I have my fingers crossed that'd i'll get accepted to spend a few days on Whitney this summer. That being said, what does everyone think of the different kinds of water purifiers? Any to stay away from? Any that are absolute must haves?
There are some locations along the main Whitney trail where the risk of contamination is low as there is little/no human or animal activity upstream. However, unless you're quite familiar with the area, or go with someone who is, the prudent thing is to carry a water filter or drops. The advantage of a filter over drops is the water is available to drink immediately and doesn't add chemicals to the water. There's a difference between filtration and purification - you can google it to learn more. Since the last reliable water source (Trail Camp) is in a high use area, I always carry a water filter for this location. Mine is now sold as
Katadyn Hiker Water Filter and adds about 12 ounces to my pack weight. There are several good models available. I've used the combo filter/water bottle and found they break easily, so don't recommend them for regular use.
Improper hygiene is more likely source of contamination/gastrointestinal illness (not washing your hands after taking care of business) than water-borne illness, so it's prudent to take care of both. If you use a water filter, it's important to make sure your hands are clean before you use it, and to keep some components in a ziplock bag before placing it back into its stuff sack.
Water filters are a bit like seatbelts. Most of the time you'll never need it, but when you do ...
