Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Who drinks wild water on tour?

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Who drinks wild water on tour?

Old 07-28-14, 09:21 AM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
Posts: 3,804

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1015 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Who drinks wild water on tour?

I've been going on camping trips where I have trouble keeping enough water handy. It may take me a couple hours of riding to reach my campsite. I start that process with five water bottles and five more in a collapsible container. By the time I exit the forest the next morning and get back to my water stop, I might have a couple bottles left.

That's all manageable but it doesn't leave me enough time for exploring in the forest. This weekend I reached my campsite just after noon and would like to go hiking or ride some of the trails. But I have to conserve effort so I don't need too much water.

I've never learned to treat wild water but there's plenty of it in the forest. The forest is a water shed for the Atlanta area and hosts the Etowah River and the Amicalola Creek.

Who treats water on your tours? What equipment or tablets do you carry? How concerned do I need to be about what's upstream?
Walter S is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 09:34 AM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: NE Ohio
Posts: 2,586

Bikes: 1992 Serotta Colorado II,Co-Motion Speedster, Giant Escape Hybrid, 1977 Schwinn Super Le Tour

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 453 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 112 Times in 85 Posts
This is an interesting post and I am also looking forward to the replies.
Tandem Tom is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 09:37 AM
  #3  
Let's Ride!
 
RidingMatthew's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Triad, NC USA
Posts: 2,569

Bikes: --2010 Jamis 650b1-- 2016 Cervelo R2-- 2018 Salsa Journeyman 650B

Mentioned: 22 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 327 Post(s)
Liked 37 Times in 24 Posts
i have a Sawyer mini it weighs only 2 oz i have not used it yet but I thinking of bringing it on my tour.
RidingMatthew is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 09:45 AM
  #4  
 
BigAura's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Chapin, SC
Posts: 3,423

Bikes: all steel stable: surly world troller, paris sport fixed, fuji ss

Mentioned: 10 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 623 Post(s)
Liked 55 Times in 33 Posts
I carry a Sawyer inline because I do a good bit of back-country camping while on my tours. Here's my gravity filter system in action. I can also use it in a water bottle as a "sipper".

BigAura is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 10:01 AM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
hilltowner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Ashfield, Mass.
Posts: 491
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 10 Posts
Aquamira is all I have used when it's been necessary to drink from streams and lakes. I've used it thru-hiking on the Long Trail, following Rte 389 in Quebec/Labrador, on the K & P Trail in Ontario for those occasions when the only water available is "wild."
hilltowner is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 10:09 AM
  #6  
imi
aka Timi
 
imi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Posts: 3,227

Bikes: Bianchi Lupo (touring) Bianchi Volpe (commuter), Miyata On Off Road Runner

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 151 Post(s)
Liked 123 Times in 93 Posts
Who drinks wild water on tour?

The only place I've drunk wild water was on New Zealand's south island. Both from lakes and melting glacier ice which was wonderful!

I've had a Katadyn Pocket filter but rarely used it and can't justify the weight. Will buy a Sawyer next time I'm in the USA (haven't seen them in europe)
imi is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 10:17 AM
  #7  
Senior Member
 
hilltowner's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Ashfield, Mass.
Posts: 491
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 10 Posts
Originally Posted by hilltowner
Aquamira is all I have used
This article explains my confidence in the stuff: Backpacking Light magazine

Phil
hilltowner is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 10:19 AM
  #8  
Custom User Title
 
RPK79's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: SE MN
Posts: 11,239

Bikes: Fuji Roubaix Pro & Quintana Roo Kilo

Mentioned: 40 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2863 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 31 Times in 14 Posts
Originally Posted by hilltowner
Aquamira is all I have used when it's been necessary to drink from streams and lakes. I've used it thru-hiking on the Long Trail, following Rte 389 in Quebec/Labrador, on the K & P Trail in Ontario for those occasions when the only water available is "wild."
I've brought similar on a week long hiking trip through the north shore of Lake Superior only it was in tablet form. We were able to keep supplied on water without resorting to their use though.
RPK79 is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 10:49 AM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
bikebuddha's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Somewhere in time
Posts: 1,137
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
I've got and MSR filter pump combo (at least I think I do now that I think about it I haven't seen it for a while) which works pretty well. That being said I hike and bike in the same area you do and I've been known to drink untreated spring water if I can find its exit point and it looks clean. Stupid I know but so far I'm parasite free.
__________________
The few, the proud, the likely insane, Metro-Atlanta bicycle commuters.
bikebuddha is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 10:57 AM
  #10  
Banned.
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Uncertain
Posts: 8,651
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Travel Water Purifier, Aquapure Traveller, Bottled Filtration | Pure Hydration

Aquapure Traveller. Unbeatable.
chasm54 is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 11:20 AM
  #11  
Banned
 
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: NW,Oregon Coast
Posts: 43,598

Bikes: 8

Mentioned: 197 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7607 Post(s)
Liked 1,354 Times in 861 Posts
another shopping tout thread..


