Teens want to go backpacking in January, and I figured at the last minute when I found out that a water purification kit might be useful to them.
What do backpackers use nowadays that will last a long time? We're not talking super duper pros - but just kids hiking.
I used to boil the water & use tablets of chlorine. But don't they have special super duper reusable filters nowadays?
They have special straws.
They used to use Halizone. That's what I put in my canteen in parts of Mexico and Central America when I wasn't sure about the water. Never got sick from the water. The Peace Corps volunteer I talked to in Guatemala said if you saked a local if he water was potable, he would know. One time I met a woman in her 20's who had lived for several years in California. She moved back to Guatemala. Guatemala City had city water, but at their summer home she drank what everyone in the family drank, what she had drunk in the past, from the house cistern. Everyone else was fine but she got sick. Lost her immunity while in California. She had to spend a night or two in the hospital.
Then they recommended iodine.
I recommend snow.
By coincidence, I'm packing tonight for another trip to Guatemala, after
53 years, and I came across water purification pills I bought a few years ago, for this trip. And this time there are two separate bottles, two steps. Here, this is it:I don't know if I still need them, maybe, and I wasn't going to bring a canteen. I can always buy a bottle of something to drink and use that bottle, but it won't have a strap.
.... The more I wrote about this the more I r ealized I had not even considered the water. I was about to ask on TripADvisor but I googled instead. There are several pages that say the water is not safe to drink in Guatemala!! I'm sure that's not true in Guatemala City and Antigua, and probably Panajachel -- even 53 years ago I drank water from the tap in these place -- but I was renting a car and going wherever the mood took me.
You did me a real favor by asking your question.
I'm taking the pills with me but I'm going to get one or more of those straws, once I find out how long they work, etc. UP to 1000 gallons!! For me that's more than 1000 days, so one should be enough.
The light blue ones are $10 for 1 in Amazon now. (Lifestraw is the original brand) They say that is 50% off, but they say a 2-pack is #20 and they don't claim that is a discount. Hard to believe 1-packs and
2-packs normally sell for the same price. 4.8 stars on 111,000 reviews! There are other brands a little cheaper if you buy more than one.Protects against 99.999999% of bacteria (including E.coli, Salmonella),
99.999% of parasites (including Giardia and Cryptosporidium), 99.999% of microplastics, dirt, sand and cloudiness. That's good, I don't want it to be cloudy in my gut.The picture shows a kid drinking straight out of a lake or stream. I think that's true. Cool.
Shela!
Life Straw Personal. Good for about 1000 gallons - $25 canadian on Amazon.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.