Purifying Water - Filters vs Boiling vs Chemicals. What I do to Make Water Safe for Drinking.

In this video, I will be going through the methods and equipment I use to make river and lake water safe to drink.

There are several ways to purify water, some straight forward, some that involve using expensive gear, some fast, some slower and some not covered in this this video, but the outcome is the same - water that is safe to drink!

I hope you enjoy the video,

Thanks for watching.

Links

Millbank Primary Filter Bag

Chlorine Purification Tablets (Puritabs)

Sawyer Micro Squeeze Filter

Sawyer S3 Filter

Katadyne BeFree Filter

Lifesaver Liberty Bottle

FirstNeed XLE Filter

Simon, a bloke in the woods Merchandise

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Or by mail at:

Simon, a bloke in the woods
PO Box 384
Diss
Norfolk
IP22 9DB
UK

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Music

Vagabond Trail - Constellate

[ryanwisbey]

So many people doing bushcraft videos do not cover the basics well done mate.

[micheleulrich]

Thank you for talking about this subject. It is not sexy or exciting, but very important. I live in Arizona and water is very important, so good filtration is the key. Because you quickly identified your information error, admitted it, then corrected makes me believe that you are a very honorable and trustworthy soul.

[loupiscanis]

Thank you , Simon .

🐺Loupis Canis .

[chiphungerford]

As always great content, Thanks Simon and have a great Holiday season with the family

[bobwightman]

Caught Giardia once when in Pakistan, don't wish to repeat that experience! Having said that I grew up on a farm with an untreated supply and currently live in a house with similar supply adding up to 50+yrs without problem.

Usually I boil water since it's for either a hot drink or for a meal. For cold water in dodgy areas I've the MSR Trailshot - supposedly a 1L per minute flow rate, maybe for Popeye! Can't remember the filter size but it's not up with Katahdin.

[RovingCanada]

In Canada 🇨🇦 we refer to giardia as "beaver fever" .
Known for a concerning bowel upset.

[jameslamb]

10:01 Is that a Sasquatch creeping into frame over Simon's right shoulder?
But more seriously, if you treat the water with a chlorine preparation and then boil it will it remove some of the "taste". AFAIK, pools need their chlorine content adjusted frequently because it "evaporates" away.

[daleknight]

Put the water in a cantine after boiling and submerge it back in the cold water you got it from.👍

[jacksg]

Countryside with rivers could have cows and sheep's wee seeping into the water 🤭

[freedomdove]

I also keep capsules of activated charcoal in my first-aid kit, just in case I do drink bad water or have food poisoning. The standard dose is 2 capsules every 2 hours until the symptoms subside. This remedy will cause you to have black stools, but that's normal. ERs in the States use activated charcoal regularly.

[RobertsBulgaria]

I think that during peace time in Western Europe, one needs to know or have an understanding of what contaminants are most likely to be found in their off grid water supplies. I live in a rural high intensity farming region where the natural running water streams (when they don't run dry) contain high levels of Nitrates and Nitrites and NONE of the filters in this video will remove them; they're tasteless, colourless and odourless, but not good for you if consumed everyday. I don't even have Mains water at my house, I have a 30 metre deep Borehole and high levels of calcium so have to use a Brine filter to make the water softer, but I don't drink with it or cook with it as I prefer to bring in 100% guaranteed mineral water from a source some 40km away so will do a run during the night when there are no queues and get around 300 litres which is about the maximum weight limit my Jeep can take. There are natural spring dotted about my location, but then, as I videoed for myself, you can and will find a dead sheep lying in it upstream and hence one needs to know their environment and inherent risks. Probably why I prefer beer.

[bjrnthomassen]

Video suggestion. Make a proper test of this filters or the top 3 filters you are using. Take that nasty river water, filter it, and send it of too a water lab to get the quality tested. Also perhaps get a sample of the tap water in your house for control. I know it aint cheap to get a water lab test but I think it would make a great and interesting video to see how effective this filters are.

[garenkarapetian]

Most so-called "bushcrafters" will show off their "fire kit" weighing more than a kilo, and with a dozen creative methods to burn down the forest, but very few talk about safe water obtainment, which is far more important!
Is there a way to find out online which water source in Britain is safe to drink (after filter/purification) ??? For filtration I have Sawyer Mini and for purification I have fire and/or purification tablets. But what worries me mostly is all the toxins, heavy metals and chemicals that are to be found in British waters (I mean it is a very densely populated island, especially around London where I do most of my hiking), and carrying that much water for 2-3 days takes all the fun out of it. So it would be nice is there was like a map=based app showing which water where is safe and where are the creeks and springs. Is there such an app?

[FXGreggan.]

Spot the muggle :) Though as a swede I wouldn't drink straight lake/river water, maybe not due to chemical pollution but bacteria and protozoa are common, and tannin isn't tasty...

[joedoe]

like you Simon I'm sensitive to the taste of chlorine as well. so something I've learnt when dealing with water that's been disinfected with chlorine tablets, basically chlorine evaporates at 30 degrees temperature. so bring the water to a rolling boil then continue for an additional 30sec - 1min, so most if not all the chlorine will be cooked out of the water.

[robertlee]

I know this is overkill but I boil my water then send it through a water purification system, just to make sure it’s clean viable water . My body’s my temple .

[aulii]

Thanks for this - very well done, sir!

[The-Lonely-Nexus]

No all you need is a fire a pan and jug/cup/canteen/bag cup to Purify by boiling

[paulmarren]

i suppose if we are filtering water from a less then clean source we are already desperate enough so hot or cold its water.

[patrickbrowne]

This is a video that can save lives and potentially long term effects including liver abscesses etc. Thank you.