I bought Katadyne Pocket Filter 30 years ago, to allow stream water to be pumped through it , to be safe.
a silver impregnated swiss made ceramic filter sleeve
water is sucked through it , so outside silt can be cleaned off if source is muddy.

any Buyers? it will out last my lifespan.

Last edited by fietsbob; 07-28-14 at 11:26 AM.
fietsbob is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 11:28 AM
  #12  
cyclopath
 
vik's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: Victoria, BC
Posts: 5,264

Bikes: Surly Krampus, Surly Straggler, Pivot Mach 6, Bike Friday Tikit, Bike Friday Tandem, Santa Cruz Nomad

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times in 6 Posts
Originally Posted by Walter S
Who treats water on your tours? What equipment or tablets do you carry? How concerned do I need to be about what's upstream?
I carry 1 x 750ml water bottle on my bike with another 750ml or 1.5L bottle on the bike depending on the tour. I usually also have an empty 2L water bag in my pack.

I fill from creeks along the route during the day. If I am high up in the mountains where I can see the source of the creek I won't bother treating it at all.

If I am lower down I'll mix up some Pristine drops and throw it into the bottle.

I fill up the 2L water bag at camp or just before camp when there is no water at camp. This gives me water for dinner and breakfast. If I am boiling the water I don't bother treating it.

I have been eyeing up one of those water bottles with the built in filter so I can just scoop water out of a creek and go without mixing the Pristine drops.

I'm mostly touring in the mountains of BC where there are loads of quality water sources along almost every route.
__________________
safe riding - Vik
VikApproved
vik is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 11:48 AM
  #13  
Other Worldly Member
 
Jseis's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2012
Location: The old Northwest Coast.
Posts: 1,540

Bikes: 1973 Motobecane Grand Jubilee, 1981 Centurion Super LeMans, 2010 Gary Fisher Wahoo, 2003 Colnago Dream Lux, 2014 Giant Defy 1, 2015 Framed Bikes Minnesota 3.0, several older family Treks

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 194 Post(s)
Liked 136 Times in 53 Posts
As an aside; I was Scout in the late 60's, we started boiling all our free range water to avoid "beaver fever". I recall hiking the Sequoia-Whitney trail in the early 80's & we boiled (I carried a small portable pressure cooker... sweet!) & treated all water, even the water from 10'000'+ lakes with floating bergs. We came across a bear that the rangers had tipped us off about. That bear did a daily 4,000' elevation gain hike just to harass campers at like 11'000 feet. I still carry purification tablets out of ancient habit but there are sure a lot of options for filtering and treatment.
__________________
Make ******* Grate Cheese Again
Jseis is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 12:07 PM
  #14  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
All my bike touring is near enough to civilization that I do not bring filters or chemical treatment.

Canoeing, backpacking, kayaking, I bring a filter and I usually bring some chlorine bleach as a backup.

Filters. I use a Katadyn Combi filter for canoeing or kayaking. I also have a Katadyn mini which takes about four times as long to pump any water thru it, I only bring the mini on backpacking trips where I want to go ultra light because this filter is so slow to get any water. A friend that I camp with also likes the MSR filter. All of the filters I cite here are ceramic filters.

Chemicals. For those rare times when I do not us a filter, I use chlorine bleach. Have a small one oz bottle with a flip top closure. I use 4 drops per liter which is twice the dosage that EPA recommends for emergency water supplies. If you use chemical treatment, make sure that the bottle lid and threads are also treated. See this link for dosage information:
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water | Emergency Preparedness | US EPA

Filters do not screen out viruses. Chemicals might not kill some of the largest microbes like giardia. But of the bad things out there, generally viruses are not a concern if you are far from civilization, that is more of a concern where humans or domesticated animals are present. When I backpacked on Isle Royale, the park staff were clear to everyone that chemical treatment was inadequate there, boiling or filters were necessary because of a parasite associated with their moose population.

Other options - unless the problem is chemical contamination, boiling should make any water drinkable since that will kill off any microbial population of concern. This is not convenient for large quantities, but because boiling works, I do not bother to filter my coffee water before I boil it. I only filter water that I will not boil. Because boiling is effective, you could boil up a batch of water in the evening and let it cool in your cooking pot(s) during the night before you put it in your bottles in the morning.

