

Hey guys, what is the best way to purify water? I mean pull water out of lets say a pond/river filter the junk out and also sanitize it at the same time so you can drink it? Are there systems out there that can do that? And do it in a small system that is portable/packable? I am a newbie to this... I know you can boil water to kill the bad bacteria in water, but then there would still be floating junk in there. So, is there something that can be used to clean it thoroughly and quickly on the go? Or a technique to do that without buying a system?

Also, is there anything out there that can do all that without batteries and something that is cleanable/rebuildable in a SHTF scenario? It would be sweet if there was some kind of hand pump system so that you could pump it straight into a water jug and keep moving. Let me know what yall think or ideas. Thanks a lot for the help.

 

[Anchor Zero Six]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

First need XL, there are others with similar filtration specs but the FN is slightly better and vastly superior in construction and execution. Also a nice touch is it will attach directly to a wide mouth nalgen or standard camelback.

Can throw it in swamp water and make clean clear drinking water with this thing. Vid on YouTube turning Pepsi into clear water.

A bit large but no more so than others in the class such as the MSR.

 

[BadBowtie03]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Thanks for the suggestion man.

I've been looking at these sawyer filters/bladder combo... they seem pretty good. They filter down to .1 micron & have a million gallon guarantee. Plus they are lighter & less bulky. Any opinions on them for durability though?

 

[Anchor Zero Six]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

I had one and returned it (REI awesome rtn policy) still have one of their inline filters for camping. For what you are describing and wanting the XL is a better choice.

The XL isn't terribly big for what it can handle, you need to compare the specs of exactly what it will filter and weigh things out. Btw XL last 500 gal and handles things of a chemical nature as well as bio.

I consider my AO, where I have volcanos and assume high toxin levels in surface water from that as well as a Katrina situation where sewage contaminated the water from overflow.

Fwiw I use an inline sawer unit for most camping situations but for serious oh shit stuff the XL is on top. I have to give credit to a buddy MrToyz on here who tried, tested and did the homework on water systems over a long period before concluding it was the one to get.

There are similar RO type units but they all had some sort of undesirable quirk such as low output per stroke or flimsy construction etc.

 

[BadBowtie03]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Hey man, can you explain a couple of your abbreviations? REI, FWIW, RO and AO...

Sorry just trying to fall exactly what you are talking about. Thanks alot for the help!

 

[BadBowtie03]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

How neccesary do yall think a water "purifier" is? in other words, one that will clean out viruses too? Most all portable ones are just filters it looks like... except the first need XL is actually a purifier. How prevalent is virus in the outdoors in the US?

 

[Mo_Zam_Beek]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

I think you need to define the situation a little bit better first. If we're talking normal world - in a pinch you can most likely get by with a bunch of coffee filters (reasonably clean T shirts) to filter the heavy sediment and a couple cap fulls of bleach. Filter the heavy stuff, add bleach, mix, let stand - should be able to just barely taste a little bleach (the faintest residue).

If you're looking to get a small mechanical filter and want the best one get a Katadyn Pocket Water Filter.


As far as bad stuff in the water - most common is gonna be something like Giardia. As such, it is just as important to understand how to rehydrate someone that has fallen behind the curve. A couple of these are cheap and easy to keep in your bag of goodies.


Good luck

ETA - not to be captain obvious here, but sourcing your water from moving water is better than from stagnant water. Also have two separate plastic bags for the tubing associated with your mechanical filter. Keep the inflow tubing separate from the outflow tubing at all times.

 

[catskinner]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

REI= is a outdoors store

fwiw= for what it's worth

ao= area of operation

ro= reverse osmosis
Google it dude

 

[Anchor Zero Six]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Read the mfg tech specs and know what points of comparison are of value to you. I find that true purifiers are a universal safe choice.

Filters are fine for me up here in the land of rain, we have little to fear from most water sources that a decent inexpensive filter won't catch. Now down in Florida I would guess in the swampy parts there's all sorts of critters in the water.

REI (REI.com) has great tech sheet buyers guides that compare all the units they sell.

 

[UNCIVILIZED]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

If you look on the following types of forums, as well as using some googlefu, you'll find loads of very specific info on this topic; survivailst forums, emergency preparedness, camping/backpacking. In addition to doing some simple searches for buyers reviews on filter/purifier type & model X, Y, & Z.
There's lots of good hardware out there, you just need to figure out what you want to spend, what you need it for/want it to do, & what size gear + it's output you're looking for.

 

[BadBowtie03]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

I want something for a SHTF scenario. Something that filters for a good while and doesn't need a new filter, something that is durable and reliable. Those are my needs. Price isn't a concern as long as its under about 250 bucks. I like the katadyn pocket, but it doesn't do virus.So that's why i was looking at the first need XL, but it has a bunch of plastic parts. I also think the simple bladder gravity sawyer 2 liter system would pack easy and be lightweight. The filter is supposed to last a lot longer than ceramic too. I've been googling and searching like crazy on different forums too. Just trying to get some ideas here also.

