Water Water Everywhere

[Deuce]

Thanks to Bruce at OMTC I'm now preparing to undertake a new method of river travel. I'm accustomed to a fourteen foot raft and all it can carry (pretty much anything one might be disposed to bring), but I'll be doing some trips in a sixteen foot canoe this spring. Think I'm in pretty good shape with a few gear mods, but what do you guys typically do about water? Boil? Filter (if so what kind)? Do you collect it in a collapsible bucket? Edumacate Deuce about that and anything else you can think of; packing, best cooking gear, best water guns, anything you can share. I've started the book Canoe Camping that Richard recommended, but I'd love to have some tried and true regionally appropriate knowledge.

[Cowper]

what do you guys typically do about water? Boil? Filter (if so what kind)? Do you collect it in a collapsible bucket? ...... I've started the book Canoe Camping that Richard recommended, but I'd love to have some tried and true regionally appropriate knowledge.

I've not used the collapsible buckets, partly just because there are too many neat products out there, each one is a luxury, but if you try to take one of everything down the river at some point you'll break your wallet or sink your boat. So pick a few, and then revel in the enjoyment of the onces you picked. But this may be partially a regional thing; with murky water, a bucket to allow settling takes on increasing value; here, we have clear water that can be pumped straight from the stream into your water jug or cooking pot.

For one or two nights, I often just carry the water. 1 or 2 liter coke bottles work great, if you don't want to get fancy and buy some Dasani or Mountain Valley. For longer trips, I use the Pur Hiker, have for years. Due to corporate buy-outs, it is now known as the Katadyn Hiker Water Filter. We've even used several of these to support larger group trips; there are some advantages to having several smaller filters vs. one "group" filter; if something breaks you don't lose all filtering capability, you just take longer to pump the group water through with fewer filters in play.

I would swear by Lazer's system -
Step 1, pump the water through the filter to get the "big stuff" (down to the size of bacteria)
Step 2, a few drops of diluted clorox (plain, not scented), to get the viruses that can get past even the best filters. Get the mix ratios here: http://www.clorox.com/products/clorox-r ... leach/faq/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
or by googling "clorox for water purification" (you'll get multiple hits, with minor variations in how many drops they recommend per quart or gallon).
You can buy a small bottle with eye dropper at any drug store to carry the clorox.

Another advanage of this "two step" process is that if your filter pump breaks, you still can treat the water without burning all your stove fuel to boil the water. If I didn't filter before treating with clorox, I'd let it sit longer before drinking.

I also own a Steri pen (UV light), but have really carried it only as a back-up system because I just have trouble wrapping my head around the fact that a few seconds of exposure to UV light is all it takes to kill those bad little bugs.

[Eric Esche]

I was hoping someone from Lewis and Clark would jump in here as I failed to keep the details where I could find them after I passed them on last time, but up in their camping section, Sparky or Jim can show you a new water filter system they are stocking for campers, travelers, and missionaries that comes in a variety of sizes for bulk treatment of water, at prices better than those in the past.

On canoe trips, I usually just bring 2 liter bottles, jugs, or bags of water from home for 2 day trips, but beyond that, I filter, treat, and boil water to make it safe to use.

At home, we are on a well and we filter to one micron and then treat with a UV lamp, changing filter about once a month when the pressure drops and the lamp as needed.

Eric Esche

[prophet]

i sometimes remember to freeze water in jugs for block ice/drinking water.

[okieboater]

I am a big fan of clear clorox. Fresh from the store. Don't use clorox from a previous trip, get new clorox.

For most western river water, what I like to do is settle down the dirt by just letting the water set in a 5 gallon pickle bucket or add some alum or I just got a fabric vacuum filter I am trying out.

Decant the clear water into another pickle bucket and add a cap full of clear fresh clorox. Let stand for a while.

I got this from my first commercial GC river trip and that is the water we drank and cooked with.

Getting rid of the mud particles just makes it easier for the clorox to work and gets rid of a binder for bad things.

It is the clorox that kills the bad things. I have seen other recommendations to just use a dropper for a few drops per gallon. The cap full method adds more clorox than the dropper methoc and some say too much.

I like the extra killing power of clorox.

If you do not like the taste, drop in some real lemon juice to your fit.

Lemme add this is what I use and a GC commercial guide named Fox back in 1991 used. It may or may not work for you, do your research and make your own decision.

[Clif]

WATER GUNS you sed?? I got one of these for washing out my raft...well... that's my story...etc... The bigger ones get more distance if you plug some of the holes.. Kids love em. I have several in diff sizes now... and end of season clearance at academy is waaay better price.

One water trick we always did on trips with ice was freeze the water jugs. Use them as they melt for cooking, drinking. Melt pretty quick in the sun.

[Wildwood]

My favorite water cannon is Aqua Zooka. It comes in several sizes, from 12" to 32". I like the longer one. Amazon has them. I may have gotten some at Academy, too. (They are soooo much fun at Dead Mans Curve on Spring River.)

[Richard]

Syrup bottles from IHOP are the best for drinking water. Make sure the seal is still in the cap or it will leak. They are heavy duty and allow you to distribute weight. Use them for drinking water only. Use river water for cooking if it is brought to a boil. I have a filter but in all the time I have been on the Buffalo, I have never needed it. There are enough places along the way to refill that a filter is not neccesary.
Here are instructions I prepared for using chlorine at our trailbuilding camp on the Buffalo. It was gleaned from several sources. This took care of a dozen or so people.

Purifying Water.xlsx

(12.97 KiB) Downloaded 85 times

[Stan]

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has lots of good info on treating drinking water.

Drinking Water for Camping, Hiking, Travel:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinkin ... index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This website has links to other valuable information.


