[pct-l] water purification tablets

[dplotnikoff at sjmercury.com (David Plotnikoff)]

Greetings from a long-time list lurker ...

As part of my resolution to start consistently doing 20+mile days on my
section hiking next season, I have been looking at alternatives to the Pur
Hiker water filter. The Hiker's design (all-plastic body) has given me a
couple of problems in the middle of nowhere (pinhole cracks/leaks) so it
wasn't particularly dear to me.

The Aqua Mira two-part system with the drops seemed like one possibility.
But I see they cannot "officially" say that it kills crypto and giardia
because it hasn't been certified by the EPA  for that.

The exact same chemical -- chlorine dioxide -- in a different form IS EPA
certified for crypto and giardia. This is the new Katydin Micropur MP1
tablets. This seemed to be an even more promising option.

I just got the order from Campmor and I have to warn y'all: There's a huge
caveat on these tablets that I didn't see anywhere on the web
documentation: a four-HOUR dwell time. If you roll into camp dry, you're
looking at a *real* thirsty wait and a midnight dinner.

I'm going to treat these as a backup to the pump. Not a replacement. A
pity, though. I wonder why AquaMira's dwell time is something like 20
minutes vs. four hours here. It's exactly the same chemical process. My
only guess is the AquaMira drops can disperse much faster than the tabs,
which probably take a while to dissolve.

At that rate, I'd even consider grinding them up and using them in powdered
form, if that would speed up dissipation.

Ah well, that'll give me something to think about this off-season, along
with Henry's tents, assorted cat stove designs, etc ....

David Plotnikoff
Columnist/Asst. Business Editor
San Jose Mercury News
plotnikoff@sjmercury.com
voice: (408) 920-5867