The Base Camp

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LBell

11:38

@Ryley I've been a big fan of the sweetwater (which got bought by MSR) light, fast, easily cleanable (and pumps on both the push and pull stroke). If in silty areas, you can get a pre-filter (or let your water settle).

4 hours later…

Ryley

15:49

@LBell Yeah, I just always found that treating water is going to be fiddly - with pumps (cleaning filters, pumping, repairing clogs, replacing filters) or with chemicals (have to mix, time, then add to water, and wait).... so I just went with the lighter solution - 1 or 2 oz of chemicals vs 8 oz of a pump (and I believe at the time, my pump was actually a pound!)

3 hours later…

Russell Steen

18:22

@Ryley -- I use iodine tablets and so far they aren't very fiddly. I also cut corners and don't treat the water I use for my boil-n-pour food because I'm boiling it. I use the 30 minutes it takes for the iodine to finish to boil and "cook".

I asked largely because I like the idea of the filter for the AT. After researching the iodine question, I do not think it will hurt me, but 6 months of iodine water makes me at least consider other options.

Ryley

18:33

@RussellSteen Does iodine have a noticeable taste? I've never used it but heard that it tastes horrible

Russell Steen

Not if you buy the neutralizers as well

which are basically just vitamin C

Ryley

Russell Steen

rei.com/product/406032/…

Ryley

and extra vitamin C doesn't hurt :)

Russell Steen

it's about $10/pack

and a pack lasts me multiple weekend hikes

Ryley

18:36

sounds pretty good... still have to wait for it to do it's thing to the water, but at least it's only one set of timing

Russell Steen

yeah, i've read up on aquamira and it seems like a lot can go wrong with it

so i've been nervous about trying it

Ryley

I've used it on thru-hikes, seemed pretty straightforward except for the timing... I usually repackaged it into smaller bottles too, but that's just UL anal-ness :)

but the iodine, especially the tablets versions I've seen, those seem easiest

dunno about the weight difference for a similar amount

Russell Steen

19:02

yeah, i repack everything into better/smaller containers

a tablet, which is TINY weighs basically nothing and treats .5 liter

With the super heavy glass containers, it weighs 6oz

that treats 25 liters

so worst case 6oz/25 liters of treatment

(50 tablets per glass vial)

1 hour later…

Ryley