Re: [Philmont]: Water Treatment

One argument for taking a filter is simply the ability to fill a
Nalgene bottle. During drought conditions at Philmont, some water
sources are not deep enough to immerse a Nalgene. The debris in the
water can be another problem. You can pump water out of an inch of
water but you can't effectively dip a Nalgene into an inch of water.

My son and another scout hiked about 650 miles of the A.T. last summer.
  Along the way, they transformed themselves into ultralight
backpackers. They attempted to give up the water filter to reduce
weight but ran into several problems. Where springs ran out of the
side of a hill, they used magnolia leaves to funnel water but where the
water was running horizontal and shallow, they inevitably ended up with
grit and organic matter. When transferred to a hydration pack, this
debris caused problems with the seals and when sucking the last of the
water out, they would gag on a mouthful of sand, leaves and dirt.
Shallow water sources meant that it took much longer to get drinkable
water than pumping with a filter. After about 200 miles without the
filter, they called and asked me to ship it to them.

Dan Preston
Louisville, KY

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Received on Fri Mar 24 09:52:43 2006