Water in the mountains of the UK above human habitation, can be safe to drink, but you have to use some common sense:
- Take water from flowing streams rather than still water.
- Avoid muddied water or where there is livestock.
- Consideration should be given to what’s going on upstream.
I know of individuals who have walked in Scotland for many years, drinking directly from mountain streams without any health issues. I’m a little cautious and like to filter mine as the last thing I want is an early end to a 2 week backpacking trip that I’ve been planning for months.
Whist on the move I use a Water-to-Go bottle (0.5L, 95g) which I top up from streams as required. This is not your average filter bottle used by colleagues in the office, this filters 99.9999% of all microbiological contaminants from any non-saltwater source.
At camp I use a Sawyer Squeeze Filtration System to filter 2 litres of water which allows me to complete my evening meal, drinks and breakfast.
The system uses 0.1 micron filtration removing 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as Salmonella, Leptospirosis, Cholera, E.coli and removes 99.9999% of all protozoa (such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium).
My system shown in the photo has the addition of a threaded coupler which permits the attachment of a clean water bag and allows the system to be used hands free or squeezed without the risk of spillage.
A mesh bag (Alpkit xs) is used to hold the bag containing unfiltered water and can be hung from any suitable tree or fence.
The threaded coupler is a ‘Bottle Vortex Coupling’ and can be obtained from e-Bay for £5. The coupling is used to join large plastic drinks bottles together and as such has deep unthreaded collars that require cutting down – see below:
Filling the Sawyer water bag with 2 litres of water can be difficult. I’ve now added a silicone cup to my system which makes filling the final third of the bag from a flowing stream an easier task.
Sawyer Filter System
- Sawyer Squeeze Filter with caps 101g
- Sawyer 64oz bag – for unfiltered water 40g
- Platypus 2L bag – for filtered water 37g
- Coupler 13g
- Mesh bag and cord – Alpkit xs 38g
- Silicone cup – Decathlon 10g
Total system weight = 239g
Note: There is a syringe supplied with the Sawyer Squeeze System for cleaning the filter by ‘back-flushing’. I do not take this with me on backpacking trips, choosing to clean and dry my filter at home after every trip. If the filter becomes clogged during a trip, clean water can be added to the Platypus bag and the bag squeezed to force water back through the filter.