http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=18079
I picked up a MSR MiniWorks water filter.
Had only used it locally to see that it worked. Recently I took it with
me for a trip of several days in the Wisconsin North Woods.
The water there was the color of weak tea with a visibility of about 4
feet. Particulate matter was not really visible in the water. the
surface would routinely have floating May Flies and other dead bugs in
the morning, but be mostly clear by noon.
Just for good measure, I wrapped the inlet cage with a Melitta coffee filter and fastened it there with a wire bread bag tie.
I left it hanging on the line when not in use unless it was in the canoe with me.
Sorry I did not photo the bottle and filter mated, but these Nalgene
bottles thread onto the bottom of the filter when the clean side cover
is removed.
I probably went through about 1.5 gallons of water a day for all uses.
I would either drop the inlet over the side and pump it while in the
canoe mid lake, or I would wade into the lake and drop the inlet about
1 foot below the surface in 3 foot deep water in an effort to prevent
it sucking up the bugs or other debris on the surface.
I was surprised that in this location I needed to clean the filter
after about 4 gallons of water. Again no photos but the attached link
shows disassembly. The included green cleaning pad easily abrades the
surface layer and restored the filter to full flow with the whole
cleaning process taking about a minute.
The most pleasant thing was that the water this filter produced tasted
great. Like the best bottled water. I guess it is probably more to do
with the water than the filter, but it really was good water. Probably
takes about a minute of pumping to fill a one-liter bottle. When it
starts to plug, you sense harder pumping, if you pump too fast the
pressure will override the check valve and you will see the bubbles in
the intake line going the wrong way.
When I got home I disassembled and cleaned all the parts. No tools
required. I then boiled the filter for 5 minutes as the manual
describes, let cool and then dry for 3 days before reassembly.
I have read a few filter reviews that complain about their filters
being irreparably plugged and I wonder if it is due to bacteria growing
in the filter after the trip is finished.
The filter works great and is much lighter than hauling large quantities of water on the trip.
Thanks for looking.
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