Those are not safe for use with stream water.
They will not filter out viruses and bacteria. The other problem is they are heavy and have low capacity.
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Walking across England from the North Sea to the Irish Sea along Hadrian's Wall
- Thread starter melensdad
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Those are not safe for use with stream water.
They will not filter out viruses and bacteria. The other problem is they are heavy and have low capacity.
I'm a nut for clean water, kind of an occupational hazard as a geochemist. I have carried a First Need Purifier during all of my hiking career, all over North America and in New Zealand, since well before the XLE canisters were available; It is simply the flagship of the class. The extra size and weight of the unit is more than offset by the peace of mind of knowing that no organic chemicals such as gasoline, chlorinated solvents and herbicides; or, biologic contaminant such as bacteria, viruses, and amoeba; or, inorganic contaminant such as metals, arsenic or cyanide found in many pesticides, are present in your group drinking water supply. Some of the above have immediate acute effects, other more insidious chronic effects. Seeing as the size of the party has grown, the little extra bulk and weight is a sacrifice I'd feel very safe and happy making. The newer XLE canisters screw onto most bottles/bags/hydro-bladders, and will provide ample ability to provide and entire group fresh, healthy drinking water in far more adverse conditions than you are ever likely to encounter along Hadrian's Wall.
The XLE seems to be the highest rated by people who use the pump purifiers/filters.
I don't know if I have the pack space for it, but then again it probably isn't really any bigger than an extra Naglene bottle, which I would be carrying on a couple of the days.
I'm also looking to walk (all or part of) the Camino de Santiago (also called "the way of St James") across Northern Spain starting in SW France (498 miles) and I know I'll need a filter for that trip if I do the full hike. LINK => Camino de Santiago - The pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in pictures That hike would probably be summer of 2015, should take about 40 days to do the whole route.
I don't know if I have the pack space for it, but then again it probably isn't really any bigger than an extra Naglene bottle, which I would be carrying on a couple of the days.
I'm also looking to walk (all or part of) the Camino de Santiago (also called "the way of St James") across Northern Spain starting in SW France (498 miles) and I know I'll need a filter for that trip if I do the full hike. LINK => Camino de Santiago - The pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela in pictures That hike would probably be summer of 2015, should take about 40 days to do the whole route.
The XLE is a bit bulky, though lighter than a liter of aqua in a Nalgene bottle. It also is quite nice in the BoB, in the fishin' boat, in the camper (if that's your bag), and around the house if you get the occasional boil-order. My well delivers water so full of iron I can't drink it, tastes like blood and smells horribly of sulfur. I use my older, back-flushed-many-times canisters (some are even still the old deluxe pre-XL or XLE) to process my drinking water pre-softner so as to not deplete the bottled water supply in a gravity-rig. Can easily do 5 gal in a few hours, and it tastes better than the bottled stuff most times. Salt will plug up any process, though the XLE gets almost all of that flavor out. I've even used it to process seawater with good results.
I've always wanted to see and experience Catalonia. Ever see the Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations episode done there? I want steam grilled onions, wine, and eels in garlic butter NOW! I so look forward to the day when life settles into a rhythm that allows for more trekking, though that will have to compete with time for fishing!
I've always wanted to see and experience Catalonia. Ever see the Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations episode done there? I want steam grilled onions, wine, and eels in garlic butter NOW! I so look forward to the day when life settles into a rhythm that allows for more trekking, though that will have to compete with time for fishing!
I spent Easter in Spain, loved the Catalonian region, it was my favorite area of Spain. Barcelona is the best place in all of Spain and its pretty much the coastal epicenter of Catalonia.
My favorite meal was Rabbits & Snails. It was roasted in a big heavy pot with a wine sauce. Washed it down with a nice wine.
As long as we are talking about food, how about discussing some eating utensils?
GEAR REVIEW: GO-TO-WARE Bamboo ~vs~ TOAKS Titanium Cutlery
Since there are several of us going on this trip I figured that I'd buy some Christmas presents for some of the others who will be on the trip and it would give me the opportunity to compare different items.
I purchased some TOAKS brand Titanium Cutlery sets and some GO-TO-WARE Bamboo Cutlery sets. Each has some interesting advantages, but as I think you will see, the Bamboo spoon is nearly worthless and the Bamboo knife is an oddity that it hard to describe. The Titanium stuff is very traditional in form, well balanced in your hand, very functional, expensive, strong/stiff and yet amazingly lightweight.