When I saw the title, I assumed "wild water" was some new energy drink. I have never heard anyone refer to wild water before.
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 12:13 PM
  #15  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 293
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I carried an MSR Waterworks filter on my last tour (3 weeks in Central Colorado, combination of dirt roads, hiking, and a little bit of singletrack), and was pleased with it. It takes about 1 minute per liter, and the ceramic filter is easy to clean when it gets dirty. It's a bit heavy (18 oz or so), and if I was doing a short tour (2-3 days), I'd probably just take chlorine dioxide tablets. Those take about 6 hours to be effective, and I wouldn't want to use them for more than a few days, but they're a lot lighter than the filter.

The only time I've ever used wild water without treating was when I found a spring along the Blue Ridge Parkway, and a local road cyclist assured me he drank the water from that spring regularly without a problem.
gorshkov is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 12:49 PM
  #16  
imi
aka Timi
 
imi's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Posts: 3,227

Bikes: Bianchi Lupo (touring) Bianchi Volpe (commuter), Miyata On Off Road Runner

Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 151 Post(s)
Liked 123 Times in 93 Posts
Who drinks wild water on tour?

This thread reminded me, back in the day I carried a small phial of potassium permanganate crystals.

The idea was that pink water is potable, more concentrated purple, antiseptic. Dunno how accurate this was, I only used it a couple of times.

Customs at international borders loved finding my wierdly coloured crystals, but became disapointed over my explanation :/
imi is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 12:58 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Bay Area, Calif.
Posts: 7,239
Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 659 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 7 Times in 6 Posts
I have one of the SteriPen UV sterilizer gadgets. It does require that the water be reasonably clear so the UV light reaches anything nasty in the water. Takes 90 seconds to purify a liter of water and is supposed to take care of both viruses and bacteria.
prathmann is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 01:33 PM
  #18  
Senior Member
 
staehpj1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 11,837
Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1236 Post(s)
Liked 744 Times in 554 Posts
Tough to beat the new Sawyer Mini filter. Light, small, cheap, and woks great.
staehpj1 is online now  
Old 07-28-14, 01:45 PM
  #19  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
Posts: 3,804

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1015 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by bikebuddha
...I hike and bike in the same area you do...
Don't we all



(that being somewhere in time)
Walter S is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 01:46 PM
  #20  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
Posts: 3,804

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1015 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by staehpj1
Tough to beat the new Sawyer Mini filter. Light, small, cheap, and woks great.
Glad I asked. Thanks to everybody for the Sawyer tip.
Walter S is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 01:49 PM
  #21  
Senior Member
 
zandoval's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: Bastrop Texas
Posts: 4,416

Bikes: Univega, Peu P6, Peu PR-10, Ted Williams, Peu UO-8, Peu UO-18 Mixte, Peu Dolomites

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 928 Post(s)
Liked 1,594 Times in 1,020 Posts
Nice to know there are people still drinking water. I have needed to recondition myself to tap water. Imagine, I got so spoiled with drinking bottled water I started to lose my taste for tap water. Now I drink from the tap regularly (yes... Even at Ft Hood, TX). I am one of those guys that will stop and tackle a sprinkler in a front yard for water. Filtering wild, water is not a big issue now days with all the compact filtering devices out there. Let's not forget the old school ways of improvising CLOROX and 2% IODINE tincture. Here is the basic formula used by most of the military guys all over the world.

1st: Select as clean as a source as possible and filter through something. (Coffee filter, sock, T-shirt...) This will get floaties out of the water and make your chem treatment more effective.

2nd: For a liter of clear water add 5 drops of regular CLOROX (the EPA suggests 8 drops per gallon). In the military we found that 5 drops per liter was about the maximum amount of Clorox you can stand without any side effects giving you a three drop extra "kill the bugs" effect. Note: 5 drops per liter smells and tastes like about 36 PPM but could be as high as 90 PPM (Water Buffalo or Lister Bag water).

3rd: Wait for the chemicals to take effect. The colder the environment, the longer it takes. Twenty min or so...

If you are going to use 2% Tenture of Iodine then use two drops per liter.

Also remember that direct sunlight can treat water. Supposedly you can take clear plastic bottles of water and leave them in the direct sunlight for a few hours and kill pertinent bugs from its ultraviolet light.

OK... That's the old school way, meaning 60s and 70s. Wish I had a line on a US Army 68 Siera. Then I could find out how out of line I am...
zandoval is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 02:12 PM
  #22  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
Posts: 3,804

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1015 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by Tourist in MSN
All my bike touring is near enough to civilization that I do not bring filters or chemical treatment.

Canoeing, backpacking, kayaking, I bring a filter and I usually bring some chlorine bleach as a backup.

