Some Light Weight Stuff for Free

Here's a guy who's come up with some free ultralight ideas. I've done the plastic spoon thing and trust me they break. You're better off just getting a Lexan spoon or fork. They're cheap (less the 2-bucs) and last forever! I've used the Pepsi and Cat food can stoves for years and they work great too.

That scale was interesting he used to weight the small stuff. The Aquifina Bottle, am I just using that to get stream water to treat or boil it? Also on the subject of water, I would like to know how many of you have become sick over drinking river water in you travels? Did you treat the water with iodine or use the filtration systems if you became sick? I am reading toooo much, need some real first-hand knowledge, Wild bill told me one story and Dimtry gave me some suggestions as well.

I would avoid large rivers as water sources. Stick to feeder streams. Springs are even better.

The bottle would be used for water storage like a bladder that most people carry. You'd still treat water as normal.

The problem with rivers is going to be runoff, either from roads or local agriculture. You can't neutralize fertilizer or oil/gasoline with any filtration system I know of.

With that said, I have drank from certain springs without filtering and without any ill effects but I know what to look for as indications that a water source is most likely safe for this.

GREAT INFORMATION!, LOVE THE DETAILED EXPLANATION!


Should we use Iodine, the hanging filtration system, the "sucking-type" bottles with filter inside the bottle? OR Both?

umm, imho [in my humble opinion]
you need to know the water situation for the place you'll be traveling in to determine the best water purification system you'll need . . . .
basic issue is what sort of water borne pathogens and toxins will you face? -- bacterial? viral? chemical?
many filters can deal with most bacteria and some chemical and no viral
uv can deal with bacterial and some viral
chemical treatment and boiling can manage bacterial and viral and, depending on the chemical treatment, some chemical toxins . . . .
some chemical toxins cannot be treated except by careful distillation and chemical reactions
In most mountain areas in North Georgia, Tennessee, and North Carolina along the AT we worry mostly about bacteria, so filters, uv, chemical treatment, and boiling work fine . . . .
In third world areas I've lived and traveled filtration + chemical treatment or boiling works well with most clear water. At higher elevations in mountain regions the sun itself provides uv purification and does its job well in shallow water flowing in the sunshine for about 100 yards or meters . . .
and regardless of all the foregoing, in extreme circumstances, you may chuck all these rules and drink the water to avoid death from dehydration: I know of one case in which a hiking buddy of a friend died from dehydration, while lying next to a puddle of water from which he refused to drink for fear of getting sick. It is better to live to fight an infection, than to die from dehydration, imho . . . .
how much weight are you willing to carry and how much risk are you willing to bear? I likely carry far more water than necessary; lighter hikers carry the inline or in-bottle water filters, taking water as needed when passing a stream or spring, which is fine if you know where you'll find reliable water when hiking your route. If you don't find the spring marked on the map because, for example, of drought conditions or you're lost, well you can dehydrate yourself until you find another source . . . having missed 3 or 4 springs because of drought conditions and becoming dehydrated, I've *always* since carried more water than I've needed . . . .

Guess it all boils down to "knowledge is power". Thanks for the knowledge stream! LOVE THIS GROUP OF PEOPLE!

Hey Karen,
I've been using the iodine pills for many years without any problems. However, I've recently switched to a gravity filter setup. The reasons are: The iodine stains your plastic bladders and it doesn't get the crypto. The stained bladders are mainly the reason, many a people have made fun of my pea colored platypus es.

Thanks Polar!