I am debating on taking my water filter or aqua mira.I am leaning toward the aqua mira because of the weight savings. my main concern is, if i dip my bottle into a water source and then treat it with aqua mira, then the mouth of the bottle is still contaminated. How do I avoid this, or should this even be a concern? Thanks for any input.
fatback
fatback
Hey fatback…My sister is going for two weeks with me and we will filter, but when I leave on my own I am using the Steri-pen. It is time saving and easier than trying to filter alone. Aqua mira is good too , but there is some question as to health risks using it long term.
Trampas
i didn’t use it, but i think you are supposed to shake up your container so that some of the water+chemical goes into the threads and cap of the container. my hiking partner used it the whole way on the AT and didn’t seem to have any problems.
zero
Trampas,
What are the health risks associated with Aquamira and where can I read the reports/articles?
I’m not aware of any health risks associated with using Aquamira. It’s chlorine dioxide, the same stuff many municipalities across the country use to treat drinking water. This should be a well-documented substance, in terms of long-term human use.
There are extensive forum discussions on this topic, which I’ve read, but I’m just wondering if you have some new information?~~thanks.
Tyger
i have also looked into the steri pen, and have done the math on it. if you can afford the intial cost of the unit, it is deffinately the way to go. if you you were to treat 4 quarts (1 gallon) of water EVERY day, you can use the steri pen for roughly about 3and1/2 years before you have to replace the lamp on it. for those who dont know about it and how it works- it uses uv light to purify the water. for the 1 quart setting, it only takes 90 seconds to treat and you have no taste discoloration, just pure clean water! you can check it out at www.hydro-photon.com
hope this helps.
have a great hike!!
orion
orion
tyger- there are no reports on Aqua Mira available, I see people make this assumption about AM all the time. Yes, it’s the same stuff used in municipalities across the country. Furthermore, there aren’t any long term reports because AM hasn’t been around long term.
guru
The steri pen looks very cool.
Only disadvantages I can think of are:
Needs 4 AA batteries,
Need to have a wide enough opening on your water bottle to fit the steri pen into, and
Maufacturer advises to only treat clear water.
This last one could be a serious issue if the water is a bit cloudy or silted. It might be hard to know just HOW clear the water has to be in order to be treated effectively with the UV light. A user might need to carry some kind of filter to clarify the water before treating it with the pen, or treat the water a couple/few times, which would use more battery power.
If they could make one of these that’s powered by a hand-squeezed magneto and attach the UV bulb to the end of a flexible wand so it fits into platypus bottles, they might have something hot.
It’s interesing technology, a leap of faith:
“I use LIGHT to treat my water, dude!” :eek:
Tyger
I would definitely go with Aqua Mira. The weight savings AND the much smaller package make it way worth it to me. A tiny amount of chlorine seems fine to me- what about serious swimmers who spend hours of every day in the pool?
As far as keeping the rim of your bottle clean is concerned, I just carry one of those small 8 oz. plastic cups and dip with that and pour into my bottle or Platypus or whatever. The cup can’t weigh more than 2 ounces, or maybe less, and I store the Aqua Mira in it in my pack.
BTW, definitely consider using a Platypus as it saves over 2 ounces over a Nalgene.
zach attack
an issue that may be of concern with either is freezing conditions. starting before april you will encounter quite a few nights of freezing temps. if you use a filter it is hard (impossible) to completly remove all the moisture, this moisture will freeze over night in the filter and make it hard to get any to pump for you the next day. same with chemicals (any type) with freezing conditons, you will face issues. the chemicals take longer to work in freezing conditions if they work at all. Chlorine products are suppose to evaporate but because of the cold weather it takes a long time. I gave up on Chlorine(or Chlorine type chems) because I could never get the taste to dissapear, even when I added flavored drink mixes. Some people didn’t seem to be bothered by the Chlorine taste and it may have just been a mental issue with me. either way you should do some outdoor experiments at home, like leave your filter outside over night in freezing temps. and see what it takes to get it to work in the morning. WATCH OUT filter seals will burst if they freeze with too much water in them, you need to try to remove as much of the water from the filter as possible by blowing it out before hand.
frozenstiff
i do know that you or atleast I cant taste the aqua mira. I used my filter last year on the AT for a section hike. I just kept it wrapped up in my extra clothing and I never had any freezing issues. I am trying everything I can to lighten my load, last year for 11 days my pack weighed 50 lbs.
fatback
Aqua mira is definitely the way to go both for weight and convenience. I kept an empty plastic soda bottle (about 1 ounce)for dipping from streams and poured the water into my hydration bladder (Platypus) with the aqua mira drops. I never drank directly from the soda bottle and only used untreated water if I was boiling it for cooking supper.
