Portable water treatment systems are a must for anyone trekking in the outdoors. Water treatment systems eliminate parasites and bacteria from the water, making it safe to drink. Various manufacturers use different methods to eliminate micro organisms in contaminated water. How effective they are is another matter that is constantly being debated. While all treatment methods are effective, the standards set by The Environmental Protection Agency, require that a water treatment system must eliminate 99.99 percent of micro organisms. Essentially, there are two ways to treat water. You can either kill or filter-out the microorganisms in the water you treat. Some manufacturers of water treatment systems choose one over the other, while some do both. Depending on how you plan on using a water treatment system will help you decide which system is best for you. If you’re an avid hiker and backpacker, estimate the amount of water you’ll be using on a given outing. If you plan on doing excursions into other countries and aren’t familiar with the water sources, a system that kills and filters out organisms and viruses may be better for you.

Filtration Methods

One of the most common methods of eliminating microorganisms from water is by use of a filtration system. Most manufacturers of portable water treatment systems, who use filters, go beyond these numbers but consumers must be aware of how manufacturers test their filtration methods. The amount of water passing through the filter for a specific test may be different from one filtration system to the next. So when selecting the right filtration system for you, it’s always a good idea to compare apples to apples.

Small, lightweight filters like this Katadyn-Hiker uses a pleated cartridge design that allows it to work well for hikers and backpackers.

Filters typically prevent organisms from passing through its structure that depend on the pore size of the filter matrix and the design of the filter. Some filter matrix’s have a consistent pore size that can achieve an “absolute” micron rating. Other designs have a variable pore size that have an “average” micron rating. Membrane filters are effective inexpensive and are normally used with a chemical to kill any organisms that make it through its non-consistent pore size and are often discarded after a certain amount of water is filtered through it. Ceramic cartridge filters can be easily cleaned and reused. They can treat many more gallons of water and are typically one of most expensive.

Carbon block filters remove micro organisms as well as impurities and chemicals in the water, which also help to make it taste better. Labrynth depth filters are made from a maze of cleaning surfaces that trap micro organisms while letting the water pass through. They are coated with cleansing materials to destroy the organisms trapped within the filter. Structured matrix filters have incredibly small pores that allow a single filter to safely eliminate all contaminants, including chemicals and bacteria. Although these filters have small micron ratings they are “absolute” with a consistent pore size throughout the matrix.

Treatment Methods

Perhaps one of the most popular methods to kill bacteria and microorganisms in water is to simply boil it. Boiling several gallons of water for 3-5 minutes is a sure way to drink safe water. While boiled water may not always taste great, an old Boy Scout trick is to re-oxygenate the water by simply letting it cool and pouring it back and forth between two containers.

Ultra-violet light can also kill microorganisms. This Steri-Pen Adventurer is small enough to treat 16 oz. of water at a time. It's battery powered but can also be used with an optional solar powered charger.

Another popular method used for many years has been to use iodine tablets. While iodine tablets and drops are readily available, but often lead to a bad taste. There is also some debate as to the types of organisms that iodine can kill, such as cyclospora. This is especially important if you head to foreign countries or areas in which you are unsure of the water sources. In addition, some people have an allergic reaction to iodine that may cause additional problems. While chlorine is also another popular method of treating water, the most common complaint to its use is taste. There is also debate as to its effectiveness in killing Giardia, a common organism found in back country rivers and streams. Some new iodine and chemical treatment kits also include a neutralizer to eliminate the iodine aftertaste and color.

One of the newest methods of water treatment systems utilize ultraviolet (UV-C) light rays to safely sterilize clear water. The ultraviolet light destroys 99.99 percent of protozoa, bacteria and even viruses. While this method is still relatively new to outdoor enthusiasts, the technology has proven to be safe and effective.

Best Bets

No matter what type of water treatment system you use, make sure that you take the water from the cleanest source possible. If piped water is available fill up your bladders and water bottles here first and take enough for your day trip. Longer routes may require taking water from areas along your route. Running springs or creeks are your best source, as micro organisms don’t have much time to settle to the bottom. Keep in mind that most organisms are normally found floating on top of the water. Therefore, many water treatment devices have a float or weighted hose that keeps the inlet at the correct depth, while also eliminating chances of it resting on the bottom.

Ponds and lakes offer the highest level of microorganism contamination. In many cases, even though your water treatment method my be extremely effective, it’s a good idea to gather up some water in a bucket or pot and treat it first by boiling or adding iodine tablets. Then you can pump it through your filter. Filters that use carbon, and iodine-laced filters have an advantage to removing the iodine residue, allowing the water to taste good. Care should be taken however, to ensure that the iodine-lased filter has enough time to effectively kill the organisms before being removed by the carbon.

