Filter Straw question

[ROCK6]

I used an MSR waterworks for many years but this year replaced it with a Katadyn base camp. .3 microns and I don't have to pump. I pre-treat with Polar Pure rather than chlorine, but I guess that's going to stop once I run out since the company basically got shut down by the DEA. Apparently Iodine is now a controlled substance.

For longer stops and the campsite, I agree the gravity filters are excellent and can product a hell of a lot more potable water than any pump. It is sad about the Polar Pure issue and basically put a mom and pop team out of business. I'm fortunate enough to have purchased a half-dozen bottles before the fiasco It will be some time before your bottle of Polar Pure loses its efficacy...

ROCK6

[Dawgboy]

Yeah, I have a few unopened ones myself. Shelf life is forever, unlike so many of the others.

I still have the waterworks, it's been relegated to a prep shelf though.

[Jorian]

I've used most of the products mentioned in this thread, and the ONE I trust is the one I think TacAir is using - a Sawyer purifier. The business part of it is a little cartridge/canister that can be adapted to almost any reservoir. (It comes with big cumbersome bags that are great for a rafting party, but too much for 1-2 people to justify carrying.) At 0.02 Micron Absolute, not much gets through it unless there are dissolved metals or salts (in which case you're basically screwed anyhow). Sawyer now also has this "squeeze filter", which I have used a few times but not on a really turbid water supply. At 0.1 microns, it should work with tablets to produce reliably good water and it's considerably less expensive than the purifier.

We sell the Frontier units (emergency straw & frontier filter) too, but I'd call them a last resort complement to iodine or chlorine tabs. Still, that combo involves considerably less outlay than either option above... my ideal, cost aside, is to use the Sawyer purifier cartridge as a "straw". I actually have one hooked up to the return line from a cistern that is filled from our well and is buried up the hill about 20' of elevation above our home; no worries if we lose power for several days - 1200 gallons can be stretched pretty far in a pinch!

[TacAir]

Holy Crap! Thanks for doing that leg work. I got stuck at "NDuR".

You're more than welcome. I still need to hear back and get confirmation of the filter specs. The source quoted appears to be out of business (SET Inc) The filter pictured looks an awful lot like one issued to the Chinese military - hence the leg work.
(SNIP)

Follow - up
/. of thread

I sent more than one ping to ProForce asking them to confirm source OEM of filter straw filter.

Nothing in return.
The Seychelle Research Laboratories site is a dead end - no working phone, no return from emails.
The NDuR filter is still peddled on a large number of sites, but none seem to be an OEM or contain any specifics for the filters.

/start opinion/
So, I have to assume these are Hencho en China and have no EPA or other rating and filter to/at an unknown level. I don't know if "good enough for the Chinese army" is any kind of endorsement.... as these only :look like: issue stuff.

There so many many filter products, made here (USA) with specific performance specs listed, I have to ask why anyone would bother with the others.
/end opinion/

Anyway, said I'd follow up up, here ya go.

YMMV, no warranty expressed or implied, availability varies by State, not all colors available.

[74 or more]

There so many many filter products, made here (USA) with specific performance specs listed, I have to ask why anyone would bother with the others.

I agree. There are too many unknowns with the NDuR. I'm happy to pick from the other USA made straws with there specs listed.

Thanks again TacAir

[ForgeCorvus]

Question: Is there a water treatment system on the market (and within reach of mere mortal wallets) that can remove/reduce Nitrates and other agri-chemicals ?

Got a Straw, got Chlorine tabs, got a Millbank, got more then enough pots, stoves and firestarters......Still can't drink the water

[TheFishinMagician]

Holy Crap! Thanks for doing that leg work. I got stuck at "NDuR".

You're more than welcome. I still need to hear back and get confirmation of the filter specs. The source quoted appears to be out of business (SET Inc) The filter pictured looks an awful lot like one issued to the Chinese military - hence the leg work.
(SNIP)

Follow - up
/. of thread

I sent more than one ping to ProForce asking them to confirm source OEM of filter straw filter.

