Bushwalk Australia

Not sure if this exactly comes under the banner of 'tucker'. I have always made it a habit to use water purifications tablets whenever I drink untreated water no matter where I get it from. I have never been sick out bush - this may be the reason??

Many people I have met insist that most water sources in Aus are generally clean and never use water purification at all. I want to get a sense of whether people generally use them or generally do not???

Also does anyone use a water bacterial filter? I have always wondered if they are worth the (in my opinion) exorbitant price.

Sarge,
I personally dont use purification tabs here in Tas and I always take water from free flowing creeks but as a gear freak I have checked out the Filters etc and if I lived elsewhere I would buy one . They can be sourced overseas at a third of our Aus price and in my opinion I would check out the "steri pen types" .
I would appeciate any feedback on this particular product as opposed to the Filter system.
corvus

I've always thought that purification tablets left an unpleasant aftertaste and so have never used them. Normally I have hiked a little further upstream of any suspect water. I started using an MSR ceramic pump filter in some of the more popular areas which has been fine. It's also come in handy on some drier coastal walks in eastern Vic where the only available water at the time was from standing pools. It's a little extra weight but adds piece of mind and saves on fuel for boiling. Generally it takes about 1 minute to pump a litre. I also used it on Tas hikes (South Coast Track & Federation) but found that the sediment and tannins (which don't really bother me that much) in rivers like the Louisa, Cracroft, New River tended to clog the ceramic filter fairly quickly. It's amazing the amount of stuff it extracts.
Mick

Good post Gibbsmick,
Do you think that a simple hankie type "filter" would have done the trick on the SW track just to filter out the thick bits ??

Gippsmick wrote:... but found that the sediment and tannins (which don't really bother me that much) in rivers like the Louisa, Cracroft, New River tended to clog the ceramic filter fairly quickly. It's amazing the amount of stuff it extracts.

Eek! Sounds scary! I know - dehydrated water! Directions - Add water...

Do you think that a simple hankie type "filter" would have done the trick on the SW track just to filter out the thick bits ??

The tannins are just too small and filtered water will never be clear but a quick pre filter through a cloth would remove a lot of the larger sediment and save on your filter maintenance/cleaning. To avoid sediment from running water try letting it settle in a container and filtering off the top portion. For standing water try not to wade in too deep and place the filter carefully in the water to avoid stirring up sediment in the first place. I like having a filter as it gives you more options but I doubt I would take it to the SW again - it's just a bit too much extra weight. It mainly gets use around huts and other pouplar spots. Don't get me wrong though - I love the tannin stained water in TAS. I thought it was an initiation rite of walking in the SW. The looks you get from suburbanites when they look a your photos and their comments (" You drink that?") are priceless.

Gippsmick wrote:

Do you think that a simple hankie type "filter" would have done the trick on the SW track just to filter out the thick bits ??

The tannins are just too small and filtered water will never be clear but a quick pre filter through a cloth would remove a lot of the larger sediment and save on your filter maintenance/cleaning.

If you want just a little more sophistication then try an army water filter. Light weight, cheap and easy to carry.

The Army Filter is good but costs a lot more than a hankie or two which will have the same result albeit just a bit slower but easier to wash out than the bag.

I've had to use a filter once for some very suss looking creeks on the south coast. I find leaving the water to settle in a pot for a while helps keep the clag down on the ceramic.

In tassie I drink the water 'as is' in most places, as it is usually incredibly pristine. For added security 1 or 2 SPECKS of potassium permanganate (sold as Condy's Crystals in pharmacies) and left to settle for half an hour does the trick, is cheap, and in higher concentrations can be used for anything from feet fungus to starting fires (I believe a mix with a small amount of glycerine and sugar is highly volatile )

Never had a problem with tannins, and when sucking water through a tube on Bechervaise I just had to be careful not to disturb the bottom. Handkerchiefs or a small square of shadecloth are useful for filtering out bigger bits including the wrigglets that can be found in water tanks.

I have never been able to justify the expense of a water filter when simple measures such as the handkerchief/KMnO4/chlorine tablets/iodine do the trick in most cases. From working in a camping store I've heard a lot of people rave about the SteriPens so I'd consider that first. The basic principle is it uses UV light to kill anything in the water. I still think they're a bit heavy and bulky in comparison to the other measures but thats just me. And I can get away with that in Tassie.

One other thing my old man does on his Murray River kayak trips to do with sediment is filter it as above, then let it sit and decant it (ie pour off the clear top bit) and if all that fails then a sprinkle of Aluminium Sulphate (or Nitrate? I can't remember - I'll get back to you) apparently helps the sediment cluster and fall to the bottom. Its a bit of a finicky science I'm not prepared to get into but there you go: for your interest. Apparently 90% of the bacteria in water is on the dirt so by filtering it somehow your almost there.

