[pct-l] Pct-L Digest, Vol 51, Issue 6

[K Sorbello]

Re: bleach v. pump v. Sawyer

There is another water treatment option I never see mentioned. Aquamira makes an in-line filter, called the FrontierPro - similar to the Sawyer but sleeker, slightly lighter (if I remember accurately) and MUCH less expensive. It uses a replaceable pre-filter, which is about the size of a quarter and weighs about a gram maybe.  At home install onto the end of the tubing to your bag (we used a platypus) and hike! Fill your waterbag (we used with water straight from the source - pond, creek, tank,etc. - stick the bag back in your pack and drink. No pumping, no waiting, no taste, minimal weight, sits outside the pack as it's the mouthpiece as well as the filter, so no volume lost in your pack. On our '09 thru-hike of the JMT my husband and I each used one. We were the only ones with them, and were stopped by other hikers and even rangers who had never seen such things.  You hold or hang your bag above your pot or toothbrush and squeeze the mouthpiece to "pour" water, otherwise you just drink. They aren't carried in any stores we've found, but can be ordered online at the AquaMira site; look for the Frontier Pro. We've never used our pump filter since. 


 Pct-L Digest, Vol 51, Issue 6