Re: [Philmont]: Water purifiers

At 04:57 PM 11/17/03 -0500, Bob T494 CAC Indpls. In. wrote:
  are water filters really necessary?

Bob,
I am sure you will get many opinions. There have been heated discussion on
this topic, in the past.

I am a satisfied advocate of Iodine. I use Polar Pure (the product issued
by Philmont). After my first trek, I bought a bottle and have used it
since. Polar Pure does not seem to have as strong of "flavor" as other
products.
I do think it is important to carry a pump - for those times that the water
not clear or from a standing pool.
I have owned an MSR WaterWorks pump since 1998. I have carried it on many
outings, including twice at Philmont. I do think it is a good pump. I just
have not had many occasions to use it. It did not get used at Philmont.

In my troop, it seems that the choice of treating with Iodine vs. pumping
is a mental thing - some kids have it in their head that they do not want
to use Iodine, so they pump.
Our 1999 and 2002 crews did not pump. A crew we sent in 2000, right from
the start made a big fuss about Iodine. They pumped all of their water.

BTW - at Philmont there is treated water at back-country staffed camps, so
you will not be treating all of the water you drink (probably about 50%).

I will continue to carry my pump on backpacking trips, including Philmont,
however I only use it on an as-needed basis. For me that is when we need
purified water in a hurry or when the water is not clear or nasty (in some
way).

YiS,
Rick Neff
Scoutmaster, Troop 31
State College, Pa.

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Received on Mon Nov 17 22:45:05 2003