[pct-l] purifiers

[pmags at yahoo.com (Paul Magnanti)]

First, it is debatable how effective treating water
can be. On this very list, links have been posted
showing that there is less giardia and such in
backcountry water. I won't go there again. Sufficient
to say that treating of water seems to be a boogeyman
that is hyped up by marketing in many cases.

Having said that, I won't get into the best way to
treat water (I am a chemical guy myself), I will just
say this: WASH YOUR HANDS!

Most GI illnesses come from improper hygiene. Stick a
dirty hand in some communal food? Don't wash your
hands after doing #2 in the backcountry? Scraps of
food left in your cookpot? You are more likely to get
sick from this type of problem than bad water. Trust
me.

Do yourself a favor; pack a small bit of hand
sanitizer (e.g. Purrell). Wash your hands before
eating, and after doing #2. If you are going to share
trail mix or 
any other food, poor it into someone's hand. If you
use a filter keep the intake (dirty) and output
(clean) hoses separate and not contaminating one
another. Otherwise what is the point of treating
water?


Some basic hygiene will do more to keep you healthy in
the backcountry than water treatment. Treat your
water...but "treat' yourself too!

************************************************************
The true harvest of my life is intangible.... a little stardust caught, a portion of the rainbow I have clutched
--Thoreau
http://www.magnanti.com