Portable water filter advice

Quickbeam

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Seeking real world experience here, not hearsay.

I was at a gun show a while back and a gentleman there was selling Clearbrook portable water filters. They fit in a 22 oz squeeze bottle. He had an aquarium filled with grey-green pond water (live alge and everything) in front of him. He would dip the bottle in, replace the filter and cap and pour the water into clear cups, allowing you to try it. He drank the same water as well, mentioning that he would finish the tank (and make many trips to the bathroom) before the show was over. Based on experience, I can tell you the tank was definitely filled with plenty of both live and decaying organic material.

The reason I'm asking is I would like to add a very easy to use, no instructions necessary, emergency water filteration system to my emergency preparedness kit, and this looks like the ticket.

Does anyone have experience with these water bottle type filters? The Clearbrook filters have somewhat impressive water test results from independent labs which includes microbiological filteration testing (eg. cryptosporidium, Giardia, etc)...

http://www.clearbrookwater.com/prod01.htm

Experience with other types of easy to use filters would be appreciated as well.

Thanks for your help!
 

Quickbeam

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wink.gif
already been there - Any other good resources of real-world experience that anyone can recommend?
 

Siriuslite

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According to the Clear Brook Water's web site, their filter only removes 99.99% of contaminants. Higher end filters will remove 99.9999% of contaminants. Depending on where your source water is coming from, this could make a difference (filled bathtub vs. scummy pond). When I backpack, I carry a MSR Waterworks. It pretty well eliminates everything I'd ever encounter in the woods and I feel safe using it.

Remember that in an emergency, the look of the water is really un-important. If you boil it for at least 5 minutes and kill off everything that's living in it, you'll be ok drinking murky water.
 

d'mo

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I've had excellent results from a Sweetwater Guardian with the iodine matrix attachement. With clear water, the ceramic filter and iodine matrix lasted well beyond the suggested lifespan. No flavor alterations and fairly good output/pump. Not the lightest or smallest, but it performed VERY will in the rural Philippines for 7 weeks. From the original cartridge and matrix, it put out enough for a family of three, plus more.
 

Siriuslite

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The total cost of ownership seems pretty steep for the Katadyne. The filter only lasts for 100 litres before needing to be replaced (good filters from MSR and Sweetwater should get at least 800 and they don't cost that much more than the replacement Katadynes). Another thing to check for is the compatibility with Nalgene bottles (the universal standard thread) and the filter. If the bottle ever cracks, it's nice to go to a camping store and pick up a cheap replacement.
 
D

**DONOTDELETE**

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sirius, I bought my last Katadyn when the Mini was the smallest you could get, (at 8 ozs. weight) and it's output is rated at 2000 gallons.. I wasn't aware till just now Katadyn all sorts of new light weight models, including a 'squeeze bottle' type you must be referring to when you mention the (only) 100 litre capacity.. still I'd go with Katadyn; quality, not quantity
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--the Katadyn lightweight filters:

http://www.katadyn.com/m/dcv/cms.php?K=01.01&O=0&L=en&M=v&UIN=a53e3080deb2313e5f 7019b8d699a397

Hydro-Photon Steripen $200 but check it out; disinfection with light using 4 AA batteries, and it takes rechargeables too, (you have to replace the light tube after 625 gallons or so)

http://www.hydro-photon.com/
 

Lighthouse

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Hmmmm....x-ray > beat me to it.
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Not trying to be redundant, but, in addition to the linked article, Equipped to Survive has some great discussions about this stuff in their forum sections. There have been discussions regarding the Steripen as well. Several of these discussion threads contain links to other very worthwhile sites regarding water purification.

FWIW, the better filters seem to be in the submicron ranges. Many of the filters that I've looked at were only in the 1-5 micron range of filtration capability.

The smaller filtration range, the better, although the trade off is how fast they get clogged up / how much $ they cost / how easily and how many times that they can be cleaned / how easily they can be used / fragility etc.

On a more personal note, another factor that some folks might want to consider is who is going to be using it? If there are medical conditions involved >examples: prone to infections, diabetes and/or any of the other multitudes of ailments out there. While you might have a great immunity and tolerance to thing, you might want to consider the better equipment for others that may have to use it.

Food for thought, I hoped the guy with the fish tank of green water at least sterilized the mouth of the bottle and filtering equipment. Doesn't do much good to have a super duper filter and then pick up cross contamination from the containers. Having some potable aqua tabs to mix up and wash off things offers peace of mind.

Hope this helps a bit.
 

Josh

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I'm with D'mo on this one, I have the guardian by sweet water. It has a .02 micron filter that treats up to 200 gallons, worked fine in the adirondaks in cranberry lake. no beaver fever fer me!
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Albany Tom

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I own and use the MSR waterworks II when camping. I have faith in the backup membrane element after the ceramic element. I like the activated carbon element. One of the things I worry most about is pesticide runoff from farmland. I like the fact that the outlet has a cover, and screws into the output jar - a regular nalgene bottle. This way, even in a camping environment where stuff is sometimes on the ground, the output side stays clean.

It's pretty big, though, and not inexpensive. I use another container to scoop up the water with, let it settle to save wear and tear on the filter, and then filter. Works great.

I'm not a fan of iodine in a filter, in part because the links I've seen on iodine indicate that it takes many minutes for it to work. Passing through a filter shouldn't do it, unless the iodine stays in the water, and I don't like that idea either - taste, mostly.
 

Quickbeam

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Ressurecting an old thread with some new info.

The Sports Authority (A big sporting goods store, like ****'s) has the Katadyn/Pur Exstream Orinoco water purifier bottle on sale for $23 - 1/2 off - normally $45 each. The replacement cartridges are $29, so I just bought 2 bottles instead of 1 bottle and a replacement filter to add to my disaster kit.

May be worth looking into if you need something like this for a disaster kit or for hiking/camping. 1 micron filtration with pre-fiilter and Iodine cartridge for disinfection all inside a squeeze bottle - no fancy set up or pumping - fill, squeeze and drink.

orinoco.jpg
 

The_LED_Museum

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Back in the 1980s, there was some kind of portable/camping water filter being advertised that was supposedly so good, you could pee in it and get drinkable water out. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
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