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Old 07-28-14, 02:12 PM
  #22  
Walter S
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Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Atlanta, GA. USA
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Bikes: Surly Long Haul Disc Trucker

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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?
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