Water Filtration Methods for Backcountry Hunting
BY Herschel Smith
1 month, 3 weeks ago
KUIU has a very good article up on methods of water filtration and purification for backcountry hunting, with emphasis on weight and movement. I won’t post it all or even any of it, but they have a nice list of pros and cons on the various methods.
I have most of these methods, from life straw to force filtration through ceramic filters. I don’t have (and haven’t used) tablets. I don’t like the idea of loading my thyroid up with iodine. Some are light, some are bulky and weighty, and leak inside your backpack. Again, there are pros and cons to all of it.
Prior:
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On July 6, 2025 at 10:22 pm, Longbow said:
Herschel, Iodine is good for you. I have purified drinking water with it for many years. I used to drink the swamp water on Ft. Stewart purified with iodine. It also supports thyroid function, which is a plus in any stressful situation.
Dare I repeat the phrase I heard so often as a young soldier?
“Take a knee. Drink some water. Quit yer fuckin’ sniveling.” Just make sure to purify your water first.
On July 7, 2025 at 8:54 am, Herschel Smith said:
Iodine toxicity is a real thing. It’s possible to “uptake” too much. The difference between a medicine and a toxin is in the dose. Dropping iodine tablets into water again and again in the backcountry is not my idea of managing dose.
On July 7, 2025 at 8:57 am, Latigo Morgan said:
Been carrying the Katadyn Be Free filter after watching several through-hiker videos about the Pacific Coast Trail, the Continental Divide Trail, and the Appalachian Trail. It weighs next to nothing and is simple to use. I like the Sawyer Squeeze, too, but prefer the Katadyn over it. Not a fan of the popular Grayl system because of its proprietary water container requirement for it to even work. I like that I can fill up anything with those other filters.
In areas with fairly sketchy water sources, I’ll drop a tablet in my filtered water – just in case. Depending on chemical purification alone seems like a good way to still swallow things you don’t want to swallow.
I just can’t wrap my head around the UV disinfection devices. They look too gimmicky for my comfort zone, but they seem to have a good reputation in some circles.
On July 7, 2025 at 9:38 am, Herschel Smith said:
I trust radiation, but irradiating the water doesn’t remove turbidity. Again, there are pros and cons with every method.
On July 7, 2025 at 10:48 am, xtphreak said:
When I go out motocamping, I carry a Sawyer Squeeze with a bladder (was Platypus, now using a Water drop bladder) for producing camp water via gravity.
I added 6ft of food grade silicon tubing, because I attach a line of Dyneema Lash-It (same as my bear bag line 1.75mm 500lb breaking strength) to the bladder and hoist it up using a limb to get additional head pressure for better (faster) flow.
(6 ft X 12″)X 0.036 psig/inch = 2.59 psig
vs.
(2 ft X 12″)X 0.036 psig/inch = 0.864 psig
Every ride, there’s a Sawyer Mini in the pannier screwed on a 20 oz empty drink bottle as a squeeze for Just In Case.
Just a note here, I absolutely hate the little mylar bags that Sawyer supplies with their filters. They’re damn nearly impossible to fill by putting them under the surface of the water because they don’t have a rigid shape. An empty (washed) drink bottle is easy.
I always have a filled Nalogen army canteen shaped bottle in a surplus canteen carrier along with a canteen cup and stove & 4 fuel tabs.
Rides on my back box, always right there when I need a swallow whenever I stop.
Now that I’ve gotten too old & cripped up to backpack, I do my camping off my “metal mule” (Yamaha Super Tenere’), so weight is not nearly as important as it was when I had to carry it on my back.
On a hot day, riding a motorcycle with mesh jacket for airflow, you will have a huge evaporation rate from your skin.
Hydration is important!
Y’all Have a Good Day!
On July 7, 2025 at 11:23 am, xtphreak said:
Just a couple issues with the article referenced (KUIU).
