I’ve seen Life Straw, Sawyer, etc. I’ve also seen the rechargeable UV pen. What would be your choice to have in a backpack in case water runs low out in the woods? If you prefer the straw/filter systems, which one? Anyone tried the water bottle filter?
For backpacking, I've only used a Sawyer Mini. I carry Smart Water bottles because the Sawyer threads onto the bottle if you want to use a bottle for "dirty water" and you can use the Smart water bottle nozzle to backwash the filter so you don't have to carry the backwash syringe thing that comes with the filter.
Also, I carry a 3 liter Cnoc bladder for dirty water and that also threads onto the filter. The Sawyer comes with a smaller flat bladder, but I cut the nozzle end of that off, so I can open it up to scoop water from shallow sources and pour into the Cnoc bladder. I've used my set-up for several multi-day hikes and I like it.
Sawyers are fine as long as you can filter from clean water. Also don’t let them freeze if using in cold weather, as the filter material will break. I have one that I use for emergency situations. However, My go to is a charcoal filter like the katadyn Josh linked. They make dirty water taste better, which is a big deal if that’s your only source.
I’m not a big fan of life straws, they work fine but don’t allow you to fill containers with water.
I get a kick out of the ad for lifestraw that shows a well dressed hiker laying down on some rocks next to a creek drinking to what looks like his hearts content. Not gonna work that way. Good for backup/emergency.
I have a Katydyn as well, it's not the lightest setup but has been very dependable over the years. I subscribe to the theory of keeping all the bottles/bladders clean at all times, not carrying any dirty water, and the Katydyn quick attaches to the bladder so you don't have to open it or even get it out of your pack.
The UV pen looks intriguing but I have no experience with it, I think I still want to filter out the particulates.
I hesitate to respond since, well, everyone who knows me knows that "backpacking" isn't on my list of activities.
However, if you're going backpacking, you need to hydrate and you need to be concerned about how much weight you're carrying. My non-backpacking opinion is that you need at least one backup plan for making water safe to drink. I think the Sawyer Mini along with its collapsible water bladder is a great choice for general use (with the caveats mentioned previously), but I also think you should carry at a least a few chlorine dioxide tablets for emergency use (especially if you think there might be viral contaminants, which will pass through the Sawyer) as well as carry a metal container (like a single wall stainless water bottle) for boiling just in case. The chlorine dioxide tabs weight next to nothing and you have to carry some water in something, so a stainless 1 or 1.5 liter bottle is a good idea.
Pretty much a Sawyer squeeze but double female threads. Comes with all the accessories like the Sawyer as well. I carry some aquamira as well as a plan b. I believe as long as you have a backwash plan you should be alright using these products.
I use the same cnoc bag as listed above and the same water scoop. Sawyer is good to go as well as many others. I have been looking into a steripen as a plan b.
When in a group, I use the MSR sweet water filter because I can produce a lot of clean water, fairly quickly. I also use the Steripen Pro quite a bit and everything is backed up by Katadyn micropur water treatment tablets, esp in Latin and South America.
I took my Lifestraw Go bottle filter with me to hike Alaska a couple weeks ago. I've never had any trouble with it but hours into a trail, I needed water and it failed! I could barely get a drop through it. I had clogged it last time I used it and no amount of blowing through it would clean it out.
Luckily, I tossed a regular Lifestraw into my daughter's backpack. What a life saver! I'll dig up pics later but yes, we were dressed pretty good and layed down on the rocks next to the melting snow and drank right out of the stream. It was delicious!
Lesson learned, test your gear before you need it!
But also, every group should have at least one extra Life Straw with you. They are inexpensive and lightweight, and you need water even more than you need fire (in most circumstances).
Just a reminder on many of the water filters... do not let them freeze. Think about that if out in cold weather or just throwing in your car/truck bag.
On my last solo backpacking trip last fall I carried a Grayl filter along with a Nalgene bottle. I was happy with it but with it being new to me I carried a few treatment tablets and a pot for boiling if necessary. I plan to continue using it for my solo trips this year.
I have a First Need in my emergency closet but it is a bit heavy for backpacking. Highly recommended by my outfitter but only limited use for a couple of test by me.
Frozen but melting. Many streams of delicious fresh water running down the mountains. There's just something different about AK water. I hear it's the Ph levels.
Super light weight and super easy to use ... drop 1 tablet into 1 liter of water, wait for the tablet to dissolve, then clear the threads (invert the water bottle and unscrew the cap to allow the now chemically treated water to seep into the threads), wait 20 minutes minimum, and drink your water.
This method isn't "instant" like pumping water through a filter, but it is every bit as effective and doesn't break down, get clogged, or freeze up.