Re: [at-l] Another cold weather question

My experience has been that filters are completely useless in cold weather
for multiple reasons.  It's not just that freezing can damage the filter
itself, but water freezes in the lines preventing the filter from working.
Water from shallow streams that are partially iced over is COLD, and it
doesn't take much (or anything) to get it to freeze.

For deep winter camping, everyone I know just boils water (or melts snow and
boils water).  For boiling water, they all use gasoline stoves.  Gasoline
stoves work well in sub-freezing temperatures and are efficient for heavy
duty heating.  I prefer an alcohol stove for three season heating tasks, but
I still use my whisperlite in the winter.

My own experience with using filters in the "winter" came during an
unexpected (by me, anyway) cold snap at the end of September a few years
ago.  The temperature dropped into the low 20's and the water froze almost
instantly in the lines of my filter.

-- Jim

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