Dave

breminator98 wrote:potassium permanganate (sold as Condy's Crystals in pharmacies) ... I believe a mix with a small amount of glycerine and sugar is highly volatile

Yeah, me and a friend discovered this by accident as teenagers when making random combinations with my older brother's chemistry set. I haven't tried it with sugar, but condy's crystals and glycerine gave me quite a shock to say the least. However, once this great discovery had been made, we soon set about how to build guns based on this combination and to shoot each other with them. Much fun was had by all and no animals or children were (permanently) harmed in the process.

breminator98 wrote:<Snipity snip>One other thing my old man does on his Murray River kayak trips to do with sediment is filter it as above, then let it sit and decant it (ie pour off the clear top bit) and if all that fails then a sprinkle of Aluminium Sulphate (or Nitrate? I can't remember - I'll get back to you) apparently helps the sediment cluster and fall to the bottom. Its a bit of a finicky science I'm not prepared to get into but there you go: for your interest. Apparently 90% of the bacteria in water is on the dirt so by filtering it somehow your almost there.

Dave

I usually carry a ziplock bag with some "SalVital" lemon flavoured effervescent drinking powder for drink stops where the water is full of organic matter or silty. A couple of teaspoons stirred in a cupfull of the target water, froths over the top taking most of the sediment with it, leaving a pleasant lemon tasting "mineral" water beverage This was a trick I used when bushwalking in dry Queensland summers where often the only water was in suspect pools, full of wrigglers and organic material.

wow! good tip tas-man! I take it "salvital" is available in most supermarkets? oh and I checked with the old man it is Alum that he uses - ie aluminium sulphate.

It has been around since last century and should be on most supermarket shelves in the Health Items area. Here are a few pictures to identify it, some old and the current packaging as well. If you are going to take some bushwalking, always take a fresh batch each trip as it looses its "fizz" upon exposure to humid air.

The only time ive been stung by bad water was in the walls of jerusalem a few years ago, i have never filtered water before this. i have drank unfiltered water since (with only slight hesitation).

I think i would be looking at a steripen option.

Hey thanks for the tip Tas-man, great idea! Funky_bunch IMHO steripens are too bulky and heavy for an occasional user.

tas-man wrote:I usually carry a ziplock bag with some "SalVital" lemon flavoured effervescent drinking powder for drink stops where the water is full of organic matter or silty. A couple of teaspoons stirred in a cupfull of the target water, froths over the top taking most of the sediment with it, leaving a pleasant lemon tasting "mineral" water beverage

Been doing that since I was a kid. Or Berocca tablets. But only when the water looks a bit grotty and there's no alternative source. Mostly I drink it as it comes, though I can be picky as to where I take it from. No problems yet, but then I seem to have a cast-iron stomach.

breminator98 wrote:Hey thanks for the tip Tas-man, great idea! Funky_bunch IMHO steripens are too bulky and heavy for an occasional user.

http://www.steripen.com/adventurer

This is the product i ment, i dont see it as being bulky enough to outweigh the up sides!

compared to a couple of tablets its at least 120 times bigger and heavier

It never ceases to amaze me how everyone considers Tasmanian water "pristine". Sure its much better than alot of other areas but not matter how untouched by humans the water may be could you guarantee that 500m or more upstream there isnt some dead animal in the water or that an animal hasnt urinated of defecated in the water........a sure way to get a viral or bacterial infection. People seem to be quite happy to spend $$ on al sorts of gear but baulk at spending money on their health for a water filter.

Im personally looking at getting the katadyn pocket filter, $600 here in Oz but have noted for those interested at Moontrails.com approx $250 AU

A good point - IMHO though the body's defences are usually good enough. Haven't had a problem yet.
I'll have to check out that website, hopefully the prices correlate to other gear too.

etrangere wrote:It never ceases to amaze me how everyone considers Tasmanian water "pristine". Sure its much better than alot of other areas but not matter how untouched by humans the water may be could you guarantee that 500m or more upstream there isnt some dead animal in the water or that an animal hasnt urinated of defecated in the water........a sure way to get a viral or bacterial infection. People seem to be quite happy to spend $$ on al sorts of gear but baulk at spending money on their health for a water filter.

While you are undoubtedly right in some cases there are very few people and times bad water has been encountered and then generally because people have been forced by exceptionally dry weather to take it from places not ideal. In that case boiling it for tea or coffee overcomes the bad effects. I have a MSR ceramic filter that I have never used as never had a problem until a poor water source on Mount Vyndike and common-sense should have told me that the first source was dubious while a stream a bit further on was ok. Not sure if I will ever use it in Tassie but increased traffic by people indifferent to hygiene might change my mind in some areas.