Filters. I use a Katadyn Combi filter for canoeing or kayaking. I also have a Katadyn mini which takes about four times as long to pump any water thru it, I only bring the mini on backpacking trips where I want to go ultra light because this filter is so slow to get any water. A friend that I camp with also likes the MSR filter. All of the filters I cite here are ceramic filters.

Chemicals. For those rare times when I do not us a filter, I use chlorine bleach. Have a small one oz bottle with a flip top closure. I use 4 drops per liter which is twice the dosage that EPA recommends for emergency water supplies. If you use chemical treatment, make sure that the bottle lid and threads are also treated. See this link for dosage information:
Emergency Disinfection of Drinking Water | Emergency Preparedness | US EPA

Filters do not screen out viruses. Chemicals might not kill some of the largest microbes like giardia. But of the bad things out there, generally viruses are not a concern if you are far from civilization, that is more of a concern where humans or domesticated animals are present. When I backpacked on Isle Royale, the park staff were clear to everyone that chemical treatment was inadequate there, boiling or filters were necessary because of a parasite associated with their moose population.

Other options - unless the problem is chemical contamination, boiling should make any water drinkable since that will kill off any microbial population of concern. This is not convenient for large quantities, but because boiling works, I do not bother to filter my coffee water before I boil it. I only filter water that I will not boil. Because boiling is effective, you could boil up a batch of water in the evening and let it cool in your cooking pot(s) during the night before you put it in your bottles in the morning.

When I saw the title, I assumed "wild water" was some new energy drink. I have never heard anyone refer to wild water before.
I ordered a Sawyer and I guess I'll get started with that. As to what's "remote" from civilization, that seems a little ambiguous. How far away is far enough? Case in point, I frequently camp in Dawson Forest. This is 10k acres of forest. It is bordered by a "relatively" rural area. But then again it's really not all that far from Atlanta. Is that water safe from viruses? And what about chemicals? How would I know?
Walter S is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 02:31 PM
  #23  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
Posts: 3,804

Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1015 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Originally Posted by zandoval
Nice to know there are people still drinking water. I have needed to recondition myself to tap water. Imagine, I got so spoiled with drinking bottled water I started to lose my taste for tap water. Now I drink from the tap regularly (yes... Even at Ft Hood, TX). I am one of those guys that will stop and tackle a sprinkler in a front yard for water. Filtering wild, water is not a big issue now days with all the compact filtering devices out there. Let's not forget the old school ways of improvising CLOROX and 2% IODINE tincture. Here is the basic formula used by most of the military guys all over the world.

1st: Select as clean as a source as possible and filter through something. (Coffee filter, sock, T-shirt...) This will get floaties out of the water and make your chem treatment more effective.

2nd: For a liter of clear water add 5 drops of regular CLOROX (the EPA suggests 8 drops per gallon). In the military we found that 5 drops per liter was about the maximum amount of Clorox you can stand without any side effects giving you a three drop extra "kill the bugs" effect. Note: 5 drops per liter smells and tastes like about 36 PPM but could be as high as 90 PPM (Water Buffalo or Lister Bag water).

3rd: Wait for the chemicals to take effect. The colder the environment, the longer it takes. Twenty min or so...

If you are going to use 2% Tenture of Iodine then use two drops per liter.

Also remember that direct sunlight can treat water. Supposedly you can take clear plastic bottles of water and leave them in the direct sunlight for a few hours and kill pertinent bugs from its ultraviolet light.

OK... That's the old school way, meaning 60s and 70s. Wish I had a line on a US Army 68 Siera. Then I could find out how out of line I am...
Interesting. Is this chemical method protecting me from more than what a filter will do? I would think if the water is visibly cloudy then I'd want to filter it whether I treat it chemically or not. Would you agree?

I have some concern about the long term effects of chemical treatment.
Walter S is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 02:32 PM
  #24  
DBA
Guest
 
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 211
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
I'll filter it, boil it and drink it. I don't really trust the chemical treatments that much. The ion treatment systems, with my luck, would run out of battery out in the middle of nowhere.
Boiling for 3 minutes at a rolling boil kills everything I know of. That's actually overkill, but if you've ever had giardia, overkill isn't a bad thing.
DBA is offline  
Old 07-28-14, 02:50 PM
  #25  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 293
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by prathmann
I have one of the SteriPen UV sterilizer gadgets. It does require that the water be reasonably clear so the UV light reaches anything nasty in the water. Takes 90 seconds to purify a liter of water and is supposed to take care of both viruses and bacteria.
As I understand it, UV doesn't actually kill most bugs, it just neutralizes them and prevents them from reproducing for a certain amount of time. The idea is that they get through your digestive system before they can make more of themselves. So if you do UV, make sure you either drink or discard the treated water and don't leave it sitting in your bottles for more than a day or so.
gorshkov is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.