On the brinyWater, water everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink.
From "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Remembered from a long time ago, in Grade 11.
A trip of possibly 6 - 7 days means I'm not going to be able to take along enough water. I'll need to collect along the way and make it safe. There are options such as boiling and pills but I like the idea of filtering better.
I see two options, one on each side of the spectrum. A MSR MiniWorks EX for about $80 and a Katadyn Pocket Water Filter for $330. Both from MEC.
The MSR doesn't get great reviews while reviewers rave about the Katadyn. Both have 2 micron filters. What to do?
The saying "penny wise, pound foolish" comes to mind. So does "you get what you pay for". It will take some thought to make a decision. Ultimately I think it will come down to "you can't take it [money, that is] with you".
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/HikingCamping/WaterTreatment/PRD~5012-998/katadyn-vario-microfilter.jsp
ReplyDeleteTony, this is the one I bought a few years back. It's once again a little more $$, but the filter breaks down, and can be replaced seperatly. Plus depending on the water source (and how dirty it is) you can bypass the first filter. The reviews say that it slows down too quick, but only if the water is mucky, and a quick scrub on the ceramic disk and your good to go. I believe I told when looking for a filter the msr was less reliable. So I'm not saying the one I got was any better, just letting you know how I found this one. We kept three people going with no worries. And as for the money, you get a good many years out of them, if you care for them!
I bought the msr sweetwater and it works great. I've however switched to the pill's as I hate having extra weight when I don't need it. I've used the pills for 6 days with no ill effect as some of the older style water pills use to produce.
ReplyDelete(to add i use Aquatabs. Excellent.)
ReplyDeleteThanks guys, this is helpful. Stan told me he has the Katadyn Vario and Brian has the Sweetwater. Both are reported to work well. Decisions, decisions!
ReplyDeleteTony :-)