[pct-l] Desert water filters

[Walljito]

Hey Shroomer,

Wouldn't a coffee filter block all the "stuff" that the Sawyers & others
get blocked with? I'm referring to the paper variety that you put in the
basket of a maker before putting the grounds in. They come in a variety
of shapes & sizes, weight nothing and are cheap. Seems like a ziploc
with a half-dozen of these and a few rubber bands would solve the
"stuff" issue for quite a variety of "stuff".

- Walljito 

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Williams [mailto:baidarker at gmail.com] 

Hey Timberline,

How early you start and how much rain we've gotten in CA are important
factors in figuring out your question.  I hiked the PCT in a relatively wet
year and started early.  Sources that were flowing for me were not for
others who followed a few weeks or a month behind.  They probably
prefiltered more than I did.  I think I used my bandana 5 or 6 times all
summer.  Not much, and all of that was in the desert sections.  I used a
Steri Pen for that hike.  Last year I used a Sawyer Squeeze on the CDT and
prefiltered 5 or 6 times, in NM and the Great Basin.  A bandana still gets
out the chunks.  It does nothing for the brown color.  You just hope it's
mud and not cow!  That was much more of an issue on the CDT than it was on
the PCT.  The CDT has way more animals overall, elk, pronghorn, beaver,
mountain goats, bighorn sheep, grizz, and millions of domestic cattle and
sheep.  It's the National Barnyard for thousands of miles.

Happy filtering.

Shroomer