Guide to Drinking Water Treatment & Sanitation for Backcountry & Travel Use:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/drinkin ... tment.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
This site has a link to a PDF table which nicely summarizes various treatment methods and the microorganisms they work against.


When “reasonable” I take “city” water with me on canoe camping trips. I use gallon bleach jugs. They are tough, easy to get & can be moved around in my canoe to help keep things balanced.

"Stan" AKA Margaret Bartelt

[Deuce]

Great info. Thanks everyone. Just ordered a six pack of Gammas (J have a supply of buckets) and a smaller stove. The canoe will come home from OMTC this weekend. Next up, GSI anodized twelve incher.

[okieboater]

Just saw the GSI post and thought I would add some comments. Feel free to skip this. Information and thoughts on GSI DO.

I would rather DO on well seasoned cast iron, holds the heat much better. Clean up can be a bit more complicated. Very heavy to transport, always concerned about rust. But for ease of cooking food, they win hands down. Downside, unless there are other experienced cast iron DO buds along, I watch out and clean the cast iron myself.

Solid aluminum DO's work fine. Easier to clean just toss em in the regular wash bucket string. I have a couple and they do work. Heat control much harder for me than cast iron. I do the 5 minute opposite spin of lid and bottom and watch the briquette placement and burn rate like a hawk.

When the GSI hard anodized aluminum DO's came out, I got a 12 for a test. Since then have added a ten, another 12 and a 14 to the DO box. I think the hard anodized surface does help. Heat control a bit better than solid aluminum but you still need to pay close attention. I spray in a good coat of PAM to help food release and it does help. Clean up is easy - toss em in the wash buckets and off you go. Much lighter than cast iron for river travel. I get good results from these units. A bit harder to get a good thick crust on cornbread or toasty crust on biscuit but can be done. Cast Iron still my pick for cornbread and biscuit. For river tripping I have found GSI hard anodized to be really good choices. Why so many? I find the 12's will work ok for a cake, cobbler, main entree for say 10 hungry folks, a bit more and I add in the ten to be sure people get fed. The two 12's will feed 17 or so really hungry kayakers. I don't use the 14 very much but it comes in real handy on some dishes like brisket or pork chops due to the big space to lay out the brisket or chops.

[lakekayaker]

I was hoping someone from Lewis and Clark would jump in here as I failed to keep the details where I could find them after I passed them on last time, but up in their camping section, Sparky or Jim can show you a new water filter system they are stocking for campers, travelers, and missionaries that comes in a variety of sizes for bulk treatment of water, at prices better than those in the past.

On canoe trips, I usually just bring 2 liter bottles, jugs, or bags of water from home for 2 day trips, but beyond that, I filter, treat, and boil water to make it safe to use.

At home, we are on a well and we filter to one micron and then treat with a UV lamp, changing filter about once a month when the pressure drops and the lamp as needed.

Eric Esche

Thanks Eric. Yes, the brand is Sawyer Water filters. There are several different variations of the same filter, all costing between $50 and $70 dollars. The filter itself weighs 3 oz and has a 1 million gallon guarantee. For paddlers, the water bottle version is probably the best - just scoop up the water and drink it. Then, if you're camping overnight, pull the filter out of the bottle, hook it up to a bladder filled with dirty water and let it gravity flow the water into a clean container. Another version will screw onto 2 liter coke bottles, etc. The company has a great mission as well - they work to eliminate the two leading causes of death in the world (well, other than old age) contaminated water and mosquito bites. Here's a link to their website. http://www.sawyer.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Richard]

I have peripheral neuropathy, an arthritic wrist and I am not as young as I use to be. Consequently there are a few "comfort items" I frequently take with me.

Cot with self inflating pad: This keeps me off the ground eliminating the need for crawling. Ken Smith refuses to use a cot because he nearly froze to death 50 years ago. I have not been able to convince him that the pad makes all the difference in the world. It is what I sleep on at home. Eliminates having to get down on hands and knees.

Floorless tent: I like a gravel floor vs synthetic. Gives me a more "in touch with my surroundings" feeling. Cot does not damage the floor. Eliminates having to get down on hands and knees.

Director's Chair: It is not as comfortable as some of the others but it is stable and easy to get in and out of. I can transition very easily from cot to canoe and visa versa using it. Eliminates having to get down on hands and knees.

Table: I have various sizes I use depending on needs. Eliminates having to get down on hands and knees.

Bottled gas stoves: I started out with Coleman fuel (white gas). I don't use it anymore even though it has some very strong good points. I now use propane for larger appliances and Propane Butane canisters for smaller ones. They are just easier to use. Eliminates having to get down on hands and knees.

Headlamp: It is now the only flashlight I use. Just learn to not look at anyone so you don't blind them. LEDs have made everything else obsolete. I keep two with me. One is with my sleeping bag. One with my "possibilities" box. When I set out my sleeping bag, I put the headlamp around my neck. That way when it gets dark I am not hunting around for my light. Eliminates having to get down on hands and knees.

These all have a common theme. Can you guess what it is?

Oh, one last thing. I got this and love it. Multiple uses. It is my camp pillow and has nothing to do with hands and knees.
http://www.sierratradingpost.com/crazy- ... i~p~3249v/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[okieboater]

Just back from a 5 day kayak self support river trip.

we used my

Katadyn® Base Camp Microfilter Water Filter

and it worked great. I have the pump Katadyn hiker model as well but we never got it out as it is a pain to pump and the base camp works off gravity.

We did the filter process and then added the proper drops of clear clorox to the container we filtered into. Been several weeks since the trip and no one got sick.

The big deal tho is to filter out the mud and gunk before you do the filter. This will save your filter from clogs big time.