Howdy,

What do you use for water purification/treatment for drinking/cooking? The most convenient/lightweight seems to be the Platypus Gravity filter - however, it doesn't filter viruses out? The other thing I was looking at was the Steripen but seems to be a bit unreliable and I think it's need of batteries is neither convenient or environmentally friendly...

Any experiences?

MSR Hyperflow and if necessary water sterilisation tablets

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I once brought a water MSR miniworks half way through Africa and didn't use it once. I guess it is easier to find bottled water than puddles to treat most places... Now I leave it at home and stock up on bottled water and bring tablets in case of emergencies. Also, cooking water works well also.

I would only consider bringing it on a trip if I frequently was to stay away from hotels, restaurants, shops, fuel stations, etc, or clean tap water, for more than four days in a row. Any shorter and I would bring water in bottles/cans/bags.

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along the westcoast there are many waterpumps from colunial times along the east coast camping places and shops so i hardly used my chlor tablets:

Diavortrag: Die Welt da draussen ist auch HD

I use the Platypus gravity filter these days. No, it doesn't filter viruses, but I'm not convinced that water-borne virus diseases are very common (although there's no question they exist).

I don't like leaving a trail of non-recyclable plastic bottles behind me wherever I go. I'll buy them where I need to, but usually just filter tap water. It's easy, and the Platypus does three liters at once without any effort.

I used to have a pump filter with a bacterial filter, a charcoal stage and an iodine stage. It was rumored to take care of everything under the sun....but then it broke internally and I got amoebas before I figured out something wasn't right. There's no perfect solution.

Mark

Hi Mark,

Thanks - that was the one I was going to buy.

Ta-Rider - I'll be in S.America - how did you find the availability of tap water there?

Thanks,

7055.

Check out MSR MIOX, it is tiny, weighs less than 100g, and to my understanding, is the most effective solution that kills just about everything, It works by ionizing salt and water. It can effortlessly clean up to four liters/1gallon in a go... but you have to wait a long time before you can drink it.

MSR MIOX Purifier Pen Mixed oxidants, On site Hypochlorite generation, Biofilm, Chlorination, Municipal Water disinfection treatment reuse

Drawbacks is that it is slow and doesn't remove impurities - only sterilizes the water.

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Hi in southamerica it was no problem at all to get tap water all the way round so i never had to buy it. Also good food and fruits are available everywhere for allmoast free. Southamerica is a very easy place to travel with lots of friendly people

Motorbike trip around Southamerica: Chile and Argentina part 1

I use the Steripen Classic with rechargeable batteries. Its been fantastic, but after 15 months of travel it has gotten a little bit flaky. But I would still get it again. I have a USB charger for the AA batteries and use Eneloop batteries so that they don't loose a charge when I'm not using it.

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We use a Katadyn with ceramic filter and coal. Fits nicely in a tool tube, easy to handle and very reliable. I´m not into drinking dead bacteriae, viruses or whatever it is by using a steripen, I don´t want them in my water at all.
Cheers
Chris

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Which model keks?

I use a webtex bottle canteen. It fits into my mug perfectly. Much longer life than the bottles they sell on the travel websites.

Web-tex SURVIVA-PURE SYSTEM, water purification system, safe drinking water from Surplus and Adventure secure online Army & Navy store

It works fine.

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We use MSR Miniworks and also have the Steripen Classic.

Cycling in SE Asia at the moment. Haven't bought any water to date (or any of our other trips). Use the MSR to filter tap water or any other water for that matter. Also use the Steripen on its own sometimes. We filter about 8 liters of water per day.

You have to clean the MSR frequently (about once a week), but it takes 2 minutes. Just a good scrub to get the dirt off the filter.

The Steripen and MSR must've paid for themselves about 100 times over in our travels...makes you think how many plastic bottles that would be.

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I've just bought a Solarbag and only tested it in my backyard but it looks very promising. It removes all bacteria, vira etc. including pesticides and metals.

They specify 3 hours in full sun and 6 hours in overcast. Mine did it in 2 and 4 hours.

Puralytics :: SolarBag

Here's the European distributor, mail addr. at the bottom, their page is not yet set up for the Solarbag:
Doe-Het-Zelf zonnepanelen bij zonnepanelen123zonnepanelen123

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May you enjoy peace and good health !

All the above are valid water treatment systems.
The one I would recommend for travel is Lifesaver Bottle - Water Purification Systems
Get extra charcoal filters as they only work for about 250 to 400 litres depending on purity of the water put throught them. It is compact and effective. The main filter will do about 60,000 liters, yes, 2 years approx.
I have carried all of the water systems at some time or another, but in my opinion the Lifesaver with a Miox kit is probably the best combination. The British army now use it.
Consider tap water unsafe, as most municipal (not all) water treatment plants in South America are at least 20 years old and exceed their design throughput by 50%. Most water treatment plants in South America either over clorinate, or do not chlorinate at all.

Be aware that toxins such as PCB's, and arsenic, can enter throught the skin when you are dehydrated and shower. Riding long distance on a motorcycle will dehydrate you even in cold weather, especially at high altitude. Carry rehydration salts with you, available at most farmacia. Drink 1 litre water and wait 20 minutes before showering. This also applies to swimming in the sea or surfing. If you are drinking lots of water and are thirsty, you are dehydrated, use the salts to balance the body's electrolytes.

You are most likely asking, who the heck is this guy?
My business is water treatment and I have worked in Africa, Asia, Arabia, Europe, north and south America.
I am currently on a survey in South America, on the specific toxicity of the water. I have just spent 3 months in The Atacama, Northern Chile and Argentina, testing water supplies. No, results are not yet released.
Drink bottled water as a safety measure when available.
No I don't own shares in Lifesaver, and am not associated with the company.

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