[at-l] PUR Hiker vs. Polar Pure

[Phil Heffington <phil.heffington@oc.edu>]

I've been considering lightening my load by only taking the Polar Pure
iodine purification system on my section hike of the AT next year.  It
occurred to me over the weekend that it might, in fact, not be a good weight
trade off.  My PUR Hiker weighs 15 oz.and my Polar Pure bottle filled weighs
5 oz.  Sounds like a no brainer in saving 10 oz., but is it really?  If I
carry the PUR Hiker and fill my bottle(s) and drink them on the spot,
wouldn't it be better than carrying the weight of the water for the period
of time it takes for the iodine to work?  At 2 lbs. per quart the weight of
the water gets pretty heavy if it is just for the purpose of waiting until
the iodine works.  Also, how cold is the spring water on the trail?  How
will this affect the time it takes for the iodine to work in it?
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