Which ever filter you use, follow the instructions carefully and use common sense. Keep the filter inlet and outlet hose separate to avoid possible contamination. In any case, the best way to keep you safe on all your outdoor adventures is to use common sense. Having a parasite inside you can be one of the most painful and gut-wrenching experiences you could ever imagine. Therefore, when it comes to your drinking water, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

By: Dan Sanchez

An Argon infused vest, odor-eliminating shirts, shoes with adjustable insoles, and UV light water purification are some of the new technologies that manufacturers are using to rethink outdoor gear and apparel.

Dad’s old Army canteen and heavy wool jacket seem like museum relics, when you compare them to the latest technology being used by manufacturers of outdoor gear and apparel. At the Outdoor Retailer Summer Market, where manufacturers of outdoor products showcase their newest items, the use of existing and new technologies is moving at a fast pace. This may make us rethink how we see and use traditional camping gear and apparel.

Argon Insulated Vest

Klymit Kinetic Vest

The use of Argon gas as an insulator is commonly used in welding, home window applications and more, but Nate Alder, CEO of Klymit in Ogden, Utah, developed a synthetic fabric called Nobel Tek, that incorporates chambers that can be filled with a pocket canister of Argon gas. 

The wearer can adjust the level of warmth by adding or venting the amount of Argon witin the fabric. Furthermore, the technology eliminates the need to layer apparel for changing temperatures, and makes this method the only adjustable insulator on the market.  Aside from Argon being superior at insulating warmth over current synthetic and natural insulators on the market, Klymit’s technology can make outdoor apparel extremely lightweight and thin (only 10mm thick fully inflated).

There are many other uses for this technology and Klymit is already selling their insulated vests on their website. You can find out more at www.Klymit.com

 Anti-Microbial Shirt

Silver isn’t anything new, but its use as an anti-microbial active ingredient is currently used to eliminate odors in shoes, building products, water purification and more. The problem is, silver quickly oxidizes and changes color, making it extremely difficult to add it as an anti-microbial on outdoor performance apparel.  After six years of development and perfection, Agion’s newest technology, Agion-Active,  is a patented method of utilizing silver in white fabric with no concern for discoloration. It’s also a natural anti-microbial and can be inserted into the DNA of the fabric rather than as a topical agent, making it last the life of the fabric.  You can find out more information on Agion’s technology at www.Agion-tech.com

Comfort Adjustable Shoe

Wolverine iCS System

Dorthy from the Wizard of Oz found her perfect pair of shoes that took her back home to Kansas. But the wizards at Wolverine came up with something that’s more than just fantasy;  an insert that can be adjusted to your particular comfort level. The company’s iCS system allows full adjustment of the shoe’s insole, allowing you to select the perfect comfort level for all-day hiking, low or high arches, improve stability, maximize shock absorption and more.

The wave-disc in the heel lets you set the amount of firmness or cushion that feels best for your individual use. The iCS system is available in Wolverine’s casual and outdoor line of footwear. You can find out more at www.Wolverine.com

Ultra Violet Light Water Purification

SteriPEN UV water purifier

It’s safe to say that Giardia, Cryptosporidium and other organisms are bad for your health. That’s why for years, hikers, backpackers and outdoor enthusiasts have been chemically treating or filtering back country water. But there’s an increasing use of UV light as a method of killing harmful organisms and bacteria.

UV light kills organisms in a matter of seconds and many of the systems available can treat a liter of water at a time, up to several hundred liters on a full battery. Manufacturers such as SteriPEN and Camelback are using light technology as a lightweight and effective method that’s catching on with many outdoor enthusiasts.

The use of UV light as a method to purify water  has been in use for several decades by many city water municipalities. But advancements in new technologies allows it to become adaptable to small, portable devices that can be taken on camping, hiking and backpacking trips with ease. For more information on UV water purification devices, contact: www.Steripen.com and www.camelback.com

Easy GPS For The Rest Of Us

Lowrance Hand Held GPS Systems

While GPS systems have been around for a while, there are many outdoor enthusiasts who find themselves GPS challenged. Setting way-points, saving tracking files and more can be a task in itself. Fortunately, GPS systems are becoming easier to use. Manufacturers such as Lowrance make a hand held GPS system with touch screen navigation, high-resolution topo maps, and up to 32GB of memory for storing photos, MP3’s and more from one device.  This makes it simple for the GPS challenged to find their way with a built in compass and altimeter, store trails for future use and have entertainment all in one hand held unit. For more information, contact www.Lowrance.com

By Dan Sanchez

The SteriPEN Journey is an ultra-lightweight water purification system that can treat 16 oz of water in 48 seconds using UV light.

