[Mewalkinwoods]

I am planning a trip the first week in September in South Western MA. (The South Tatonic Trail and the first section of the AT in MA). The loop will be approximately 33 miles, and because of the three days that I will be on the trail, I will need to find water.

So I ask you, what do you use to filter your water?

[Jamie C]

Katadyn Hiker...good for moderate use...only lasted me 2 1/2 of HEAVY use on the Long Trail...think I'll be going to some form of a gravity filter to replace it for long distance hiking. Have fun hiking on my home turf!

[Mewalkinwoods]

Thanks Jamie. I'll check it out.

[iClimb]

Depends on how light I'm going and how many people I'm with.

By myself, or with another hiker who is self sufficient, I go with just a Sawyer In-Bottle filter, so I can just find relatively clean water in terms of not having a lot of silt floating in it, dip the bottle in, and drink. The filter is connected to the nalgene bottle's straw, so as I suck it up, it's cleaned. It's a 1 micron filter that has been used in Haiti for relief workers and is inspected by the EPA.

I also boil water, about 4 liters each day per person when I'm with more people and need to restock each day. Do that with the stove as you are sitting around at night before bed, and it's ready in the morning to start the day.

I also recommend carrying purifying tablets with you for emergency purposes. They take a while to work, but can be nice if you run into a problem where you have just a bottle and a water source.

I sometimes use an extra sock or a bandana over the mouth of the water bottle when dipping, to make sure no debris gets in. Even if it's purified, I don't want floaties!