BOILING
“… Once water has reached its boiling point of 220 degrees Fahrenheit or 100 Celsius, the pathogens are already dead. …”
Water doesn’t boil at 220° F.
Even at the Dead Sea which is the lowest elevation on Earth, The boiling point of water is just slightly above 214° F.
GRAVITY
“… Can leave an aftertaste or need a drink mix flavor to hide the chemical taste. …”
Obviously the author was doing some cutting and pasting on the pros and cons sections because chemical aftertaste does not apply here, but does apply to the chemical treatment section.
Just being my pedantic self.
Have a Good Day!
On July 8, 2025 at 7:18 am, Michael Gilson said:
Here’s a video about using fresh cut sections of grapevine to filter water. He even submitted water samples for lab testing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSBwJNDDUfc&pp=ygUWZ3JhcGV2aW5lIHdhdGVyIGZpbHRlctIHCQnBCQGHKiGM7w%3D%3D#bottom-sheet
On July 8, 2025 at 10:09 am, Herschel Smith said:
I like Clay Hayes, and also Jason Salyer who does similar things in the outdoors.
On July 9, 2025 at 10:10 pm, Georgiaboy61 said:
Not per se a filter, but a great life-saving tool for wilderness emergencies is to carry the simple materials for making a solar still. If memory serves it is taught in all of the major military survival schools in the U.S. It is also known in the outdoors/hiking community, which is how I learned about it.
You’ll need a piece of clear plastic – heavy duty is best – but it must be clear-enough to permit the passage of sunlight, and intact enough to form a seal or barrier against moisture. Also a receptacle or cup or some kind, and ideally but not essentially, a fairly long tube or straw from which to drink. A digging tool or stout camp knife or hatchet is also nice to have.
Dig a hole in the shape of an inverted cone, with sides roughly 45 degrees or so. The hole should measure 24-36″ across but not so large that your plastic cannot cover it. In the bottom, dig a level spot for the cup or container you wish to use. Place the cup in the bottom. Insert the straw if applicable.
Line the interior sides of the hole with any vegetation or other potential moisture sources available. Stretch the plastic covering over the hole and seal it around the sides with the fill from the hole. It ought to be air-tight or nearly so.
Before doing so, however, place a small rock or other inconspicuous weight in the center of the plastic covering. The idea is to weight the plastic down so that it forms a cone parallel in shape to the sides of the hole, but with an air gap between them. If you wish, thread the straw from the cup to the outside of the plastic before sealing the hole. That way, you can drink from the cup without disturbing the seal on the still.
Now, you simply wait for the sun – you have built your solar still in direct sunlight, haven’t you? – to work its magic. The light entering the plastic heats the chamber inside and the soil and material of the sides of the cone, vaporizing the water which condenses on the inside of the plastic cover and runs down the inside to drip off the lowest point above the cup.
Once enough time has gone by – and it may take several hours – there should be some water in the cup to drink.
The survival still was hailed at the time of its invention back in the 1970s as one of the most-significant survival tools to come along in some time. The beauty of it is that it works anywhere there is consistent sunlight.
Lining the insides of the hole with moisture-containing debris will accelerate the process. Mud can be used, as well as contaminated and/or unpurified water, mud, etc. Some sources even state that radioactive water and sewage can be used, although I don’t know if I’d try those… but since distillation removes solids and biological hazards alike it results in safe drinking water largely w/o protozoans, bacteria, viruses or fungi.
A solar still won’t remove all organic contaminants, especially those whose heat of vaporization are similar to water – but it does produce water safe to drink and use for other purposes.
The obvious drawback is that it is slow, but if you are stranded in the wilderness with nothing better to do, you’ll have the time.
The good news is that the materials needed for making one fit into a canteen cup or the like, and weight almost nothing in the typical backpacker’s pack.
Nothing beats a more modern method for preparing safe, potable water – but the solar still is a very nice back-up option to have.