Nothing in return.
The Seychelle Research Laboratories site is a dead end - no working phone, no return from emails.
The NDuR filter is still peddled on a large number of sites, but none seem to be an OEM or contain any specifics for the filters.

/start opinion/
So, I have to assume these are Hencho en China and have no EPA or other rating and filter to/at an unknown level. I don't know if "good enough for the Chinese army" is any kind of endorsement.... as these only :look like: issue stuff.

There so many many filter products, made here (USA) with specific performance specs listed, I have to ask why anyone would bother with the others.
/end opinion/

Anyway, said I'd follow up up, here ya go.

YMMV, no warranty expressed or implied, availability varies by State, not all colors available.

Is this what you're looking for?

http://store.seychelle.com/Products-Radiological.html


I have several Seychelle products that I have ordered from their store. Good stuff, and I haven't had any problems with the service.

[Tixx]

Some info I put together for another forum last year:

I've been on a water filter and purification kick so I did not want all my time researching to go to waste. There are a bunch out there, but I found it difficult to compare. Here is some info and maybe we can make a nice list for people as reference

EPA Requirements
Filters
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 3 (99.9%)
Purifiers
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: Log 4 (99.99%)

Filters
Sawyer PointONE (bottle)
http://www.sawyer.com/water.html#water1
Filter size: .10 microns (absolute means there is no pore size larger than 0.1)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 7 (99.99999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: N/A
Capacity: 1 million gallons
Other: Filter does not remove dissolved solids, including chemicals and heavy metals.

LifeStraw
http://www.vestergaard-frandsen.com/lifestraw
Filter size: .20 microns
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 7 (99.99999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 3 (99.9%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: N/A
Capacity: 1000 liters
Other: No, the present version does not filter any of the heavy metals.

Kayadyn MyBottle Microfilter
http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-water-filters-ultralight-series-products/katadyn-mybottle-microfilter-red-splash/
Filter size: .30 microns
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 3 (99.9%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: N/A
Capacity: 26 gallons (100 liters)
Other: Carbon filter reduces chemicals, unpleasant tast and odors

Sport Berkey Bottle
http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/sport
Filter size: Having a difficult time finding
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 7 (99.99999%)
Chlorine: Log 3 (99.9%)
THM's: Log 3 (99.9%)
VOC's: Log 3 (99.9%)
Detergents and Pesticides: Log 3 (99.9%)
Radon 222: Log 3 (99.9%)
Foul Tastes and Odors: Log 3 (99.9%)
Cloudiness, Silt, and Sediment: Log 3 (99.9%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Having a difficult time finding
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: N/A
Capacity: 25 gallons
Other: IONIC "absorption" of pollutants, such as cadmium, chromium, copper, lead, aluminum, mercury, and other dangerous heavy metals.

Aquamira Straw
http://aquamira.com/preparedness/aquamira-frontier-filter/product-technology
Filter size: Having a difficult time finding
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Does not meet EPA standards
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 3 (99.9%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: N/A
Capacity: 20 gallons (75 liters)
Other: Activated coconut shell carbon helps reduce waterborne chemicals, improves water taste and eliminates odors.


Purifier (via Filter)
LifeSaver Bottle
http://www.lifesaverusa.com/category_s/1821.htm
Filter size: .015 microns
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 7.5 (99.999995%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 7 (99.99999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: Log 5 (99.999%)
Parasites: Log 7 (99.99999%)
Fungi: Log 7 (99.99999%)
Capacity: 1056 gallons (4000 liters) and 1565 gallon (6000 liter)
Other: Activated carbon reduces chemical residues including: pesticides, endocrine disrupting compounds, medical residues, and heavy metals (3 pack purchased separately)

Sawyer Point ZeroTWO (in line filter)
http://www.sawyer.com/water.html#water1
Filter size: .02 microns (absolute means there is no pore size larger than 0.02)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 7 (99.99999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: Log 5.5 (99.9997%)
Capacity: 1 million gallons
Other: Filter does not remove dissolved solids, including chemicals and heavy metals.