Cheers Brett

I've always used the purification tabs. Might be a NSW thing, I've never trusted the water hear, unless it out of a rain water tank

a few years ago, i got water from one of the water tanks on the freycinet walk. When i was just about to take a gulp of it, I found lots and lots of larvae swimming inside! probally from mozzies. ever since, ive used a steripen pre-filter which just screws onto the top of a standard nalgene and seems to work better than than a hanky. maybe i'll try a chux cloth next time.

i also have a steripen carried with me, but realised i didnt even use it on my recent trip to the south coast track.
I just boiled the water at night and chuck it in the nalgene to keep myself warm, and used that water the next day.

if you ever get stuck it is possible to fashion a filter out of a sock -(preferably a clean one )
groud up charcoal from a campfire and ideally use a little creek sand .
the idea is that the charcoal goes into the sock (or sleeve or whatever you have) first and will absorb most e. colli and other nasties, the sand goes in second - therefore it filters out bulkier impurities before the water gets to the charcoal powder.
This is in no way better than or a replacement to boiling or other purification methods but if you get stuck it can be the difference of being ok or having diarrhia and getting more dehydrated.
ps
if you try this try to make a "pit" in the layers so the water soaks through the filter not out the side of the sock or shirt-sleeve.

For the past 5 years I have been using Aquamira, a water treatment product from the US.
http://www.aquamira.com/
It is a chemical treatment but does not leave any nasty taste in the water. It is light & easy to use & comes in either liquid or tablet forms. It's quite cheap & can't break down or run out of batteries. Only down side is that I have never found anywhere to buy it in Oz. I just stock up whenever I get over to the US.

Chris

Turfa wrote:For the past 5 years I have been using Aquamira, a water treatment product from the US.
http://www.aquamira.com/
It is a chemical treatment but does not leave any nasty taste in the water. It is light & easy to use & comes in either liquid or tablet forms. It's quite cheap & can't break down or run out of batteries. Only down side is that I have never found anywhere to buy it in Oz. I just stock up whenever I get over to the US.

Chris

I went to buy a 24 tablet pack..... now i see why you get them over there!- the postage they try to charge you is almost more than your airfare!!!
About $12-$13 for the product and $60-$80 postage??!!! I sent them a polite message suggesting that they either got their postage fee wrong or that their heads are interchangeable with their butts!

I hope you have your filter on if you dont like the language here - i was more tactfull in the email to the company...

That said the product looks ok and if we ignore FedEx the price is ok too but there are products available in Aus with the same active ingredient (Chlorine Dioxide) in tablet form - at a cheaper transport rate! Some of the taste can be eliminated if you let the water "settle" overnight. There is an aquarium product i use if at a Basecamp for a day or more that will settle out the chlorine and most other impurities as sediment AFTER i have used purification tablets. it is for treating fish tank water officially but i have checked it out with some chemist/pathology and doctor type follks i work with and it is ok.. also a 250mL bottle treats 500L H2O and costs $6

This is definately a lightweight solution to water purification - but bear in mind we are still basically dosing the water with bleach to kill off the bugs - it is still all there in the water, whereas a filter (although it may need maintenance) actually removes the nasties without adding chemicals (just wish i could afford a good one though)

ninjapuppet wrote:a few years ago, i got water from one of the water tanks on the freycinet walk. When i was just about to take a gulp of it, I found lots and lots of larvae swimming inside! probally from mozzies. ever since, ive used a steripen pre-filter which just screws onto the top of a standard nalgene and seems to work better than than a hanky. maybe i'll try a chux cloth next time.

i also have a steripen carried with me, but realised i didnt even use it on my recent trip to the south coast track.
I just boiled the water at night and chuck it in the nalgene to keep myself warm, and used that water the next day.

Ive been walking with folks who used ladys pantyhose (as a filter that is)!

Liamy77 wrote:I went to buy a 24 tablet pack..... now i see why you get them over there!- the postage they try to charge you is almost more than your airfare!!!
About $12-$13 for the product and $60-$80 postage??!!! I sent them a polite message suggesting that they either got their postage fee wrong or that their heads are interchangeable with their butts!

I hope you have your filter on if you dont like the language here - i was more tactfull in the email to the company...

Ha ha ......that gave me a chuckle
I'm actually suprised that they gave you a price on freight. The couple of times I have tried to have it shipped I was told that it is considered hazardous goods & they couldn't send it. So I gave up & just buy some every 18months or so when we are over visiting the out-laws.

I am interested in knowing the locally available chlorine dioxide products though......do tell !

Cheers,

Chris

Go to ebay enter chlorine dioxide and you will have a choice with reasonable postage.
corvus