[pct-l] water filters

[Len Glassner]

On 2/17/09, Fuzz McPherson <fuzzmcpherson at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Hey, what water filters have everyone found useful

I used this one last year -

http://www.amazon.com/Aquamira%C2%AE-Frontier-Ultralight-Water-Filter/dp/B000WG40ZS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1234972929&sr=8-4

Weighs two ounces.  You can save another .5 ounce by removing the bite
valve cover, but after you drag the bite valve through the dirt,
you'll appreciate its value.

I plugged it into the end of my hydration tube.  It also has threads
to screw directly onto a bottle.  The flow rate is good, IMO.

It's rated for 50 gallons.  Wasn't sure how long one would last, so I
carried a spare.  I was still on the first one when heading into
Hikertown at mile 512, and it fell off the end of my tube and I didn't
notice, couldn't find it.  (At first I secured the filter under my
sternum strap, the second one I holstered in a webbed front pocket on
a shoulder strap pocket.)  The replacement worked fine for another
1300 miles, when I quit the trail.

It comes with some easily-replaced prefilters.  I did this maybe once.
 Most of the water I used was pretty clean to start with, and I used a
small Coughlan funnel with a built-in screen when filling my Platys.

I can't speak from much experience, but you can pull the bite valve
off and use it as a gravity filter. (I don't cook.)  If you search,
you can find a youtube video by a fellow who set up a system to do
this.