[Scouter]

The previous threads on needing filters, leads me to this question. Which should I buy? Is it enough to just filter out the chunks, or do I need to kill the little buggers(viri), too? Are viruses a big problem in Washington? I had a classmate in high school who had a run in with the "nasty G" and it took him months to kick it completely, with violent and unexpected diarrhea. Iodine tablets taste bad, and boiling is time consuming.

[forest gnome]

TRY searching the archive of gear talk ..water filters. I did when I posted the topic.....are water filters allways a must. I like my sweetwater filter a lot as its light/ but will still drink from fresh fast moving streams regularly. Still think it's kinda paranoia put out by the water filter mfg.'s ? Never had a problem (yet) still for 12 oz. of weight i am starting to use one now.

[Slide Alder Slayer]

Pack Pup and have used our trusty MSR Water Works 2 forever until a stress crack in the upper housing blew the top off on the first day of our six-day trip to the Enchantments last summer. We have always packed a backup in case of a filter failure, and for the rest of our trip used Aqua Mira. We were given a new housing by MSR for our Water Works, but always looking to shave a few ounces, recently purchased a MSR Mini Works with the new EX Ceramic Element. On our recent three-day trip to Navaho Pass, the new filter worked great and significantly pumped a greater volume water than the older style filter. For the Northwest I really don’t think you need a purifier as much as a filter. However with Sweet Water’s Viral Stop or Aqua Mira you can certainly purify any filtered water. Every spring as we hike/snowshoe in the melting snow and see all the presents left by deer, elk, marmots, and other animals. I can’t imagine a situation where filtering water isn’t an advantage in the long run, but those who are immune to water borne protozoa/bacteria symptoms obviously view this differently and think this caution unnecessary or that the problem does not exist.

[Backpacker Joe]

Here's the BS: A filter filters out things to the bacteria size. (fine for the U.S.) A purifier kills all that AND virus's. It does this by injecting your favorite, iodine into the mix. You don't need a purifier here in the U.S. here is a good light one. TB

[Tom]

Actually, some purifiers don't use iodine - the First Need Deluxe filters out viruses. I agree purifiers aren't necessary around here - all fiters on the market will do the job. It is more important to take care of your filter. Filters can easily be damaged. Treat them like fragile goods. Test your filter before each trip by putting a drop of blue food coloring in a quart of water and filtering it. If the filtered water has a blue tint, the filter is probably damaged. BTW, MSR is coming out with a very promising looking purifier at the end of this year: http://www.miox.com/News/body_news.html

[marzsit]

there are only 2 purifiers on the market that work- the sweetwater, and the first need. the early sweetwater and pur purifiers that use an iodine cartridge don't work and shouldn't be used. sweetwater's viralstop solution is only approved for use with the sweetwater filter.