SureAquaStraw+
http://www.sureaqua.com/water-filters/sureaquastrawplus
Filter size: .01 microns
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: Log 4 (99.9997%)
Capacity: 264 gallons (1000 liters)
Other: Filtration is via microporous membrane, safe for all the family to use and use. The SureAquaStraw+ is not designed to remove chemical contaminants, heavy metals contained in water.


Purifier (via Chemical)
Kayadyn MyBottle Purifier
http://www.katadyn.com/usen/katadyn-products/products/katadynshopconnect/katadyn-water-filters-ultralight-series-products/katadyn-mybottle-purifier-blue-splash-2/
Filter size: .30 microns
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Log 3 (99.9%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: ViruStat Cartridge (Iodine)
Capacity: 26 gallons (100 liters)
Other: Carbon filter reduces chemicals, unpleasant tast and odors

Seychelle Water Straw Advanced
http://store.seychelle.com/Pure_Water_Straw-Pure_Water_Straw_Advanced.html
Filter size: Having a difficult time finding
[COLOR="#B22222"]Bacteria[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%)
[COLOR="#B22222"]Protozoan[/COLOR]: Having a difficult time finding
[COLOR="#B22222"]Viruses[/COLOR]: Log 6 (99.9999%) (EPA approved iodinated resin)
Capacity: 25 gallons (95 liters)
Other: I believe the foundation of this is a carbon filter and the "Advanced" version adds the iodinated resin so should have some positive effect on taste and chemicals. (These are my words, not the company's so see their website before relying solely on them. )

[Tixx]

I see a lot of people with these survival/filter straws and I've been looking at a few. I've never harvested drinking water using just a filter. I've always used a filter AND purifying tabs of some kind. I think the simple answer to my question is that these straws are only supposed to be used in an emergency but I still have some questions.

LifeStraw:
It says it doesn't filter out viruses. Isn't that pretty much a no go? Why would you drink water if it could still have viruses in it? I see a lot of people with this one.

Proforce Survival straw:
I've never seen anyone with this one. it says it removes up to 99.9999% of Viruses and Bacteria + 99.99% of chrome, lead, mercury, cadium, aluminum, copper, and Micro-organisms, such as E-coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium. Proforce also has a Radiological version that removes 100% of gross beta, uranium, plutonium, radon, radium, cesium, strontium, and radioactive iodine. If the Proforce one is so great why don't I see more people carrying one? Also why does one percentage have more 9's than the other? Is this some reference to the LOG reduction scale that I'm not getting?

LifeStraw seems to be the best on the market (correct me if I'm wrong) and the one I see most people with. On paper, the Proforce one seems better but I've never seen anyone with one which seems like a red flag.

Thanks in advance for the help.

Yes, major Red Flag here as I have been trying to get more info on this NDuR Straw for a while. One website says "NDuR’s Portable Filtration Devices are the most sophisticated portable water purification devices in the world. Each containing an Advanced Filter featuring Seychelle Technology"

This technology is iodinated resin or Iodine. Seems very misleading and never mentions this. I would stay far away!

[DarkGhost]

+ 1 Aquamira

They have a straw, as well as a filter that clips into Source and Camelbak hydration systems.

[Dogan]

Wow, TacAir and Tixx. Thank you.

I've got an Aquamira Frontier straw and filter bottle, picked them up because they were cheap, tossed the straw and some cheap Coghlan purification tabs in the bottle, and promptly forgot they were there. Good to know that the straw does not meet the EPA standard for bacteria.

When I get home, I'm going to be checking the EXP dates on those tabs thanks to this thread!

[74 or more]

Tixx - That's a great list with good easy to read info. Much appreciated, thanks for the input!

[Tixx]

Can't wait to post more here. I was doing a search and it brought me back to this forum. So figured it would be a good place to have such info. If anyone has additional info on bottles/straws I will make a new reference thread and add the info as well.