Water Water Everywhere

 When we are out on the trail at Philmont we won't have access to water faucets or fountains to refill our canteens.  We can fill up at base camp and there may be a staffed camp that has filtered water but mostly we will be doing it on our own.  That means we get water from streams and other natural sources.

 That DOES NOT MEAN we fill our canteens (I'm using that word for all our water containers) from a stream or spring and just start drinking.  We must and will filter and/or use other methods for water purification before we can drink it or use it in cooking.  We'll be using a gravity water filter and iodine tablets to do most of the purification work for us.

 One of our methods is this filtration system that will fill our 1qt canteens one at a time using two options.  One option is to fill smaller 32oz bags and then filter them into your canteen.  The other is a gravity method that we can use to continuously fill bottle after bottle.  I'll include a video demonstration.

 

The next method we will use is the iodine tablets.  With this method you will fill your canteen from a stream but cover the mouth of the bottle with a bandana to keep out any "floaties" witch can be bits of plant matter or dirt.  After it's filled you drop two iodine (water purification tablets) in the bottle and dissolve the tablet in the water.  After three minutes the water is potable (drinkable).

 

We will have at least one backup purification system with us but for now familiarize yourself with these methods.  Ask any questions about either of these systems in the comments below.  Or let me know of a system you are interested in.