TOAKS TITANIUM:
This is the stuff I am keeping for me and for my wife. Its about $18 per set for the 3 pieces. Not cheap. It weighs 1.7 ounces for the 3 piece set + the mini caribiner. There is NO case with this set and the mini-caribiner is almost too small to use. If you have fat fingers just throw the mini-caribiner away. If you have agile fingers then you can use it, for something???
As light as this set is, it feels good in the hand, the utinsels are roughly the same size and shape as the stuff in your kitchen drawer, and its strong. Titanium is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum, doesn't rust. Pretty much the perfect material for the ultra-light hiker (other than the high cost). Close examination of the Toaks Titanium cutlery shows that this is a high quality set that a craftsman would appreciate using. Its finished very nicely with a brushed finish at the handles and a mirror polish at the use end.
GO-TO-WARE BAMBOO
My sister and brother-in-law will be recieving these as Christmas gifts for the hike. As light as the Toaks Titanium stuff is, this stuff is even lighter. The entire set, with the case, is 1.7 ounces. So same total weight but more parts. The set includes CHOPSTICKS, plus a CARRY CASE, plus a fork/knife/spoon and it even includes a lightweight small caribiner. Set cost was $11.55 from Amazon. Its supposed to be eco-friendly, even the little case is made of recycled materials. This stuff looks pretty good on the surface, and its supposed to stand up to repeated use/wash/use cycles.
So compared to the Titanium stuff this is a bargain, more pieces and a lower price. But close examination of the spoon shows that this spoon has almost no capacity to actually scoop any liquid into your mouth! Oh it would work for a hearty stew, chili or chunky style soup but anything with a thin broth is going to be an exercise is futility to consume. Then there is the knife? No serrations and a curved blade? By curved I mean a SIDEWAYS curve! I dunno why? And not only does it lacks serrations but it also lacks a sharp edge. Sure, you can cut a stewed carrot or potato with it. Probably spread butter just fine and cut a muffin in half too, but don't go after that T-bone with this knife. The fork is a 3 tine fork and its probably fine for eating just about anything.
All 3 of these main cutlery pieces feel pretty good in your hand and the chopsticks also appear to be very functional, even if a little bit shorter than some of the pairs we have in our kitchen. All 5 pieces have a very nice smooth finish to them, all have some sort of food safe sealer applied. I just don't see the knife or spoon as particularly useful, with the spoon being the worse of the two pieces.
While the caribiner with the Toaks Titanium is tiny, it is high quality and will stand up to years of reasonable use, I'd say that the aluminum (?) caribiner that comes with the GO-TO-WARE Bamboo set is a novelty piece that is better discarded than carried. It might work for a couple days, maybe a couple weeks, but its pretty much junk.
VERDICT: Toaks Titanium Cutlery is the easy choice, wreaks of quality and is actually useable . . . Unless you drive a Prius, then you'll buy the GO-TO-WARE Bamboo stuff and show us how eco-friendly you are while spilling your soup down your chin and gnawing your steak apart with your teeth because your knife can't cut meat . . . oh wait, you are probably a vegetarian if you buy the Bamboo stuff so cutting a steak is not an issue for you.
If I was a super-lightweight junkie I'd probably take a SPORK and call it a day, but I'm willing to accept 1.7 ounces of Titanium in my backpack versus 0.7 ounces for just a SPORK.
GEAR REVIEW: GO-TO-WARE Bamboo ~vs~ TOAKS Titanium Cutlery
Since there are several of us going on this trip I figured that I'd buy some Christmas presents for some of the others who will be on the trip and it would give me the opportunity to compare different items.
I purchased some TOAKS brand Titanium Cutlery sets and some GO-TO-WARE Bamboo Cutlery sets. Each has some interesting advantages, but as I think you will see, the Bamboo spoon is nearly worthless and the Bamboo knife is an oddity that it hard to describe. The Titanium stuff is very traditional in form, well balanced in your hand, very functional, expensive, strong/stiff and yet amazingly lightweight.
TOAKS TITANIUM:
This is the stuff I am keeping for me and for my wife. Its about $18 per set for the 3 pieces. Not cheap. It weighs 1.7 ounces for the 3 piece set + the mini caribiner. There is NO case with this set and the mini-caribiner is almost too small to use. If you have fat fingers just throw the mini-caribiner away. If you have agile fingers then you can use it, for something???
As light as this set is, it feels good in the hand, the utinsels are roughly the same size and shape as the stuff in your kitchen drawer, and its strong. Titanium is stronger than steel, lighter than aluminum, doesn't rust. Pretty much the perfect material for the ultra-light hiker (other than the high cost). Close examination of the Toaks Titanium cutlery shows that this is a high quality set that a craftsman would appreciate using. Its finished very nicely with a brushed finish at the handles and a mirror polish at the use end.
