I use a Pur Hiker occasionally to process water, but I really prefer to boil. Simple, effective,and you get a nice cup of tea into the bargain. water.
Excellent point, Hikermor. 2 birds, 1 stone. Love that approach!
The worst water I ever treated was stream water in Canyon de Chelly, where we were doing a project that required us to hike in and stay for days at a time. The water was undoubtedly contaminated. There were herds of sheep and dwellings upstream, none of which sported so much as an outhouse. The water (too thick to drink and too thin to plow) first sat overnight to settle the sediment, was decanted and boiled. Over several weeks, this worked just fine - no illness or tummy problems.
Yuck! But it just goes to show that patience is a virtue, especially in survival.
Recommendations for boiling times are all over the map. I have seen statements that as much as five minutes of a full boil are required. I seem to do fine just bringing the water to a rolling boil, and then chilling it. There have been ti As far as I know, I havewater.
When my niece was born 13 years ago, they said 5 min. when my son was born almost 9 years ago, they said 10. When my nephew came along 6 months later it was back to 5. When his sister arrived 2 years later it was "just get it to a rolling boil." My MIL says it's all hooey. She may be right, but never got past the 10 mins.
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