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Re: Water Purification Tactics?

There are certainly many Challengers who happily drink water straight from mountain burns and don't suffer any nasty side-effects. The water should be quite safe. However, I chose to use a Water-to-Go filter bottle and treat the water I collect at night stops with Aquamira drops, just one less thing for me to worry about.
It's another one of those personal choices.

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

Hi Darren,

I too have never used a filter or purification tablets in the highlands - just drinking pure water straight from the running stream. Sometimes you'll see people straining to squeeze a few drops out of a filtration water bottle whilst megagallons of the purest water thunder past in the burn - I just don't get it.

That said, I do carry a few chorinating tabs "just in case" and have used them on the odd occasion when the source looked a bit dubious. But make sure the water in your day bottle comes from fast flowing side streams and you should be fine. For meals and hot drinks you'll be boiling the stuff anyway.

Many of the 'tummy upsets' blamed on 'the water' are more likely to do with poor personal hygiene, so anti-bacterial gel for hand-cleansing is a more important weapon against the dreaded squits than any filter.

I do hope that having said all this, fate does not have some dreadful gastric nemesis in store for me!

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

I'm another who doesn't carry a filter or tablets. In almost 40 years of backpacking I've only ever suffered once in the UK, and that was my own fault for breaking the rule by drinking from a river in a lowland farming area where sheep were as thick as summer flies. That was in the Dales, 35 years ago ! But in the hills of Scotland or any other upland area for that matter, I've never had a problem.

It's just as well as I always carry a mug clipped to my rucksack strap, and almost every time I pass a fast flowing stream or spring I dip it in and drink plenty. In Scotland I simply rarely carry water, I drink on the go, and frequently.

If ever in doubt I simply boil it, which let's face it is probably more effective than any filter or tablet.

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

Hi Darren!

Having seen the other replies I feel I need to add my 10 pence worth.

I took a WaterTap filter system on my first challenge, but never used it.

I now have a Sawyer filter which I carry on some trips but rarely use.

You don't have to read much to understand that an active filter system will remove almost all chemical and biological pollutants. You could characterise boiling or chlorine tablets as being less effective, but nevertheless removing more than 90% of biological pollutants.

This link from the suppliers of the now defunct WaterTap gives an idea of how effective a filter can be - as you can see not 100%! http://drinksafe-systems.co.uk/usa-test-results.pdf

The incidence of serious damage from polluted water in the highlands is low so most respondents will not have had a problem.

I have used my WaterTap in extremis to filter water from puddles and murky cattle troughs in the lowlands. It works.

On the TGO there are some high camp spots where water is less available - especially in dry weather - and you may share a puddle with the local wildlife.

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

I should have explained that I would happily not treat my nightime water if I was going to boil it for a length of time as this is obviously a quick and easy option.
However...
I use a Jetboil Flash, which is designed to bring water quickly to the boil and be used straight away, not left to stand boiling for a length of time. Therefore, I treat my water.
I carry my Water-to Go filter bottle at my hip, in easy reach for when I want to scoop water and drink it, just like using a mug, except through a spout and filter, nice and clean and fresh.

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

bloody Hell !!! here we go again, the water is safe just get it from clean running water that is coming from the tops, I've drank it for 30 years now, It taste like Angels milk!!!!! stop worrying,
Ps one year I met two challengers each carrying two 2L bottles of water all day when asked why they said oh the water
can't be trusted here in scotland!!!! They were americans !!!! Sorry for being so pedantic.

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

If you are worried about the water the best thing to treat it with is cask strength malt. It might not make it any safer but after awhile you'll stop caring.

Ian C.

Re: Water Purification Tactics?

Well, since there is science involved here, I feel I should mention a couple of things.

Filter purification systems work by forcing water through what is essentially a very fine sieve. The size of the holes (pores) varies depending on the filter. In Sawyer filters, they are 0.1 microns (a thousandth of a millimetre) in diameter. This means that they will remove things like cysts and bacteria, but NOT all viruses; their diameter can vary between 0.3 microns and, for example, 0.04 microns for hepatitis and 0.02 microns for winter vomiting/norovirus.

It is important to bear in mind that this type of filter (as Colin mentions above) certainly won’t remove chemical contaminants, for example, pesticides, herbicides, nitrates, etc.

A few filters have much smaller pores, for example the Sawyer PointONE or the MSR Guardian. You will be able to spot these easily because they specifically state that they remove viruses, a subject not mentioned by the filters that don’t.

UV and boiling will kill all bacteria and viruses, but they each have advantages and disadvantages, as has been discussed here at length.

Happy tummies!