Water in the backcountry

[Sad604Man]

Hey guys,
A friend and I are going into backcountry for some scouting in a couple weeks and I was wondering if anybody had any advice when it comes to bringing water along. We plan to go up to roughly 10km into a plateau-ish area where we are unsure of the water supply and quality. Im rigged out with a Katadyn water bottle and filter as well as a couple 1.4L nalgene bottles but im not feeling super confident that it will be enough to last 3 days 4 nights. I figure stashing a 4L bottle at a couple spots would work but doesnt seem very efficient ! Does anyone have any ideas or advice for a couple backcountry newbies ??

Thanks !

[HarryToolips]

I would invest in either a life straw or water purification tablets (that's what I bring with me)..definitely not efficient to be stashing water places....and if you find yourself out of water and don't have any of the above mentioned things, just pick your sources wisely...I agree with Les Stroud (Survivorman) that it's better to drink if you have to rather than getting too dehydrated because your worried about untreated water sources, just have to be smart about it..try to avoid stagnant sources if possible, and I find streams that you can see coming out of the rock or coming from higher up the mountain are best...

[walks with deer]

if your in a plateau you should be near many sources..i wouldnt over think it and sure as shit would not pack in 4l that said i drink eitheir from my spring or creek year round...subalpine.

[eatram]

minimum 2L per person per day. Water is not to be neglected; you need to figure out how to do this trip safely. Lack of water makes the brain choose poor decisions. Have a stash somewhere so that your mind can think straight, knowing that you are not too far from fresh water. Then keep your eyes open for a water source so that you can come back next time with confidence...

[sky-gunner]

Get the platypus gravity system. Been using it for years now Filters 2liters in about 1.5 min, can be used in even super shallow water or in rain as it's a bag system, folds into a very light very small package, and is fairly inexpensive. We've done well over 200km worth of hiking in the backcountry with it and zero issues, great tasting water.

[Sharpish]

Bring water tabs and two bottles. When you find a water source, drink both bottles and then fill them up and throw tabs in. Every time you come across a stream and the existing bottles have had their 30 minutes of treatment time, drink them and fill them up again.

[5.56mm]

Get a water filter. Msr or platypus or there are a few others available also, I've drank river water many times using my platypus, and the kit comes with an adapter to filter right into a nalgene. AMD has a dedicated dirty water bag so no cross contam.

Jon

[Bustercluck]

You should be able to go on google earth or something similar and figure out whereabouts some sources of water might be. Bare minimum I would mark any lakes or ponds nearby, just in case you have to drop down to get water. I recommend a filter too.

Google some different ways to treat water. I can’t stand the taste of those tabs, they leave me still feeling thirsty afterwards. I usually risk drinking poor quality water over putting tabs in, I only use them if it’s swamp water. A filter and a uv light, or a filter and some drops of bleach might be better.

Like others have said you’re probably over thinking it. Depending on the research I do I usually only pack my one litre bottle full and an empty 4 litre bag for getting cooking water and stuff. I’ll put a litre or two in the water bag if I’m unsure of the next water stop.

[Bustercluck]

I have an msr miniworks filter. It works ok, but the filter plugs up quite often and depending on the water source it can take quite a while to fill a bag of water. The reason I bought it is for the hose it has on it so you can suck water out of the tiniest creek, or there was another time I had to shimmy out on a log and suck some water out of a pond where I couldn’t reach the water by hand.

[albravo2]

I love the Platypus gravity filter. Very slick system.

[granola_eater]

Hey guys,
We plan to go up to roughly 10km into a plateau-ish area where we are unsure of the water supply and quality. Im rigged out with a Katadyn water bottle and filter as well as a couple 1.4L nalgene bottles but im not feeling super confident that it will be enough to last 3 days 4 nights.


Also a meta-question for you to think about SadMan-- like yourself, any critters living in the area will need reasonable access to a water source in order to be able to survive there. If there's no water sources on or near the plateau, it's unlikely that animals will be hanging out for much time. If there are water sources, no matter how marginal they are, you'll be able to purify that water and drink it, and the animals will be drinking it too. Obviously it's important to go in prepared with sufficient water for a day or two, but if you can't find anything to drink, the animals won't either, and you'll both be looking for literal greener pastures.