“We’ve got a  Hydro-Photon dagger that destroys living organisms by disrupting their DNA,” we said. “Oh…I just have a small Swiss Army knife.” the 13 year-old Boy Scout replied. After a quick chuckle and explaining that our “dagger” is really a water purification device, we sat down and explained how UV light from a small device such as this, can purify water, and that its effectiveness has been noted and used since 1878.

While the SteriPEN might seem like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, its true effectiveness at killing 99.9999 percent of bacteria, 99.99 percent of viruses and 99.99 percent of protozoa are well documented. The product exceeds U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines for microbial purifiers and has been tested by various laboratories and Universities across the country. But this technology is nothing new. Its been used by many water bottling plants and city municipalities for decades. So some of the bottled water we’re already drinking is purified using UV light.

The SteriPEN Journey can be used with 1 liter bottles.

The great thing about the SteriPEN Journey however, is that it is small and light weight (about 4.5 oz), making it perfect for those of us who like to go out into the wilderness fast and light. We can forget taking several minutes to pump water through filtration devices or making funny faces as you force yourself to drink bad tasting, chemically treated water. With the SteriPEN we simply filled up a 32 oz water bottle with clear water, inserted the SteriPEN Journey into the bottle, pressed the activation button and waited 90 seconds before it was ready to drink.

By far, the SteriPEN is one of the easiest water purification devices to use. It’s powered by two camera-size batteries (CR123) that provide enough power for 8,000 cycles, or purifying up to 8,000 liters (200 gallons) of water. The indicator on the side of the unit shows the battery level and purification timer. In addition, the SteriPEN Journey has a two settings, allowing you to adjust for 1-liter  or 1/2-liter bottles. Two water sensor pins activate the UV light and it’s recommend to stir the water during the purification process to kill all the little guys in there. Once the masacare is completed, a happy face appears on the LCD screen, indicating the process was successfull.

In addition to the device being easy to use and reliable, it also saves the need to purchase plastic water bottles of which most end up in landfills, instead of someone’s fleece jacket. Those of us who talk endlessly on the trail and don’t shut up for any reason at all, like to use larger mouth water bottles. For those guys, we found that the optional FitsAll Filter works great to fit popular Nalgene, SIGG and even Gatorade wide mouth bottles. The FitsAll Filter retails around $14.95 and is essentially a funnel with a cup that comes with an attachable filter cartidge to remove water particulates, not microbiological or chemical contaminants, to clean up your water before you treat it. The SteriPEN Journey and Classic models fit into the funnel to prevent water from leaking out and makes it easier to use.  

While the SteriPEN Journey had some obvious advantages, we at first thought that the lamp might be a bit fragile. We quickly discovered that it’s surrounded by a thick quartz outser-sleeve and orange colored cap that will keep it safe and protected, even in a stuffed backpack. The Journey also comes with a neoprene cover that protects it from scratches and allows you to carry it on your belt so you can also pretend you’re a Jedi master with a new light saber…not that we did that of course.

The optional FitsAll Filter clears water from small particulates and allows the unit to fit large mouth water bottles.

Overall we loved the technology and light weight operation of the SteriPEN Joruney. We would definitely recommend it for hikers, campers and backpackers. In mountaineering conditions, we learned from other users that the SteriPEN will work in cold high-altitude climates. The batteries, however, need to be kept warm or the unit becomes useless. Finally, as over-cautious as we are when heading out into the wilderness, it’s always a good idea to have a back-up water purification method. Many of us will still carry a small portable filtration device, while others will also rely on chemicals for emergencies. Nevertheless, we found the SteriPEN Jouney as a welcome piece of new gear. The SteriPEN Journey retails around $100.

WHAT WE LIKED

• Easy to use and lightweight
• Really fast. We ended up carrying less water and using the SteriPEN to purify more of it on the trail.
• Immediate drinking water. Saves time. No need to wait for chemicals to work.
• Backpackers have used the SteriPEN for many years with excellent results.
• Fits most large and small mouth water bottles, including Gatorade bottles (with FitsAll Filter).
• Great tasting water.

WHAT WE DIDN’T LIKE

• Drinking dead organisms.
• Carrying an extra set of batteries just in case.
• Need to use clear water, althouth not a problem in most areas.
• Doesn’t work well with cold batteries and you’d probably need to carry an extra set.
• Water must have enough electrolites in it (salt) to work. It’s a chemistry thing.

For more information, contact: Hydro-Photon Inc., P.O. Box 675, 262 Ellsworth Rd., Blue Hill, ME 04614. (888) 826-6234. www.steripen.com

By Dan Sanchez