GO-TO-WARE BAMBOO
My sister and brother-in-law will be recieving these as Christmas gifts for the hike. As light as the Toaks Titanium stuff is, this stuff is even lighter. The entire set, with the case, is 1.7 ounces. So same total weight but more parts. The set includes CHOPSTICKS, plus a CARRY CASE, plus a fork/knife/spoon and it even includes a lightweight small caribiner. Set cost was $11.55 from Amazon. Its supposed to be eco-friendly, even the little case is made of recycled materials. This stuff looks pretty good on the surface, and its supposed to stand up to repeated use/wash/use cycles.
So compared to the Titanium stuff this is a bargain, more pieces and a lower price. But close examination of the spoon shows that this spoon has almost no capacity to actually scoop any liquid into your mouth! Oh it would work for a hearty stew, chili or chunky style soup but anything with a thin broth is going to be an exercise is futility to consume. Then there is the knife? No serrations and a curved blade? By curved I mean a SIDEWAYS curve! I dunno why? And not only does it lacks serrations but it also lacks a sharp edge. Sure, you can cut a stewed carrot or potato with it. Probably spread butter just fine and cut a muffin in half too, but don't go after that T-bone with this knife. The fork is a 3 tine fork and its probably fine for eating just about anything.
All 3 of these main cutlery pieces feel pretty good in your hand and the chopsticks also appear to be very functional, even if a little bit shorter than some of the pairs we have in our kitchen. All 5 pieces have a very nice smooth finish to them, all have some sort of food safe sealer applied. I just don't see the knife or spoon as particularly useful, with the spoon being the worse of the two pieces.
While the caribiner with the Toaks Titanium is tiny, it is high quality and will stand up to years of reasonable use, I'd say that the aluminum (?) caribiner that comes with the GO-TO-WARE Bamboo set is a novelty piece that is better discarded than carried. It might work for a couple days, maybe a couple weeks, but its pretty much junk.
VERDICT: Toaks Titanium Cutlery is the easy choice, wreaks of quality and is actually useable . . . Unless you drive a Prius, then you'll buy the GO-TO-WARE Bamboo stuff and show us how eco-friendly you are while spilling your soup down your chin and gnawing your steak apart with your teeth because your knife can't cut meat . . . oh wait, you are probably a vegetarian if you buy the Bamboo stuff so cutting a steak is not an issue for you.
If I was a super-lightweight junkie I'd probably take a SPORK and call it a day, but I'm willing to accept 1.7 ounces of Titanium in my backpack versus 0.7 ounces for just a SPORK.
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Not sure what happened to my old OPTIMUS iso-butane canister stove, its probably packed away in a box in one of the garages, down in the crawl space or somewhere else that I can't remember. I found my windscreen, but can't find the old stove! I decided that I needed to get back to backpacking so I started looking at stoves all over again.
Lots of interesting choices these days.
I have NOT tried any of these stoves yet. Honestly I expect the little Snow Peak to run flawlessly. Its basic design has been around a long time, there are lots of people making this type of stove, I can't imagine anything could go wrong with it. The SOTO MUKA is interesting in that it offers some interesting features like the pressure indicator on the pump and the no-prime start up.
Picked up a little SNOW PEAK GigaPower Auto
http://www.snowpeak.com/stoves/backpacking/gigapower-auto-stove-gs-100a.html]GigaPower Stove, Auto - backpacking stoves - stoves[/url]
It looks like every other little canister stove. Neat little package, came with a windscreen and a repair kit, and free shipping from an Ebay seller for $39 even. Li
Picked up a SOTO MUKA liquid gas stove => http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1NP.html">OD-1NP | Products | SOTO
I liked the fact that it doesn't require priming, but don't like the fact that it uses a proprietary fuel bottle with a wider mouth. Got this for $90 on Ebay, the fuel bottle came from REI for $26 (including shipping)
And what is a stretch, I picked up a SMOKEEATER 908 "Ring Of Fire" alcohol stove => http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/featured/ring-of-fire-alcohol-stove/"
With this stove I also picked up a pot stand. Price was about $86 with shipping, making it the most expensive alcohol stove that I've ever seen! But it just got my curiosity up enough that I decided to go for it and give it a try.
Here is a YouTube video of the "Ring Of Fire" from the guy who makes it:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0XVDwjsrUkI&feature=player_embedded&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0XVDwjsrUkI%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded">http://m.youtube.com/watch?
