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Our group has been fishing together for 30 years. Normally, our trips have been to drive-to outfitter locations where we can unload everything directly into the cabin. On many of these trips we’ve taken two 18 liter car buoys of drinking water.

However, this Aug, six of us are signed up for a week long walleye trip into a more remote cabin location. Everything we want/require must go into 16 foot aluminum boats and be transported over 2 portages (using a flatbed on rails). To avoid the weight and space requirements of two 18 liter car buoys of drinking water, I plan instead to take in a portable water filter, a MSR MiniWorks EX Filter – see http://www.rei.com/product/47575396.htm capable of producing 1 liter per minute. The resultant filtered water is acceptably clean of any bacteria but will still require further treatment (boiling or chlorination) to kill any viruses.

I’d appreciate learning how others address the provision of acceptably safe drinking water on such trips. Thanks in advance.

Tomcat, that sounds like a neat system.

When we portaged Algonquin, we couldn't carry a whole lot either (everything had to fit in our packs/on our backs and in our canoes). We had some drinking water, but for cooking we would use the lake water and boil the bejeepers out of it.

Maybe not the recommended method, but I didn't die or pick up giarrdia.

W.

I use a very similar portable water filter when I canoe trip. It's excellent but for 6 of you, you'll need at least 3 to pump enough drinking water for you all.

If you are really worried about viruses (virii?) get some iodine tablets, rei should sell them. I don't use them because I hate the taste of the water afterwards but they will add that extra layer of protection that a water filter can't.

When I went portaging in Algonquin, we used the iodine tablets. Not sure where to get them... we got ours off the portaging outfitter. Shouldn't be too hard to find them.

We used them to treat the lake water. I didn't really notice and difference in taste, but then again, we were mixing the water with juice crystals.

Actually, we ran out a couple days in to the trip, and ended up drinking the lake water straight. There was a fire ban on, so boiling the water wasn't really an option.

Water water everywhere...

Big-Ty: Even if there is a fire ban on you legally can have a fire for survival purposes. We use the iodine tablets and you used to be able to get them at Lebarons. The only other way I know of is to do what Wolfe suggested...Boil the Bejeepers out of it. Ya dont want that pesky Beaver Fever.

Get one of those ceramic filter jobbies -- like the MSR. I've used one for wilderness canoe camping and you just pump your water as you go. No extra weight to carry ... though I'm sure you'll miss the lovely taste of iodine

i have spent many a wk on islands alone and with groups wilderness
camping

i have been using the msr filters for years. i do not boil water or use iodine with the filter,.. works fine, small easy to carry, base screws onto
a nalgene bottle or onto the large plastic water jugs

a little slow i think 1 litre / min but weights nothing

i have also done the same as big-ty with the jiuce crystals to kill the taste
worked grand

to find everything your looking for go to mec or expedition shop or traihead

they have the best selection of water treatment


you have yourself a good time and yes i am jealous can i come an be the camp slut??

nofish (bob)

Hi Tomcat,

Sounds like a good system. I'd suggest adding some camel packs to the outfit. You can start with them full of water from home and refill them as you go along. That way you always have water on hand.

If iodine does the trick then it's the way to go. Might taste crappy but better than getting a viral disease. How common is viral disease from lake/river water?

I was 4-days-worth-of-portaging deep in algonquin once when I was a teen with a friend. We met a couple of guys who came from Germany for a canoe trip. They had a 24 of coke with them! We couldn't believe they lugged it all the way in.

They were real nice guys though - they gave us a can. Best tasting coke I ever had!

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Here's some information I have found on providing safe drinking water in the wilderness.

Bacteria range in size from 0.2 to 10 microns. Symptoms of infection (diarrhea is common) may appear within 6 hours or 3 to 5 days out. They may last 4 days or longer.

When comparing water filters and water purifiers, look for an absolute, not nominal, pore size of 0.2 microns. This industry wide benchmark indicates the system's smallest filtering capability. No bacteria larger than 0.2 microns can get through. Though a larger pore size of 0.3 or 0.4 microns may suffice in most situations, why take chances with your health?

Viruses range in size from 0.004 microns to 0.1 microns. Examples of viruses are Hepatitis A, rotavirus, Norwalk virus and polio. Viruses are the least common pathogens found in the wilderness. Viruses that afflict humans usually only reach backcountry water sources via human fecal matter.

To fully disinfect suspect water using a water filter, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends:

1) mechanically filtering the water,
2) treating it with a halogen (chlorine or an iodine solution),
3) letting it sit 15 to 60 minutes,
4) then drinking.

While simple and inexpensive, the use of halogens, particularly iodine, includes some additional potential drawbacks. Iodized water presents a taste some people find objectionable. Iodine can be unhealthful for some people, particularly for pregnant women, individuals with thyroid conditions or people who use it for periods of longer than 14 days.

Boiling water is considered 100 percent effective against protozoan cysts, nontoxic bacteria and viruses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends bringing water to a rolling boil to kill microorganisms in water. The primary drawback to boiling only is that any sediment in the lake water is not removed.

Another water filter used by many is the Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Microfilter.

One thing I forgot to mention - the more suspended solids there are in the water, the less effective chlorine is. Lesson learned from when Walkerton was in the news. If the water isn't clear, prolly a good idea to filter first then add the chlorine (dunno if this applies to iodine as well, but maybe so).

scott

hell, just drink beer.

Tomcat,
I have been using similar filters for many years and they are great. One thing I need to tell you. As long as you don't go to tropics you absolutely don't need antivirus filters. That is simply overkill. In Canada and northen part of the States all you need is antimicrobial filter, and after that water doesn't need any further treatment. If you talk to a knowledgable saleperson he/she will tell you exactly this. If they tell you that you need an antivirus filter in Canada that is simply a lie. Also it is much more difficult to pump through untivirus filter. That's from my experience.

i have a similar filter...done plenty of multi-day trips with no problems...it should be fine for 6 people...but 2 filters would be better

about the acceptable drinking water...if the water filter you're talking about doesnt get rid of it...you'll probably get it anyway from having hands and other body parts in the water. the filter should be just fine.

there are also purification systems that use a brine solution that you mix with your water...possibly a little safer...but not worth it to me...

Have a great trip
Smitty

I have been doing remote fishing for years and I never bring water with me, I use the same filter system!! But bring juice crystals with you, even though it DOES kill and filter just about everything it still tastes like lake water so juicing it up is good, it also replenishes your electrolites!!
Enjoy