Howdy All-

I'm a big fan of the Katadyn Micropur tablets for purifying water. I also keep a few Gerber breast milk bags around for a compact water container. Which is still inconvenient, because you'd have to do some mixing between several bags to effectively get the full use out of one Micropur tablet.

What if they made a 1-liter compact water bag? Not from a breast milk market (that'd be one hungry baby!) but from Katadyn?

I was talking with a Katadyn rep this week (very cool guy- replaced by MicroFilter I lost the day before in a big rapid) and mentioned the use of breast milk bags for compact storage. He said that Katadyn can be very receptive to ideas even if they are slow acting. So, I wanted to ask the ETS crew- what would you like in a full liter compact water bag? Same design as the Gerber, just scaled up? Simpler than that (without tear top)? Other ideas?

I'll pass it along in a couple days.

Thanks,
J

Bag should be sturdy, have water tight seal, and.......
Fold compactly into survival kit. Perhaps resistant to extreme cold, heat? Doesn't retain tastes from previous contents, doesn't stain. Reusable......

Platypus (part of Cascade Designs) makes quite a few roll-up water storage bags that might be close to what you're looking for:

http://www.platypushydration.com/about_us/home.aspx?Inside=2

The Platypus is pretty nice for a lightweight primary bladder (along with some of Nalgene's collapsables), but they're still pretty bulky with rolled up. I'm looking for something to basically replace the old condom trick, but a liter capacity. It's has to be super compact for out of the way storage, and put to use in emergencies. Keep a couple in various pockets and packs along with a few Micropur tablets, and forget about them until you have a dire need for some drinking water.

J

I've been wishing for something like that for a long time <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'd like to see one that can fold up into an 12 cm x 8.5 cm space with the minimum amount of vertical volume (thickness) in this format. This will make it small enough to fit into the SAS / Tobacco tins, a back pocket, or other similar spaces.

The gerber breastmilk bags have a lot going for it - it just needs to be able to hold a liter!
The gerber breastmilk bags are just _barely_ too wide, just by a few mm. Being too wide in the bag part is ok, you can just fold it over, but the ziplock portion does not fold easily! Bring the ziplock width down to 8.5 cm, make the bag a few cm longer, and flare out the sides of the bag until it can carry a liter (the sides will end up being significantly wider than 8.5 cm, but they can be folded in). It will easily be longer than the 12 cm requirement above, but you can fold it in half to fit it in that way

Print a measuring scale on the side, and instructions on how to properly purify water in the bag and you're all set. It would be nice if it could survive a drop from chest height onto gravel (or at least concrete) though.

I can't help but wonder if there is a big enough market for these to justify a company making them though <img src="/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

Would I take one? No.

I'd take a dozen if they were priced right!

I also wouldn't mind a half liter sized one, for smaller kits.

Great idea with the instructions printed (in large print) on the bag. I'd like a pleated bottom so that it stands up, and if it could stand up when empty, that'd be even better. Pleated sides would keep the zip lock top smaller so that folding doesn't ruin it. In short, a filled size of about 3 1/2" diameter and 8" tall (I think that's about right for a liter) with a 2 1/2" or 2 3/4" zip lock top.

As long as we're wishing, a little tube - flat molded, same plastic as the bag, 3 or 4 inches in length and made water tight by folding back on itself. Like pinching a garden hose. Maybe stays folded using a Velcro dot. Out of the top corner of the bag. It would make drinking the finished/purified water much easier.

Throw a couple of MicroPur foil packs in the bag, fold it up, and you're good to go.

BTW, I took a pair of scissors and rounded off the corners of all my MicroPur foil packs. Those foil corners are pretty stiff and sharp, maybe sharp enough to cut/poke through my PSK. No sense in taking a chance.

I bought the 2+ liters one which is in fact 2.4 liters, and I love it!

I stopped carrying Nalgene bottles, and scratching my head trying to find a way to fit a water carrier in a PSK. Nalgenes are heavy, bulky and still heavy and bulky when empty. My needs don't warrant this undestructible bottle. Just my opinion.

These Platypus bottles are amazing and deserve a place in your backpack/gear bag, but they won't fit in smaller PSKs.

Platypus collapsible bottles

OK, I don't post much but this gave me an idea. Take a vacuum food sealer bag, fold it up, stick that in a smaller bag with some Micropurs and instructions and vacuum seal the whole thing. Of course you can make the bag any size you need. Maybe stick some duct tape in there to close the top. I've filled a gallon size bag about 3/4 full and it stands up OK.

If the Gerber bags hold 10 oz and the tablets are each good for 1 liter, maybe you can cut the tablets in half with your knife just before use. You're then using a little bit more chemical than you need to (17 oz worth for 10 oz of water) but that's probably not so bad.