Water general

most running water is fine to drink without purification. rainwater is also okay, but usually not as tasty. avoid still or murky water, or anything with dead stuff in it.

Jesus Christ just get yourself a lifestraw or a Sawyer filter. $20 or less

Any water that isn't directly from a spring is suspect. Even fast flowing water could have a dead animal rotting in it just a few hundred meters upstream. Straw water filters are cheap and weigh practically nothing. Lifestraws are the most common but are a bit bulky if you're an ultra-lightweight camper. There are smaller models from other companies that fit in your pocket. I'd carry 2 just in case one breaks. If you use a metal container to carry your water in you can just boil it.

>>625426
Maybe take small sips spread over a long time. that way if you do get harmfuls, they are taken in small quantities and you could feel its effects before taking too much. Would that work ?

>>625432
I sincerely hope this is a shit tier troll and your not actually clinically retarded

>>625437
*you're

I've heard there are techniques for filtering water yourself with just charcoal, sand, and a bucket. These techniques can even remove parasites like Giardia, without having to resort to boiling water. Which, if the water is contaminated by the wrong thing, can release deadly toxins as the parasites/bacteria/plankton die.

Obviously, if you're simply out hiking in the woods this is a silly thing to waste time learning about. But I always like to learn about how to survive in the worst case scenario. Like being lost in the wilderness for months at a time with a broken leg.

>>625442
>correcting spelling
>sperging this hard
Please drink stream water

>>625442
Or you could just fucking boil the water like an intelligent person. I can only see the charcoal sand filter (you don't need a bucket, you can do it with a stick tripod and fabric) necessary in a situation where you have a lot of people and/or not much combustible material around.

>>625461
But there are cases where boiling the water can make it more toxic. And since when is saving your combustible material for other uses a bad idea?

>>625432
no. most waterborne diseases that are present in the wild take several days to manifest symptoms

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>>625391

You're welcome.

>>625466
erm. Name one please because I find this hard to believe.

>>625391
>Water does not directly come from melted snow
>Collect water on a flow with at least 200m of flow upstream
>No dead animal or pasture upstream, generally no place where animals would enjoy to spend time.

Now, this >>625503
will remove the mud of the water and everything that is not a virus. Since there is no rotting corpse or fecal matters in the water, in will be good.

Pills kill everything, including the virus but does not remove mud or the dead corpses.

>>625503
Maybe dumb question, but can you clean these? Like maybe running water through backwards or some shit? Or can you only use it a certain number of times

>>625512

Yes, you can. It never needs new filter cartridges.

>>625442
This is an effective way of treating water, although it doesn't seem like the best when you're backpacking. Either you have to carry a bunch of charcoal or you have to make a fire, in which case you may as well just boil the water. But as you said, this is good to know for emergency scenarios where you can't get potable water.

The sand is essentially a very short version of the filtering you'd see in groundwater while the charcoal is activated carbon that binds to various contaminants. Both processes are used in some municipal water treatment plants, although they generally disinfect as well but that's more important when your water is sitting around in pipes for a while.

Fast flowing water is arguably worse, higher levels of oxygen in the water mean higher levels of micro organisms.

Always boil your water. If you can't , iodine or chlorine is a good compromise.

Boiling of course, won't remove any heavy metals.

If I had to process water long term (established camp, or self sufficient) I'd be looking towards making a solar still.

>>625540
>Fast flowing water is arguably worse
No it isn't. Stagnant water gives favorable conditions to some pretty nasty things. Fast flowing water will generally be better quality than slow moving or stagnant water, but it depends more on what is upstream of you.
>If I had to process water long term (established camp, or self sufficient) I'd be looking towards making a solar still.
Why not just take groundwater?

>>625543

My point is just because it's fast flowing doesn't mean it's pure.

As for ground water.. A still is easier to build. Don't have equipment to locate and bore a well.

>>625547
Then writing that it's "arguably worse" is a stupid way phrasing what you meant.

Groundwater is easy as fuck to make, we've been making wells for over 7000 years. A solar still is really inefficient and not practical for long term.

