Water filter thoughts

Ah yes, I remember fondly the day I went from tablets to a filter. It was a glorious milestone I dare say. For always have I been thirsty in the woods. I would lap water from a filthy hoof print if it were safe to, but by and by, that is never the case. So one day I went afield with a water filter and it ever changed my hydration career. It was in the Tetons, grunting up Granite Canyon. My trail mate that romp, the Doc, was an ex marathon beast, still in good form, always swift, and nary could I match his impressive pace. Nor did I have to. I had a secret weapon, you see. My water filter.

The Doc was a proponent to wellness, and I knew he could not deny me my right to hydrate. And so every stream, every puddle, every source we came across, I would announce my intentions to filter water there, and promptly do so. The doc would stop in stride, and watch as I would slip my pack off, and rummage my filter forth and start pumping. I'd lower the business end of the tube into the cool run-off and put the other tube in my mouth and hark, it was like being at the water fountain. The Doc would pace to and fro, looking at his watch, whilst I sucked down copious quantities of glorious, cold, clear, water. I drank till I hurt. And I walked there after with a tell tale "slosh" in my belly. And for the first time in the back country, I was not thirsty. We didn't get very far in a day either, but that's beside the point. I drank well!

My filter then, some 15 years ago, was the PUR hiker. And still is. Never once a single issue with it. Never done any maintenance to it. I've drank enough from it to hydrate a small Filipino family for a year, I'd wager. Katadyn makes the same filter today. And if ever my old trusty PUR version were to poop out, well, I'd just go get another one. They just work. And I don't know what else to say about it.

Bottoms up!
-GJ

we use a Katadyn Hiker Pro and like it. It's been used mostly on the East Coast, but also on trips to Yosemite and other weekend trips. It's been super reliable, fast, and we can filter as much as we need and store in bladders/nalgenes. We didn't go with a gravity bag because we aren't always camping near water, so sometimes have to plan our refills at odd times when we might not want to wait and/or haul extra water all day. I carry a lifestraw too as an emergency backup, but so far have only used it for fun, not out of necessity.