Getting Water in the Field

By Mike Willis 

We have all heard the most critical items for survival are food, water, and shelter. Without them, you are toast. Most seasoned sportsmen and women are pretty good at making sure that they have their food and shelter situation covered. However, hydration is one essential item that gets overlooked far too often.

It’s the things that you don’t plan for that create a real hydration emergency. Whether a bull bugle is on top of misery ridge or you find yourself lost and exerting more energy than anticipated, situations can leave you in dire straits if you are not careful and prepared. 

Most backpacking filtration systems remove bacteria (salmonella, E. coli, and cholera) and protozoa (giardia and cryptosporidium). If you think pronouncing these is difficult, try passing them. Drinking untreated water is risky business and can lead to an endless list of illnesses such as the infamous beaver fever. 

Most systems do not filter/ treat viruses found in water. This is important in other countries where human waste is commonly found near water sources. If you are heading out of the country, do some extra research and make sure that you are taking some additional precautions.

To make sure that you don’t find yourself in a potentially life-threatening situation, here are your water treatment options and their pros and cons:

Method of Treatment	Pros	Cons
Boiling water	Excellent sterilization when done properly. Works on ice and snow.	Carrying equipment needed to boil. Excessive time to process water. Waiting for water to cool. No filtration of particulates.
NONE: Drinking straight from source	Works great until it doesn’t. Convenient. Some people enjoy gambling.  Cheap on front-end.	Potentially life-threatening illnesses resulting from consumption of bad water. Need to be very selective about water source. Must be clean and flowing for best chances of success. Hard on rear-end (pun intended).
Bottles with filter built-in	Condenses filter and bottle into one unit. Simple. Relatively cheap. Easy to fill.	Filter takes up valuable room in the bottle which decreases capacity.  When filling with clean water, you still have to drink through the filter.
Packing water from home	Good quality without the need for filtration.	Unrealistic and not a sustainable solution. Extreme amounts of weight.
UV light sterilizing pen	Very lightweight and packable. Convenient and easy to use.	Battery Operated. Need to carry spares (especially in cold weather). Cost. No filtration of particulates.
Squeeze/ inline filter	Lightweight and packable. Versatile. Multiple filtering applications.  Low cost.	Requires some maintenance.  Risk of becoming plugged. Freezes in cold weather.
Filter pump	Excellent filtration. Best for dirty water.  Removes the most particulates without sacrificing performance.  Dependable.	Heavy. Freezes in cold weather.  Requires maintenance and packing a rebuild kit. Slow processing water.  Most require hard/ wide-mouth bottle to thread onto. Expensive.
Straw filter	Lightweight and easy to pack. Easy to use. Low cost. Can be adapted to use with hydration bladder or bottle.	Having to hold your head at water level to drink. Risk of becoming plugged. Freezes in cold weather.  Requires some maintenance.
Chemical treatment (tablets or drops)	Very easy to pack. Small and lightweight. Low cost. Won’t freeze.	Very time-consuming.  Rust colored water with some products. Poor taste.  No filtration of particulates.

Finding a solution to your water treatment needs can be a bit overwhelming. Doing your research to determine which will be best for your situation and budget is essential. To find out more about which system has stood the test of time against my most grueling hunting expeditions, check back next week!