Author Topic: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline  (Read 7590 times)

hongkongphooey

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Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« on: 10:11:12, 15/04/19 »
Who's happy to dunk their water bottle in a high stream while out walking?

I've done it many a time if water looks clear & fast flowing and so far lived to tell the tale, but I do know they are plenty of articles online warning of the perils of such a practice....

My main reason is weight saving

Ridge

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #1 on: 10:17:45, 15/04/19 »
I dunk my travel tap water filtration bottle in any mucky puddle. I have in the past drunk fresh water but don't risk it any more.

richardh1905

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #2 on: 10:46:22, 15/04/19 »
I've drank my fill from hundreds s of mountain streams, lochans, trickles coming out of peat banks etc over the decades, and will continue to do so.

The only time that I have had any trouble was once in the Italian Alps - teenagers defecating in the stream above where I was camped - dirty *******s.


WildAboutWalking - Join me on my walks through the wilder parts of Britain

Owen

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #3 on: 11:28:20, 15/04/19 »
High in the mountains yes, lower down nearer farm animals, no. You just have to use a bit of common sense about it. I have a sawyer filter which is ok but slow. If it looks really bad filter it and add a tablet to really kill the bugs.

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #4 on: 11:31:08, 15/04/19 »
I dunk my travel tap water filtration bottle in any mucky puddle. I have in the past drunk fresh water but don't risk it any more.

Literally any mucky puddle? It's all dirty and you pop your filter bottle in?

High in the mountains yes, lower down nearer farm animals, no.

Would you drink from nearer the farm animals with your filter?

Dyffryn Ardudwy

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #5 on: 12:52:54, 15/04/19 »
That's where my Jetboil stove would come in handy.
If i was severely dehydrated, or had run out of water in very hot weather, which has happened once or twice, then i can bring suspect stream water or water i was not sure about to boil in a few minutes.

It might be a nuisance to have to boil suspect water every time you question the cleanliness of a mountain stream, but the occasional tea break next to the water source, would be a good opportunity to boil some new drinking water.

That makes even more sense in the hot summers, when you simply cannot get enough fluid down, to stay hydrated.

Over the many years Ive been walking, Ive never yet suffered any stomach issues after drinking from mountain streams, and i can remember a few dodgy looking water sources in the Brecon Beacons.

I have either got the constitution of a mountain goat, or have simply been lucky in my choice of water.

If there are issues with the colour of the water, or proximity to roaming animals, then i would boil the water.

If the walker does not have a stove, then its a worthy investment, and it has more uses other than purifying suspect water.

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #6 on: 12:58:16, 15/04/19 »
Boiling wouldn't purify though it would sterilise, the difference being some unwanted chemicals and heavy metals could remain unless I'm mistaken?

ninthace

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #7 on: 13:02:59, 15/04/19 »
Boiling wouldn't purify though it would sterilise, the difference being some unwanted chemicals and heavy metals could remain unless I'm mistaken?
  You aren't.  Pesticides, left over sheep dip, run off from mines.........
A specialist filter will do the job though without the need to boil.
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pdstsp

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #8 on: 13:05:20, 15/04/19 »
I use a Lifestraw bottle if drinking from streams/lakes etc - I have drunk from streams in the past, but now I think it's a risk not worth taking.

Owen

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #9 on: 13:24:55, 15/04/19 »


Would you drink from nearer the farm animals with your filter?


Depends how bad it is.

Owen

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #10 on: 13:27:45, 15/04/19 »
That's where my Jetboil stove would come in handy.
If i was severely dehydrated, or had run out of water in very hot weather, which has happened once or twice, then i can bring suspect stream water or water i was not sure about to boil in a few minutes.

It might be a nuisance to have to boil suspect water every time you question the cleanliness of a mountain stream, but the occasional tea break next to the water source, would be a good opportunity to boil some new drinking water.

That makes even more sense in the hot summers, when you simply cannot get enough fluid down, to stay hydrated.



So you drink boiling water, doesn't that burn your lips?

Ridge

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #11 on: 13:31:51, 15/04/19 »
Literally any mucky puddle? It's all dirty and you pop your filter bottle in?

Would you drink from nearer the farm animals with your filter?
Yes to both questions.
I always try to fill it from the cleanest looking water that is about as the dirtier the water the quicker it clogs up the filter but I have, when necessary, filled it from some very nasty, stagnant, slimy sources. Best £25 I ever spent.
http://www.drinksafe-systems.co.uk/products.php

Rob Goes Walking

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #12 on: 13:36:50, 15/04/19 »
My sister and her husband got really sick drinking from a stream in the Scottish Highlands, at least they think that's what did it so you can get unlucky even in remote places. On the other hand, I've drunk from a spring in a low lying urban fringe field under the care of a wayward uncle (the best and most fun kind) as a kid and been fine.

Lifestraw and sawyer filter both look interesting.

So does jetboil though I wouldn't use it for drinking water unless I was really damn thirsty.


Now I've got Ridge's water system to consider too.


Probably won't need any of that stuff until I go camping though. The jetboil might be nice.

pdstsp

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #13 on: 13:46:17, 15/04/19 »
Rob - I take a normal 600ml bottle and the lifstraw bottle filled on each walk.  Once the normal bottle is done I decant the lifestraw bottle into it (as the straw has finite uses) and will then refill the lifestraw bottle next time I pass some ok looking water.  I know that you can drink stagnant water, peat dedgings and all sorts through the filter, but it's rare not to come across running water in the ares I tend to walk, so I normally wait for something a bit more appetising!  Having seen dead sheep and deer in mountain streams in the lakes (and Snowdonia), and witnessed many people relieving themselves in close proximity to running streams, I would only drink unfiltered water in an emergency.  Guess I must be a sensitive soul.

alan de enfield

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Re: Drinking From Streams Above The Last Fenceline
« Reply #14 on: 13:53:02, 15/04/19 »

Lifestraw and sawyer filter both look interesting.



I have added a carbon-filter to my kit - the Sawyer gets rid of all the 'nasties' but can leave a 'taste' (earthy, peaty, chemically, whatever)
Everything (pipes, connectors, Sawyer,, Carbon Filter, Scoop, Condoms, Bladders etc) all fits in a "Airline Courtesy Kit" zip-bag

The Sawyer details :


The Sawyer MINI Water Filter is rated to 0.1 micron absolute, weighs only 2 ounces, and filters up to 100,000 gallons of water! The MINI can be attached to the included collapsible drinking pouch, inline on a hydration pack, on a standard soda bottle, or simply use the included drinking straw to drink directly from the water source. How is that for versatility? Like all Sawyer filters, a proper backwashing can restore up to 98.5% of the filter’s flow rate. That means no expensive cartridges to replace, ever...
 
 * Ideal for outdoor recreation, hiking, camping, scouting, domestic and international travel and emergency preparedness...
 
 * The MINI removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera and E.coli; removes 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium...
 
 * High performance filter fits in the palm of your hand, weighs 2 ounces and filters up to 100,000 gallons (30 times more than comparable filters)...
 
 * Attaches to included drinking pouch, standard disposable bottles (28 mm thread), hydration packs, or use the straw to drink directly from your water source...





 

 

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