 

[Beef82]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Used a MSR a few years, worked good never got sick, water tasted fine, cleaned some putrid stagnant water with it a time or two when that was all that was nearby, filter obviously plugs in those conditions but can easily be flushed, moves a decent amount of water but you will wear yourself out filling 2gal bladders for camp. Don't know about other brands but one big detractor is the pivots being plastic, they will wear out, MSR replaced the thing but still out in the wilderness that doesn't mean much.

 

[Anchor Zero Six]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

XL is 115.00 msrp, replacement element is 56.00 msrp and lasts 150 gallons. Very high output per stroke, fills a 70 oz camelback bladder in about a min without much effort.

Again there are similar units and yes XL is plastic however the grade of plastic has held up better than the others in particular the MSR lever seemed to be the weak link to that unit.

XL packs better if element is removed.

Reiterate that filters are fine for most backwoods situations for removing naturally occurring critters from relatively clean sources but when the contamination is unknown or beyond what's normally encountered in your region a purifier is the way to go.

I'm not a prepper but I remember incidents of years past and I don't prescribe to the notion that it can't or won't happen in my backyard. 19 years in military and have deployed to most of the natural disasters in recent history around the world to include volcanos, hurricanes and earthquakes. I also remember St Hellen's and see Rainer everyday from my front porch. So for me simply removing cysts and bacteria is for camping and not for taking care of my family.

YMMV ( your mileage may vary lol)

 

[topgun99]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Check out homespunenviromental.com...they have a ceramic/charcoal filtration kit for $25.00. DIY with included instructions, looks like the only parts not included are two 5 gallon buckets which can be bought new at tractor supply.

 

[THE MGD]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Ive always coffee filtered / hankerchief or tshirt filtered the water into a camp steel cup, boil, add a few drops of bleach, let it sit, then use.
The mistake I made starting off was washing my gear upstream

 

[DCR]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Sawyer squeeze filter. Just pre filter the big stuff.

 

[Ring]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

having used a 1st need for the last 20 years, i can tell you 2 things... they can clog fast and are not easy backwashed to fix, and the ergonomics sucks... this is why i use my katadyn the most...


if u want fast 100% drinkable water from a 3rd world shit hole, get this

http://www.rei.com/product/799021/katadyn-mybottle-water-purifier



these are all "purifiers"

http://www.rei.com/search?search=wa...uery,water+filter^cat,4500462:Water+Purifiers

these are filters...

http://www.rei.com/search?search=wa...=query,water+filter^cat,4500461:Water+Filters

know the difference, and why you may or may not need one or the other...

 

[WillAdams]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Besides issue purification tabs (nasty, but works) I have used a katadyn (one version or another) for better than 30 years.

 

[USAF1A8]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MGD</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Ive always coffee filtered / hankerchief or tshirt filtered the water into a camp steel cup, boil, add a few drops of bleach, let it sit, then use.
The mistake I made starting off was washing my gear upstream </div></div>

This... but I use calcium hypochlorite, pound of this stuff should treat about 10000 gal of clear water and about 5000 of hazy water, and its about 10 bucks a pound. Plus, it doesnt lose potency after about a year in the bag like bleach, so it stays in my "Git Kit"

 

[Force_Multiplier]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

simple sand filter, then boil it

 

[kraigWY]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

Boil as you make coffee.

 

[Phil1]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

1. Boiling, cheapest & easiest. But doesn't remove chemicals or change taste.

2. Bleach. Similar to above. Water purification tablets do the same thing. Probably hard on your liver, kidneys, etc.

3. Above with a carbon filter of some sort. Will make the water appear clear and remove most odd tastes, some chemicals. Like this
http://www.amazon.com/Camco-40631-Premiu...6878137-8267420 These filters DO NOT REMOVE harmful micro-organisms.

4. Ceramic filter. Generally works down to .9 microns or better(.4 microns). The MSR miniworks: http://www.backcountry.com/msr-miniworks-ex-ceramic-water-filter?rr=t Is what I use although the previously mentioned Katadyn is probably a bit of a better/ more durable unit. http://www.amazon.com/Katadyn-8013618-Pocket-Water-Microfilter/dp/B0007U00YE

4. The Camco 40631 EVO (link above) is the prefilter for a http://www.discountfilterstore.com/whole-house-filter-system-doulton-w9381100.html main filter that I personally use for camping with a RV. With this I can filter very suspect water as clean as most municipalities at the rate of 5 gallons per minute.

Separate the concepts of taste, color, filters from safe. Think Ceramic for safety and carbon for taste.

Link below for boiling times, bleach application rates.


http://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthfiles/hfile49b.stm

 

[EricF517]

Re: Quickest, reliable way to filter water?

You have a lot of examples here. Personally when it comes to water a bandana comes in handy to pre-filter debris out of the water.

You are going to have extra filters at hand as they only last so long. I love my First Need filter, and the wife ordered us a a Big Berkey for at home. Same with that, we will have extra filters on hand. According to Big Berkey the 2 filters that come in it will filter 6000 gallons of water. That means for my wife, me, and my parents we could have 1500 days worth of water at a gallon a day per person.

To Force Multiplier's idea of sand, you can always add in some charcoal before to help with the flavor.