THANKS!       For 30 years of Mountain Guiding
 

Tim Keating reaching the Summit after 30 years!

Filtering Out the Right Water Systems by jb

Almost a decade of guiding and climbing in the Himalaya has turned me into an old bitter skeptical guide when it comes to water filtration.  This is because for almost every year I have spent in those high mountains I have experienced an equal number of "water purification" misadventures.  Nothing- and I mean nothing- ruins a great Himalayan trip faster than almost purified water.  Whether it's enroute in Kathmandu or in the Tea Houses of the approach bad water can have serious consequences.

For a guide in a third world country perhaps the greatest issue we face is that of clean water.  We constantly struggle with how to provide copious amounts of safe clean water to a dozen clients every day affordably and in a manner that minimizes our environmental footprint.   You can buy "mineral water" from teahouses, and road side shops but this can become expensive (up to $4.50 a bottle).  Furthermore, most developing nations still don't have recycling facilities meaning these bottles will just end up as roadside garbage.  We have tried water filters but this can be problematic as they can be bulky and are often clogged by the glacial silt that is all too common in the waters of the Himalaya.  We have even tried the Steripen™ which uses UV light to kill the bacteria and viruses that make you sick.  This has been readily shot down in the past as the first models used AA batteries that were expensive and despite our best efforts would likely end up next to the water bottles.

This year as we prepped for the Himalaya I was handed Steripen's™ new recharging system.  Though it looked new-fangled this simple system consisted of the traditional FDA approved pen that has now been equipped with two CR123 rechargeable batteries, and a carrying case that doubles as a solar recharging system.  In theory, the charging system is supposed to attach to the top of your pack and recharges the batteries as you hike.    For fourteen days this year we traveled the Khumbu with throngs of other trekkers and the system worked almost flawlessly.  The "bug-zapper" or "light saber", as it was named by some of our European counterparts, is just swirled in the water bottle for up to two minutes while "the wand" emits purple UV light killing said germs.   This treatment system coupled with a bandana, to filter out the silt and macro particles, constitutes a pretty effective system.  

I couldn't recommend this single system for more than about five people as the batteries tended to need to be rotated almost daily but it worked well for our application.  For days that we found snowy or overcast the second battery was enough to get us through and in the event that it wasn't the system also comes with a plug that can be used in outlets (though we never had to use it).  The greatest flaw we came across is the pen tends not to work as well in the cold higher altitudes above 14,000ft. The "bug-zapper" tended to cut out mid-use.

This system isn't necessarily the best system for every application but can be the perfect system for the international traveler and backpacker.  As long as the user can remember to keep it in the sun charging and provided the weather isn't too extreme for cold and altitude.  It works in almost any situation that calls for clean water.  I gave it an A-, which isn't bad for an old skeptical guide.