>>625549
>easy as fuck to make
This is EXTREMELY dependent on where you are.
If I was going to drink unfiltered water I'd want a slow part of an otherwise fast moving stream. Particles settle when water slows down. If I was lost or otherwise in a survival situation I would drink the water unfiltered because of the time waterborne illnesses take to manifest and the likelihood I will be found within a week.

>>625567
>dependent on where you are
Good point , but I still think that a solar still would be a poor long term solution for water.

>>625408
>most running water is fine to drink without purification
Not in sheep country.

>>625503
This is what I carry, too. The area with the label is just the right width to carry extra duct tape too, which is great for patching water bladders in the field. They also work great stand alone or in-line. I prefer in-line gravity to my clean bag, because I can just give my clean bag a squeeze, and it back flows enough to clean it out without having to carry all the stupid cleaning tools. Also, there's no carbon on this, so lake water still tastes like lake water, so you know.

I'm planning on adding a Y connector to my system so I can connect my dirty bag and filter to my clean bag and valve and filter on the go. It would also allow me to carry up to four litres of water total. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

>>625506
If you are in the U.S. then it was in the news relatively recently.

>>625391
When water in nature looks truly clear and delicious, and it is in motion, I just fucking drink it.

I have never in 17 years gotten sick once.

>>625581
Once again, depends on where you are and how well you make the still. If your still is solid black on the inside, insulated, and can be completely sealed it could be very efficient and otherwise wouldn't require active input of energy. If you're thinking of the emergency still that you extract moisture from inedible plants you'd be spot on.

>>625962
well I'm not. care to provide a reference?

Just use a Fremen Stillsuit ffs

>>625466
I dare you to site a single fucking source ever you absolute mouth breathing drooling mongoloid fuck

>>626020
How much water do you think you could get per day?

>>625549

In terms of water-borne micro organisms it IS arguably worse. Fast flowing water = higher oxygen content = more favourable habitat for organisms.

Thinking ANY natural water course is clean by default is setting yourself up for a fall.

Saying fast flowing water is safe is just plain misinformation. It's not presenting the whole picture.

I'll process my water, you feel free to drink what looks like clean water and risk Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other water-borne pathogens.

FYI I study environmental management including water pollution and water systems.

As to boring down to groundwater - qualify what situation we're in. If we're out camping I'm not going to have the equipment to drill/dig/bore. I'm sure with the right equipment it is simple - but at that point we're discussing a permanent solution and doesn't exactly pertain to the OPs topic of how to process water when you're /out/

The reason I suggest solar still as a theoretical best is because it'll remove mineral, salt, metal content as well as any sediment AND microorganisms.

Of course it's not the most practical solution - but neither is drilling a borehole.

>>625967
This
Been /out/ in Scotland for twenty odd years and I just drank stream water.
Camped out on an island and drank from a natural well, didn't even boil it most of the time.
Hiked through fucking India and drank river water.
As Long as you are not a retard you will not poison yourself

>>626200
Nobody is saying that fast flowing water is safe, just that it is generally safer than stagnant water. DO isn't the only thing that is important to microbial growth (plus DO inhibits growth of certain microbes), so I don't know why you are focusing on that point. Fast flowing water inhibits microbial growth, unlike you have stated. Nobody is telling you not to process your water.

The situation for processing water was originally "long-term" which I consider to be somewhere your planning on staying for 10+ years. Solar still would work for medium-term, but if you need to process enough water to live comfortably, water crops, feed livestock then a solar still seems like a poor solution.

A solar still is good, but unless the container you are storing it in is aseptic (which it won't be) you will have microbial growth. This means you wouldn't be able to store any water long term unless you had access to a disinfectant to dose you water. An aquifer allows for storage and will give you water that is safe to drink unless you contaminate the aquifer.

>>626213
It works until it doesn't, water that looks safe could always make you sick. That said, I rarely treat my water when I'm backpacking and have yet to get sick. I know a handful of people that have gotten Giardia from drinking untreated water while hiking.

>>625391
I have a uv water disinfecting device that'll disinfect about a litre at a time, it doesn't filter shit out though obviously, so clean and clear water only.