One thing I don't like is the fuel nipple being so exposed/unguarded. I may be making some modification to add some sort of guard to protect that nipple. But at 2.5 ounces with a fuel bottle (empty) is a nice tidy weight. The stove is milled out of a piece of solid aluminum on a lathe, no chance it can be crushed under foot.
And everything fits into a ZipLock sandwich size bag, with room to spare:
For those of you who may have any of these 3 stoves, any advice? Words of caution?
I expect the "Ring Of Fire" to be the slowest to boil, least flexible, but I do appreciate the lack of weight. The Snow Peak GigaPower should be the easiest to get set up and cooking. The Soto Muka may be the most flexible of them all when all the testing is done, but its also the biggest and heaviest.
Lots of interesting choices these days.
I have NOT tried any of these stoves yet. Honestly I expect the little Snow Peak to run flawlessly. Its basic design has been around a long time, there are lots of people making this type of stove, I can't imagine anything could go wrong with it. The SOTO MUKA is interesting in that it offers some interesting features like the pressure indicator on the pump and the no-prime start up.
Picked up a little SNOW PEAK GigaPower Auto
http://www.snowpeak.com/stoves/backpacking/gigapower-auto-stove-gs-100a.html]GigaPower Stove, Auto - backpacking stoves - stoves[/url]
It looks like every other little canister stove. Neat little package, came with a windscreen and a repair kit, and free shipping from an Ebay seller for $39 even. Li
Picked up a SOTO MUKA liquid gas stove => http://www.sotooutdoors.com/products/item/OD-1NP.html">OD-1NP | Products | SOTO
I liked the fact that it doesn't require priming, but don't like the fact that it uses a proprietary fuel bottle with a wider mouth. Got this for $90 on Ebay, the fuel bottle came from REI for $26 (including shipping)
And what is a stretch, I picked up a SMOKEEATER 908 "Ring Of Fire" alcohol stove => http://www.outdoortrailgear.com/featured/ring-of-fire-alcohol-stove/"
With this stove I also picked up a pot stand. Price was about $86 with shipping, making it the most expensive alcohol stove that I've ever seen! But it just got my curiosity up enough that I decided to go for it and give it a try.
Here is a YouTube video of the "Ring Of Fire" from the guy who makes it:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0XVDwjsrUkI&feature=player_embedded&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D0XVDwjsrUkI%26feature%3Dplayer_embedded">http://m.youtube.com/watch?
One thing I don't like is the fuel nipple being so exposed/unguarded. I may be making some modification to add some sort of guard to protect that nipple. But at 2.5 ounces with a fuel bottle (empty) is a nice tidy weight. The stove is milled out of a piece of solid aluminum on a lathe, no chance it can be crushed under foot.
And everything fits into a ZipLock sandwich size bag, with room to spare:
For those of you who may have any of these 3 stoves, any advice? Words of caution?
I expect the "Ring Of Fire" to be the slowest to boil, least flexible, but I do appreciate the lack of weight. The Snow Peak GigaPower should be the easiest to get set up and cooking. The Soto Muka may be the most flexible of them all when all the testing is done, but its also the biggest and heaviest.
Have you heard of the cat can stove? I have used one a few time now and they are very light and easy to use. There are however two things to consider with this stove. 1 - make sure you use a wide enough base and use a aluminum foil windscreen for efficiency. 2 - In cold weather it needs to be primed, which I haven't had to do yet, but it seems that it should be fairly easy.
[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=pajkt594Ruw[/video]
[video]http://youtube.com/watch?v=pajkt594Ruw[/video]
Yes, I'm familiar with the "Fancy Feast" cat food stove, in fact I think I have that exact same link to it earlier in this thread (or its in a different thread). BTW, Andrew is a distant relative of mine. I'm not adverse to one of those Fancy Feast stoves, just looking for something with some added flexibility.
If you want to make your own windscreen just go to the supermarket, buy one of those heavy duty tin foil disposable roasting pans. Cut it into the desired size for your stove and you have a reasonably durable light weight windscreen that, if you roll it, can be used for several outings.
As for priming an alcohol stove in cold weather, one trick is to keep the alcohol warm. So rather than putting the little alcohol bottle in your backpack, put it in an interior coat pocket, that keeps it much warmer, allows it to light quicker, and priming is minimized.
Very cool that he is a relative of yours (albeit distant), he has some amazing accomplishments with hiking.
Thanks for the tips. Sorry I can't offer any advice on the stoves you listed as my only other one is a MSR Pocket Rocket. I thought I would mention the Fancy Feast cat can stove because it seemed similar to the Ring of fire stove.
