[pct-l] lightwight water purification on the PCT

[jeffreyn at sonic.net (Jeffrey Zimmerman)]

On Wed, 24 Nov 2004 00:49:02 -0800, Jeff Moorehead 
<jeffmoorehead1@cox.net> wrote:

> I would be interested in hearing about solutions to water purification 
> that don't involve boiling ...
>  1) Lightest method-- don't worry about it ...
>  2) Next lightest-- tablets or chlorine dioxide solutions. ...
>  3) Water filter bottles ...
>  4) MSR MIOX. ...
>  5) And then the long list of water filters ...

The very first place to start is by reading about the need for 
purification:
there is such a need but it's a lot less than most people suppose.
<URL: http://www.yosemite.org/naturenotes/Giardia.htm >
The next of course is to realize that anecdotal evidence is not scientific
evidence, and is good only for campfire lies.

Essentially the Yosemite Association papers says all water is contaminated,
but that certain threshholds of contamination are necessary before 
infection
results.  It goes on to say that much of the Sierra water supply contam-
ination is below measured levels in domestic tap water.

But that's for only for some of the more famous bugs.  There's always
e. coli to mess things up.  However, even here the article suggests that
simple domestic hygiene (washing one's hands, particularly after 
elimination)
is the best preventative.

I've met people who treated everything with Polar Pure iodine solution.  
<URL:
http://www.polarequipment.com/ >  Simple, largely effective, gives the old
thryoid a quick thrill.  Bounces right off one of the protozoans
(Cryptosporidium parvum, fortunately rare, as I hear).
There's always the ascorbic acid after-treatment which apparently 
precipitates
out the remaining free iodine.  All drinks are lemonade.

Most people I've met filtered most of the time but used squeeze bottles 
some
of the time.  Filtering clean water into a dirty bottle poses a logical 
problem,
at least in my mind.  My observations of the Katadyn Pocket Filter match 
yours,
reliable, effective, durable, and weighty.  Doesn't purify the container.

Me, I've used the Aqua Mira dual solution when I had doubts about the 
water,
about a third of the time.  BTW the Miox chemistry is also chlorine 
dioxide,
just delivered in a different manner -- or at least so I hear.  The cost 
of the
Miox unit itself buys a lot of Aqua Mira.  I find that Aqua Mira is
difficult to buy in California (out of state sources deliver it readily, 
though),
apparently due to unfinished acceptance by state health authorities.  
You'll
notice how particularly modest and vague vague are the performance claims 
on
the manufacturer's web site:  <URL: 
http://www.mcnett.com/page.cfm?pageID=947 >

"Ya pays yer money and takes yer chances!"

-- 
Jeffrey Neil Zimmerman
Sonoma County, The Left Coast