Figure it was worth pointing out because you describe yourself as backcountry newbies. Good luck out there!

[swampthing]

Plateau sounds kinda dry to me? You should probably carry a good supply of water. I never go anywhere without at least 4 liters. I know its heavy but running out will cut your trip short.

[Sad604Man]

Thanks for info everyone !

There are multiple smaller lakes and streams, but it being july and google earth being what it is I didnt want to put all my eggs in that basket and was searching for the experience and advice of others. Im a firm believer of the 7 P's and wanted some additional insight which i got. Thanks again !

[HarryToolips]

Another good trick I learned in the military is if there's dew on the vegetation in the morning, tie a shirt or a clean rag onto your leg, and after walking through the vegetation for a bit, you can wring the clean water into your mouth - you'd be surprised how effective it can be...

[264mag]

Sawyer squeeze with Platy bags. Works very well and fast. I run one two litre dirty bag and one two litre clean bag plus a nalgene.

[Deadshot]

With the weather we’ve been having province wide, make sure you pack a sil-tarp to collect rain water.
Works well when your up top.

[Daryl]

If you're into podcasts, check out Remi Warren's Closing the Distance, episode 30. He does a pretty good dive into backcountry water management.

Then listen to all the rest of his episodes. He's a guru.

Cheers,
Daryl

[boilerroom]

I did quite a bit of research recently and settled on https://geartrade.ca/Hydroblu-Versa-Flow-Water-Filter-and-Two-CNOC-3L-Vecto-Water-Containers-Orange-and-Blue-p179015451. The Versa Flow water filter has great flow and the CNOC water containers (come in 1, 2 and 3L)

[weatherby_man]

For safety sake I always carry a life straw in my pack its extremely light weight and could come in handy. There are some cool solutions mentioned above.

[Stone Sheep Steve]

No shortage of moisture this year....

[walks with deer]

For safety sake I always carry a life straw in my pack its extremely light weight and could come in handy. There are some cool solutions mentioned above.

i carry this but havent needed to drink shitty water so only used it to try it.

[weatherby_man]

i carry this but havent needed to drink shitty water so only used it to try it.

Me too, I havent had to but its nice to know if youre stuck you can drink pond water.

[Jrax]

Just picked up the sawyer mini, good reviews it seems and very light. Fill water bottle from source, attach filter, squeeze your bottle and drink or fill other container. Comes with a lifestraw and water bag as well. I havent tested it yet though

[grantk]

+1 on Sawyer mini or Platypus Gravity systems. The Sawyer is dirt cheap on Amazon and very small and light.

[Danny_29]

Water filter works great. Big fan of the platypus gravity filter. Good advice is never assume there is water, carry a full load whatever that might be for you, and never pass up the chance to fill up. Sili tarp works really well to catch rain or dew to extend your stay.

[jlirot]

I'm about to get something for 4 people. I have a lifestraw gravity system. But, it's old and the water tastes like plastic after filtering - yuck!

The platypus seems to be about 200 bucks and I can't get it from Amazon quickly.

I hate MEC but I could go see what they have...

[backstrap]

The sawyer filters are good, nice and light. I use a steri-pen now. It’s awesome, one click 30 seconds for a nalgene. Yes, it runs on batteries, but they last forever....tabs or a sawyer filter for a backup on a long trip.

[walks with deer]

ya it really depends where you are.

[jlirot]

For me - I'll be in the rockies - next to water all the time. But, it's me, wife, and 2 kids...

[Greenthumbed]

Here’s another vote of confidence for the Platypus gravity system. I have the 4.0L bags system. It works really well for my family of 5

[jlirot]

Good info - any idea where to buy a Platypus in the LML?

[whitlers]

Good info - any idea where to buy a Platypus in the LML?

Atmosphere has them in stock I believe

[Greenthumbed]

Good info - any idea where to buy a Platypus in the LML?
I just bought a new cartridge for mine online from Valhalla Pure.