Clean drinking water is a necessity for an outdoor adventure. Carrying the water you need is heavy, but there is an alternative to carrying heavy water bottles. This option is to pack a water filtration system in your backpack. There are many places where water can be obtained in the forest. While some of these places appear to be pure, they can harbor bacteria and other nasty microorganisms. Drinking water directly from one of these sources without filtration can make you sick.
One of the places where water can be found is in the streams. While the water may look clear enough to be drinkable, the streams can also contain nasty microorganisms, which can make you sick. The portable water filtration systems you find from Sawyer Products are designed to filter out these microorganisms. Thus, you can fill your canteen with clean water.
Another source of water is little ponds. Unfortunately, these pools of water are often stagnant, and microorganisms can grow freely in these areas. The water here doesn’t look as clear as the streams. It will definitely need some sort of filtration before it becomes safe to drink. Thus, the portable water filtration systems can come in very handy when you need clean water to stay hydrated. You never want to drink directly from these ponds because they will make you sick.
Waterfalls are a very attractive water source. While they do offer some filtration, this method doesn’t get rid of the microorganisms in the water. Instead, it carries them downstream. While a waterfall might look like a safe water source to drink, it really isn’t. The use of a water filtration system is essential to preventing harmful parasites from getting into your system.
While there are many sources of water in the wild, they are not safe to drink from. Most of them have tiny microorganisms that can cause you illness after drinking from them. You want to carry a water filtration system with you, so you can stay hydrated while on your adventure. Plus, you can save space and weight in your backpack for other important things like a first aid kit.