Rainbow
Hi Fatback == When I use chemicals to treat my water all I do is shake the bottle up good after I have added the chemicals. Then tip the bottle upside down and very slowley unscrew the cap so that just a little bit of water leaks out around the top of the bottle and then you have it. I am sure that when you try it the 1st few times you my unscrew the top to much and lose most of the water try it at home before you head out on the trail.=== HAPPY HIKING === Brother Buzz PS. In the frezing cold times I always sleep with my water filter and any other things that you don’t want to frezzzzzzzze
Brother Buzz
Tyger hit on this first, and he is right. The testing for the UV light was done for VERY CLEAN WATER save the target test organism, sans silt and other particles to allow for maximum UV penetration. How many people have seen that clear of water on trail???
Even dead organisms (bacterial, viral, amoebic,etc) can still harm you after they are killed. Many have toxins that your body reacts to, and those toxins remain in the organism even in death. Read, you can still get sick, although the continued production of the toxin has been stopped and you will most likely get over it.
This really holds true for any chemical or light treatments. Only a filter will actually clean out actual particles, be it a ceramic, charcoal, or other. The smaller the pore size, the better (0.2 micron is the best). But, also, the smaller pore sizes clog up faster and can be a pain.
On that note, I use a bandanna to particle filter out the big stuff and PolarPure to kill. My personal preference, risk vs weight factors for me. haven’t gotten sick yet.
If you question the water source, treat it. If you really question the water source, move on. Other hikers, guidebooks, and locals can often help point you to a good source if needs be.
And always remember to carry a little 4-packet of loperamide, just in case (weight= 0.05 ozs, savings in TP, pounds!!!). 
-xtn :boy
airferret
Howdy, Ihave never been ill from trail water. Just watch your sources(springs are best) and I occasionally treat with Iodine w odor reducer for taste. I hink that the recent history of Giardia along the AT is from people who act as vectors(persons or agents that are asymptomatic for whatever reason) who contaminate food or objects by touching,fondaling or handling objects others come into contact with(like refrigerator handles at hostels,doorknobs of bathrooms,sinks and most commonly,hiker box food. I you want to be super safe, get your physician to give you a prescription for Flagl(generic avail,) and carry Lomotil. After 24 hr, if the Lomitol does not stop the “distress”-then take the Flagl for the suggested time per your physician. It is really unlikely you ill get Giardia. But I can’t predict the likleyhood of some post-town Buffet overindulgience generated flatuence or squishies. Happy Trail, Mike
mike
Carry both. You will find water sources that are barly dipable and a pump is handy. You can always bounce the filter ahead if reports say the water is abundant up the trail. Also loosen the cap and shake. This will let the water spill over the outside a bit.
Virginian
Water treatment really depends on where you hike.
For the AT, I don’t bother, unless the source is questionable. I carry a contact lens case with iodine in one side and vitamin c in the other for those times when the water source seems unsure or the water is heavily silted.
If you stay out on the trail long enough, you WILL get some soft stools or even diarrhea. Everyone is way to quick to pronounce a case of the squirts as Giardiasis. Seems people kind of WANT to say that’s what they had. Makes a better war story, you know.
My guess, AT LEAST 9 out of 10 cases of “Giardia” that folks swear to, are bogus.
Don’t bother with the filter, it’s just a bunch of hooey thrust on us over the last 15 years by gear magazines with fear based advertising. Your body can take it, at least mine can.
RenMan
You don’t need to treat your water on the AT as long as you’re careful about what sources you drink from. I didn’t treat for 1500 miles this past summer and lived to tell about it with no ill effects. There’s a lot of springs/pumps/town water opportunities that I only drank from things I knew were sketchy 2 or 3 times the whole time.
Tell it like it is
You don’t need to treat your water on the AT as long as you’re careful about what sources you drink from. I didn’t treat for 1500 miles this past summer and lived to tell about it with no ill effects. There’s a lot of springs/pumps/town water opportunities that I only drank from things I knew were sketchy 2 or 3 times the whole time.
Tell it like it is
I started AT’03 w/ a Pur Hiker (great filter) but switched to AquaMira for weight savings. AM works fine although I found a slight chlorine taste. No long-term ill effects on me. Also used a Platy water tank as a water fetcher and pre-filter. Let me explain my system…
When you come upon a watersource, 1st mix Part A&B drops. Then gather your water (sometimes way off the trail) while your waiting the 5 minutes for the AquaMira to mix. When you fill a Platy water tank any large particles will fall to the bottom in 1-2 mins. Pour the “pre-filtered” water into your bottle then add your AquaMira. In 15 mins, you have clean water! 
I drank untreated water 2x but I do NOT recommend this. If your gonna carry a filter or AquaMira then USE it every time! The cleanest looking water can be contaminated, and I’ve yet to meet a hiker who can see a microscopic bug. Ask this guy “Aussie Crawl” how much fun getting giardia was! Its not worth taking the risk.
JimboTrek