Originally Posted by
cyccommute
Car camping maybe (I’d carry a 5 gallon water jug instead). But not for bicycle touring. It might fit in a backpack or pannier but not much else will fit in there.
My preference is a ceramic filter like the
MSR Microfilter. It works after extended storage. It pumps water so that I don’t have endure hand cramps or put a rock on the bag. It will filter around a liter per minute which is much faster than the Sawyer. It weighs more but if the filter doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter how light the filter is.
Jup, ceramic + active carbon filter is where its at. But even that one is sensitive to dirt (and tannins in water) so it pays to carry something to catch the water with first. We carry a
Sea-To-Summit Ultra-Sil Kitchen Sink for that reason.
Its fancier big brother, the
MSR Guardian purifier looks like it has a nicer filter head uses two hoses to better flush out the dirty water and is less likely to clog + higher fill rate (
2.5L/min. vs. 1L/min.).
Katadyn uses a similar system so they are on par for me.
I have used chlorine drops in the past and they work okay. Modern versions hardly have any taste.
I would pack something like the Sawyer as a backup solution but honestly, cyclists should be able to carry enough water when touring.
Chances are that if you cannot carry enough water for the trip it will be too dry to find any water in wells anyway.