does anyone have any experience using this product? if so what are your opinions? likes/dislikes? i plan on using aqua mira without a manual filter (only a bandana rubberbanded over the bottles opening to get rid of floaties and junk.) i was told that aqua mira is supposed to be used in conjunction with a filter, and if used alone should be used double strength? if you have any feedback it would be greatly appreciated! thanks and happy hiking!
scott
I’ve thought about this also but how to hold bottle/platy hold bandana and pour water with two hands. One to dip and one to pour? I use platys and carry a water bottle. I would like to have something that would stay in place in the platy top while I pour. Perhaps a nylon stocking?
Duane
use a rubberband to keep the bandana in place around the opening in the bottle. i’m prettymuch going to be using the same method of carrying water as you do.
scott
We used it on the AT from Manchester, Vermont to Katahdin. We did not use double doses as treatment. We didn’t get sick. We started doing the bandana thing, but after a week we didn’t bother with that. If you’re careful you can avoid getting too many floaties.
Anyway, we really liked it. It’s very light, we liked not having to filter, and it does not have much of a taste, if anything.
Here are a couple of sites that have more information on what it is:
http://pristine.ca/chlorine.html
http://www.campmor.com/webapp/commerce/command/ProductDisplay?prmenbr=226&prrfnbr=7637979
Kimber “Linus”
I’m supprised how many of us are using the stuff this year. I was talking to Santiago this morn and she said the stuff lasts about 2 weeks. All the outfitters carry it so its easy to replace. Although I’m still filtering, it would be the stuff I’d use otherwise. No one that I know is double dosing it or using it with a filter. Another think that I notice it that it doesn’t turn your bottles yellow like iodine. Some people this year have switched to simply bleach out of a squeeze bottle… another thing to concider.
TurkeyBacon aka Scott Shurlow (from Waynesboro)
PS Traildays rocked indeed. Nice to see TrailJournals out there, its nice to know who actually supports hikers and just doesn’t take our money and run.
TurkeyBacon
thanks kimber! i’ve heard nothing but positive feedback on the aquamira. i leave tues. for the colorado trail and will give it a shot! have fun!
scott
Be sure to follow the directions! Chlorine dioxide requires 30 minutes contact time with cold water sources! Don’t be fooled into drinking unsafe water because of the addition of a chemical. Although a filter removes the critters, chemical kill allows you to get a little free “protein” ??!!
2Q
Aqua Mira only lasts 2 weeks! That sucks. One bottle of iodine based Polar Pure lasts for an entire thruhike. Doesn’t require you to mix anything and doesn’t have a bad iodine taste when using two cap fulls. Total weight is 3 ounces.
Grimace
Aqua Mira only lasts 2 weeks? That sucks. One bottle of iodine based Polar Pure lasts for an entire thruhike. Doesn’t require you to mix anything and doesn’t have a bad iodine taste when using two cap fulls. Total weight is 3 ounces.
Grimace
For a good article and an understanding on iodine and how it works…check out the following.
site.http://ohioline.osu.edu/b795/b795_10.html
2Q
What about the plain ol’ bleach ploy? Isn’t it 1 to 3 drops per quart and wait half an hour? Has anybody in this clan used it for their standard procedure? I’ve been seriously considering bleach, but am not sure how to carry it. (gotta be light)
Linguini
Chlorine has been a lifesaver worldwide since the early 40’s by way of water treatment but has concerned water- borne pathologists in its effectiveness against the protozoans…Giardia/Crytpo and microsporidiums. Contact time is essentialwith chlorine, water pH, turbidity, and temp have an adverse effect. Whatever you choose to use, get educated about what it will do and what it will not do. My vote still goes with the filter that can remove critters entirely.
2Q
Linguini, The guy to get in touch with about bleach is Hawk at the AMC. I forget is real name but Keith Methany comes to mind. Beware, I just pulled that out of my butt. He is an avid long distance hiker who uses the bleach method but won’t say so officially to avoid being sued. He went to the water people in his home town to figure out how much chlorine they use for the city drinking water. Did the math to figure out how much chlorine goes into 1 liter. I think it is 1 ml. He carried the bleach in a plastic drop bottle and would add one drop per bottle.
Grimace
Clorox has instructions on using bleach to purify water on their web site. The address is clorox.com/health/disaster/disaster5.html. As an aside, I lived in Guatemala for 3 months and drank bleach treated water the whole time. Didn’t have any problems and the taste wasn’t that bad.
andyh21
On my thru-hike last year, I used two drops of chlorox in an eye dropper for every liter of water. Very effective and easy. I carried a few polar pure tablets as a backup in case the bleach spilled, but never had to use them. I put two drops in each liter and let it sit for as long as possible, but at least 20 minutes; longer if the water is cold or turbid. I even liked the taste- it tasted like tap water from home!
Thumper
On my thru-hike last year, I used two drops of chlorox in an eye dropper for every liter of water. Very effective and easy. I carried a few iodine tablets as a backup in case the bleach spilled, but never had to use them. I put two drops in each liter and let it sit for as long as possible, but at least 20 minutes; longer if the water is cold or turbid. I even liked the taste- it tasted like tap water from home!
Thumper
What about places where spring water is coming straight out of the ground? Did you bleach that too?
Linguini
Just checked with the CDC (Center of Disease Control) and found that from 1992-1997 the number of states reporting Giardia cases went from 23 to 43. The number of actual cases rose from 12,793 in 1992 to 27,778 in 1997. State with highest incident rate = Vermont. In PA were I live, the PA Game News reported that not one stream, lake, or reservoir was Giardia free. Furthermore, the CDC gives the following advice:
"If you are unable to avoid water that might be contaminated, then treat the water.
Heat water to a rolling boil for 1 minute.
OR
Use a filter that has an absolute pore size of at least 1µm or that has been NSF-rated for cyst removal.
Do not rely on cyst inactivation by chlorination or iodination, which are less effective than other methods because they are highly dependent on the temperature, pH, and cloudiness of the water.
Final thought…If you’ve ever had Giardia…you’ll do what it takes not to get it again…whether it comes from a good looking spring or not.
2Q
Isn’t it true that 5% to 10% of the human population are already carriers of giardia in a dormant (or immature) stage, and that shaking hands or sharing trail mix with other hikers significantly raises your chance of getting it?
Roland Mueser’s book has statistics showing that people who filtered their water got giardia just as often as people who did not.
What about the frequent reports of stomach misery in the vicinity of Catawba by northbounders and southbounders?Maybe it’s different mineral balances, I don’t know.
But I do know that I filtered my water from the stream at Lambert Meadow when it was running low. Maybe I should have noticed that the shelter was a hundred yards upstream… I got the runs pretty bad, threw out my filter as a precaution, and drank only from springs until I could get my next filter.
Some people drink only from springs all the way on the AT, but I’m not experienced enough to do that…
One thing’s for sure. If you don’t filter water, you’ll be much more careful where you get it. If you do filter water, you’ll be tempted to get it from streams, ditches, etc.
There are various kinds of filters, some which can effectively purify sewage, if you want to take it that far. But now that you’ve filtered from a suspicious source, you’re carrying those “goodies” around in your filter. Is that really a good idea?
Linguini