Collecting & Treating Water in the Backcountry

I made the video below 3 years ago.   Since that time, and for many years prior, nothing has changed for me in how I collect and treat water in the backcountry for biological pathogens.  And when I say collect, it is more than just dipping my bottle or pot in a creek, there is a thought process I use in reducing the variables that could hurt me as you will see in the video.

My favorite pot, a 10cm Zebra I use for boiling water and cooking on overnight trips by myself.

It is also worth noting I am blessed with the Chattahoochee National Forest in my ‘backyard,’ thus, manmade pollutants haven’t been a concern in the places I collect water due to their remote locations and topography.  I understand many who read this will not have some of those benefits, so you must address your water needs specific to YOUR environment.

For days hikes and emergencies, I use Mircropur Tabs. By duct taping a few to my water bottle, I always have some on hand, very convenient. While the expiration date is stamped in the foil, I write it on the package with a permanent marker.  See the image below for more details on the tabs.

When you watch the video, I hope you get a chuckle too when I talk about what could be in the water as my dog Scout walks behind me…  in the water.  Couldn’t have timed it any better.  In this video I am just sharing what I do.  There are other considerations you may need to address specific to you and where you collect water.  In addition, there are more water treatments than mentioned here.

http://youtu.be/s4yqZaMMhak

More info…

• Backpacker’s Field Manual by Rick Curtis
• Equipped to Survive – see the section on Water Purification
• Trash Bag Survival – our own article where we show how to boil water in a trash bag as well as use as a transpiration bag among a host of other things.

Click to enlarge if needed. I post this here as I don’t believe you can find it online any longer and it does speak to the EPAs requirement of 4 hours treatment time. See the Equipped To Survive link too for their opinion on the subject if you are interested.

This is a very serious subject I do not take lightly, nor should you…  as there is the potential of a variety of organisms and contaminants where we collect drinking water in the backcountry that could make us sick or even cause death.

I am sharing here WHAT I DO in my woods for collection and treatment of backcountry water — you should note I have a ‘day job’ and do not make my livelihood as a survival instructor.  In this article I have listed additional sources of information and my bio (below).  Always consider your source of information and understand your environment maybe different than mine!  This is not a substitute for proper training and experience.  If you have any questions about that, please see our ABOUT page.

Slough Creek in Yellowstone NP. Looks like great water but there was a deer carcass just upstream. In this case I was more afraid of the grizzlies in the area!