Thanks for the tips. Sorry I can't offer any advice on the stoves you listed as my only other one is a MSR Pocket Rocket. I thought I would mention the Fancy Feast cat can stove because it seemed similar to the Ring of fire stove.
Indeed you did post it in this thread! Sorry, thought I was subscribed to this thread and was following closer. Now I need to go back and look at some of the gear you are looking at because it looks like some good selections and ideas!
Did you look at the MSR Micro Rocket?
The Micro Rocket has a really nice design, I think that is a great stove. The pot holders have nice serrations on them to help hold a pot, they extend not from the base but from the shaft of the stove to save weight but are still just as stable, and the burner has an integrated mini-windscreen build into it (might be the same burner/screen used on the Pocket Rocket?). Nice features in a stove that is even lighter weight than the Pocket Rocket.
I considered the MicroRocket when I looked for a canister stove, went with the Snow Peak because the deal I got on Ebay for the Snow Peak simply couldn't be passed up as I got several extra cost accessaries ($12.95 parts kit + $9.95 windscreen), plus the stove for $10 below the list price of the stove alone (plus free shipping). I don't think the GigaPower Auto is a better or worse stove, but I got a better deal so I went with it.
I have seen the Micro Rocket and I do like how it is small and light. The one complaint that I have about my Pocket Rocket is that it is a little too long to fit it and a canister in my cook kit. I never considered picking up the Micro though because I can use the cat can stove to save on weight and not have to spend the extra money. I have been trying to reduce my pack weight by spending money on my big 3. Recently I purchased a Six Moon Designs Lunar Solo LE and will be taking it out in a couple of weeks to see how well it does.
I admit to having never heard of that tent, looks like an interesting 1 person design. But having a wife, I have no desire to get a 1 person tent for myself.
The tents that I am finding attractive now are the "Trekking Pole" tents. Since my wife and I hike with adjustable Leki poles, we can use the poles as tent support and eliminate the need to carry multiple poles.
In 2 person tents, Big Agnes Scout UL2 was named tent of the year by Backpacker magazine for 2013, it certainly looks like a nice 3 season tent but lacks a vestibule. 1 pound, 9 ounces! Great interior volume created by the side walls give you a spacious tent and feather weight. => https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/scoutul2
Nemo's Meta 1 and Meta 2 are 1 and 2 person tents that also look very interesting and use trekking poles for their support and have the added benefit of a vestibule. While the square footage is slightly larger than the Big Agnes Scout UL2, the interior volume seems more constrained by the slope of the side walls => NEMO Meta 2P Two Person Backpacking Trekking Pole Tent | NEMO
The tents that I am finding attractive now are the "Trekking Pole" tents. Since my wife and I hike with adjustable Leki poles, we can use the poles as tent support and eliminate the need to carry multiple poles.
In 2 person tents, Big Agnes Scout UL2 was named tent of the year by Backpacker magazine for 2013, it certainly looks like a nice 3 season tent but lacks a vestibule. 1 pound, 9 ounces! Great interior volume created by the side walls give you a spacious tent and feather weight. => https://www.bigagnes.com/Products/Detail/Tent/scoutul2
Nemo's Meta 1 and Meta 2 are 1 and 2 person tents that also look very interesting and use trekking poles for their support and have the added benefit of a vestibule. While the square footage is slightly larger than the Big Agnes Scout UL2, the interior volume seems more constrained by the slope of the side walls => NEMO Meta 2P Two Person Backpacking Trekking Pole Tent | NEMO
littletommy
Grandmaster
I've ordered my second and third pair of Darn Tough socks, thanks to this thread. I'm on my feet at least 10 hours a day four days a week, and am always looking for something to up the comfort level. I got a pair of the ankle socks last week, and tried them out at work, and they did fantastic, love em! I was skeptical of them being too warm, as they're made of wool, but my feet were comfortable all day. I'm leaving for Disney next Friday, so I went ahead and ordered two more pair for the trip, as I'll be on my feet more while there than when I'm at work.
For a water filter, I recently ditched my MSR Sweetwater and went to a Sawyer Squeeze. They make an even smaller one called the Sawyer Mini. .1 microns on both.
Sawyer® Products - Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More
Unless its going to be below freezing, i use a pop can alcohol stove and some heavy duty reynolds wrap for a wind screen.
Sawyer® Products - Water Filtration, Insect Repellent, Sunscreens and More
Unless its going to be below freezing, i use a pop can alcohol stove and some heavy duty reynolds wrap for a wind screen.
Glad I could help. Hardest part of buying the Darn Tough socks is the sticker shock with the price tag, but once I wore them I was sold.
I've heard some good things about the Sawyer product, it may be the best option.
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