I am getting lazy in my old age. Rather than carry several litres of water up to a summit camp from a stream lower down, I would like to be able to use water from the brackish pools you often find higher up.
I am not worried about infectious agents, as I always boil my water to make hot chocolate/coffee/etc. So, what I want is something that can remove particulates (peat, etc) and make brackish water potable. The Travel Tap seems as though it would work, but I have seen mixed reviews on its durability and flow rate. Anyone got any suggestions or comments?
The technical meaning of brackish, incidentally, is 'slightly salty'. No amount of filtering would fix that, but I also wouldn't expect to find it on your average peak
Some fine fabric filters are your best bet. Cheap, easy to clean. If you felt patient enough, leaving your water container to stand for a bit should help settle the crud out, then you can pour the less goopy stuff out of the top into a cooking pot.
I am getting lazy in my old age. Rather than carry several litres of water up to a summit camp from a stream lower down, I would like to be able to use water from the brackish pools you often find higher up. I am not worried about infectious agents, as I always boil my water to make hot chocolate/coffee/etc. So, what I want is something that can remove particulates (peat, etc) and make brackish water potable. The Travel Tap seems as though it would work, but I have seen mixed reviews on its durability and flow rate. Anyone got any suggestions or comments?
I see what you're saying about removing particulates but, as Serriadh says, that wouldn't necessarily make the water potable. If you're going to boil the water anyway, a piece of cloth would suffice - a bandana or a Buf (yet another use for this invaluable item).
I'll experiment with filtering through muslin, or similar, on some boggy Kinder Scout water. I wouldn't dare to drink anything that had been filtered through my Buff
However, from past experience even water, which appears fairly clear, has a fairly unpleasant taste when it comes out of a peaty pool.
If you can get them- Half a leg of pair of tights, Spag. moss, charcoal and sand, layer in that order, at least 2" thick layers. It's better to filter at least 3 times. Won't remove all 'nasties' but does remove most.
If boiling after I'd say 'should' get rid of 99%, if not all in UK.
However, from past experience even water, which appears fairly clear, has a fairly unpleasant taste when it comes out of a peaty pool.
Various filters fix this using an activated carbon stage, or similar. That gets rid of most of what's left after fine particulate filtering, but the thing is you'll need fine particulate filtering before you can use a carbon filter if you don't it to clog up in moments. If you're willing to haul around a slightly more substantial filtering setup, then you may as well do that. This is the approach I normally take, but as such a filter weighs literally several hundred grammes you, like many others, may be unwilling to make that sort of sacrifice
Alternatively, if you're using the water to make tea or coffee or soup or whatever, make it strong enough that any peaty flavours are masked. Easy.
Weevil, don't see much point in this, good as my 'home made' one, plus mine has charcoal in it.
As an improvement for mine, I would add another layer of Spag moss at bottom or swop Spag moss and sand layers around. This may get rid of 'sandy bits'.
New Youngest Brit Woman Everest Record Dubai-based 18-year-old Briton Leanna Shuttleworth breaks Bonita Norris record and completes the Seven Summits at the same time.
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