Hiking Water Treatment

Making Water Safe

As a boy, I lived in the mountains and ran around with my brother and dogs all summer. When we got thirsty, we'd drink right from any old creek we happened to be passing. This was clear, cold, mountain water - refreshing and crisp. Now, I can't recall the last time I drank right from a stream as an adult. Water is always treated in some manner before drinking because I've been educated to the fact that even clear mountain water might have bad stuff in it.

Just as each person has a unique need for water, each person's body can handle contaminated water differently. To be safe, treating all water while out hiking is your best bet. You may drink untreated water from a dozen streams and be ok, but then again, you might not be so lucky.

Water can be treated many different ways in the wild. If you ask around, you'll find that people are very opinionated about the Best method for making water potable.

Filtering - water passes through an element which catches small particles and allows the water to pass on. The pore size in the element determines what gets filtered out of the water.
If you poured water through a piece of tent screen, it would catch sticks and sand, but that's about it. Pouring it through a bandana would catch more dirt and small bugs. Pouring through a paper coffee filter would catch even more.
These are all just capturing visible contaminants, though. The ones we are really worried about are the cysts, bacteria, and viruses that are too small to be seen. To capture these, commercial water filters or purifiers are needed.
There are two main types of water filters now available for field use on outdoors hikes.
- Pump Filters - one end of a hose is placed in the water supply and the other end in your water container. When the pump handle is operated, water is forced through the filter element. This takes time and effort, but is a very popular method of filtering.
- Gravity Filters - water is gathered in a dirty container and placed at a high point. The container has an outlet tube through which water flows down into the filter element and out into a waiting clean container. This method takes little effort since gravity is doing the work. While filtering water, you can tend to other chores.
UV Light - a relatively new way to treat water.
A small device bombards the organisms in the water with ultraviolet light destroying their reproductive abilities. This method is fast, inexpensive, and lightweight.
It does require care with the device and extra batteries.
Chemical Treatment - water is collected and a few drops of chemicals are added. The chemicals kill all organisms in the water. This method is easy, but takes time and tends to be more expensive overall. It is very lightweight since you carry no mechanical device. It does leave all the dead organisms in the water that you drink.

For details on water pollution and treatment visit Water Filter Dude.

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All Comments:

Apr 13, 2013 - Andrea

Wouldn't the uv light also leave the dead organisms in your water?

Apr 14, 2013 - Hiking Dude

Andrea - Yuch! :-) Yes, UV does not remove anything from the water. You drink down everything that is in the raw water. Many people love UV and it is generally accepted now, but some folks still feel weird about using it.

Apr 05, 2014 - Steve

So would you suggest chemically treating the water first then filtering it afterward?

Apr 06, 2014 - Hiking Dude

@Steve - No, I just filter water. No chemicals for me. If you did use chemicals, it would be to kill any virus that got through the filter because they were smaller than the filter's pore size. So, you would use chemicals after filtering, not before.

Jul 26, 2014 - Jesse

What about just boiling the water that you collect from a stream or other water source? Doesn't boiling the water kill all the viruses and bacteria that could be living in the water?

Jul 26, 2014 - Hiking Dude

@Jesse - You're correct that boiling water for 1 minute will kill everything in it that we're concerned with. But, boiling tends to be expensive in the terms of time and resources - it's slow and takes fuel. Like UV and chemicals, whatever was in the water is still in the water, too.

Aug 05, 2014 - doghiker

Years ago used to boil my water: very slow, uses lots of fuel, and end up with very hot water, which is bad when you're hot and want a cold, safe drink. Next used iodine treatment: lightweight but tastes awful, stains water bottles, irritates my stomach. Next used a filter: heavy, bulky, slow, requires lots of work while often precariously balancing on a wet rock when already tired. Filters clog up and pump handles and hose fittings fail. Filters also require post-trip cleaning/maintenance. For past 8 years, have been using 2-part chlorine dioxide liquid treatment drops to bulk treat a 4-L bag-ful of water (7 drops/liter) when I arrive at camp: ultralightweight, simple, minimal work, little to no taste, no staining (but it does bleach fabric), can do other camp chores or rest for 20 min's while water is "treating" itself in the bag. So, chlorine dioxide liquid treatment is by far my preferred method for wilderness water treatment.

Aug 07, 2014 - Hiking Dude

@doghiker - That's a common method for long distance hikers that don't mind drinking the debris and dead stuff. I prefer having my water look clean too, so I use a lightweight filter with no moving parts and is easily field cleaned. Filters have evolved TONS since you used them.

Aug 11, 2014 - Bob Hanes

In October 1987 I went up Mt. Everest to the base camp at 18,000 feet. On the way up and back I used some water purification solutions that came in two small bottles. I don't remember the exact amounts but I think I put two drops of one bottle in my canteen and about two or three drops of the other ,,,also in my canteen. I waited 5 minutes then drank it. I never had any problems. I used the same two solutions on several more international trips. No problems. About 3 years later these two solutions were no longer sold. In stores. I don't know what happened BUT they really worked very well for me. Any ideas as to what these two bottles contained? Bob Hanes

Aug 11, 2014 - Hiking Dude

@Bob - 25 years ago? hard to tell. But, it could have been some iodine-based treatment and a second bottle to mask the taste. I have some of that which I show people in presentations, but never use. I'd bet the current treatments work better - chlorine dioxide tends to be the most popular now.

Sep 05, 2014 - dena

@Bob - The two small bottles system is called Aqua Mira and it's still popular today www.aquamira.com/preparedness/aquamira-water-treatment-drops

Apr 03, 2015 - Ken

If you have one quart of treated chemical water, can you just add another quart and add enough of the chemical to kill the bad stuff? Can you mix it together and just add the additional chemical treatments?

Jun 21, 2015 - Rkaid

Sawyer filters. I just got into hiking this year and can't see how anyone would use any other method. $40 then buy an wine bag and some clear vinyle hose- boom

Jul 15, 2015 - jimj

What do you think of personal water system pens like shtf and go. com and others on ebay?

Jul 19, 2015 - Hiking Dude

@Ken - I wouldn't do that. Finish the water and treat another batch would be simpler and safer. @jimj - I use a Sawyer water filter because it is light, simple, and doesn't fail me. The straws where you lay on your belly to drink right from a stream seem like a great way to get muddy and you can't carry the water with you. My filter doesn't weigh more and is more useful.

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