>>625512
Yep. Mine came with a syringe for backwashing it and the "squeeze" bag has instructions for backwashing for long-term storage.

Probably my favourite piece of gear next to my esee 6.

>>626215
Microbiology major here. Water can look clear until about 10^5 bacteria per milliliter.

>>626833
gastric acid kills them all anyways
the trick is to not drink too much at once diluting that stuff diminishes the effectiveness.

>>625828
>most running water is fine to drink without purification
>Not in sheep country.

This. My diarea episodes have always originated from poop water drunk with blissful unawareness. If there is any sign of lifestock in the area, beware.

>>626213
>Hiked through fucking India and drank river water.
Just because you survived this, doesn't mean you should promote it to others. Your insane amount of luck is apparently at the cost of general intelligence.

>>626844
Uh no. Endospores can survive fuck all and one day decide to reanimate and mess you up. Always purify before drinking

> second microbiologist in this thread

What the hell is going on in this thread? I wouldn't drink water that hasn't been treated, boiled, or passed through a ceramic filter unless it was a survival situation. Cryptosporidium and giardia will easily ruin your trip if you're not careful.

>>626870
The chance of getting giardia or crypto when you are hiking near headwaters is pretty low. Low enough that many people are willing to risk it. I don't know if I would do the same in lowlands though.

>>625426
I drink from glacier fed streams in the foothills of canada regularly. I have never been sick from it. Not to say I couldn't, but I never have. It's clear and ice cold water.
I would never drink from a stream in any tropical country. On occasion I will use iodine drops in water if I want to be sure I won't be sick on a remote hike out. I find that the most practical thing for me as I have the iodine for a first aid kid anyhow as a backup to polysporin.

All y'all need to come to the beautiful New Zealand high country and drink some crystal clear stream water right from the source. Shit, most of the time when I go out all I take is a small drink bottle and fill up from streams as needed. Maybe we are just spoilt here

>>626870

Filters, for what ever reason, aren't nearly as common in Europe. Everyone in the US carries some kind of treatment/filtration but in Scandinavia especially its uncommon. No idea why.

I'd never risk not filtering water but there have been a few people I've hiked with here in the US that simply don't mind the risk. I'm inclined to believe these people have never experienced or seen someone experience cryptosporidium. I have. Never again.

>>629076
Diaherria for 2 weeks. Not THAT bad.

>>629109

Giardia
Common symptoms include:
fatigue.
nausea.
diarrhea or greasy stools.
loss of appetite.
vomiting.
bloating and abdominal cramps.
weight loss.
excessive gas.

Cryptosporidium
Common symptoms include: infection usually appear within a week after infection and may include:
Watery diarrhea.
Dehydration.
Lack of appetite.
Weight loss.
Stomach cramps or pain.
Fever.
Nausea.
Vomiting.


Yeah that's like a paper cut or blue balls, hardly crippling at all...

Any combination of those symptoms whilst /out/ could put you in a potentially lethal situation, or less seriously would mean cutting a trip short, being off ill from work, or medical bills.

So yeah you do what you want, I'll keep processing my water.

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>>626214
>Fast flowing water inhibits microbial growth

>>629073
Kiwibro here, I do the same.

>>625466
Bullshit

>>625962
You're still not giving a specific example, dumbass.

>>628686
iodine doesn't kill all protozoa and bacteria and drinking too much of it is bad for you, just boil your water or use a filter. Iodine is a very good anti-viral though, especially if you are somewhere you cant boil water.

>>625391
It's easy. Just drink urine. It's already filtered by your kidneys and will abolish weakness while making you fearless. Cures all disease.

>>626196
~1 gallon per 1000 square inches of distillation surface area. An 8x4ft distiller can produce up to 4 gallons a day. More than enough for drinking water, especially if he's able to store it in drums.

>>629076
>Everyone in the US carries some kind of treatment/filtration but in Scandinavia especially its uncommon.

maybe because getting poisoned by water also is very uncommon? never heard about this happening, except during lemming years. then most people boil the water