Drinking Stream/Lake Water?

[Bster13]

As an avid backpacker in my youth I drank a bunch of stream/lake water, generally filtered through a product like this:
https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-mini-filter/

These filters take out most of the bad stuff related to bacteria and protozoa, so I was safe from getting a stomach ache.  But for longer exposure (I plan to live the van life for quite awhile) to certain metals and whatever else I've never concerned myself with, what else do I need to be concerned with?

I really like the concept of dipping my water bladder into a stream and having it filtered real time through the Sawyer filter and drinking as I like.  I would also use this setup when stealthing in major cities...stuff a water bladder in my backpack and fill it up as I go in a public bathroom.  To give context, I'm considering living in a Toyota RAV 4 Hybrid, so I won't have big tanks to fill.  Probably have enough water bladders on board to go a week or so.  Is there a Sawyer-like filter that takes out the toxic stuff that would get to me over time?

Thanks!

 

[Almost There]

Personally, I won't drink city water no matter what filter it's put through!

But then I have been living with artesian well water for almost the last decade and will no longer tolerate taste wise the chemicals introduced in to city water systems. I'm talking the ones' they deliberately put there like Fluoride etc.

When I'm on the road I use gallon jugs to fill up at filtered water stations. When I'm here during the summer I fill those jugs at the town well (artesian spring). When I'm in the bush I use my Sawyer filter. When I visit friends in the city I take my own water, but that's just one of the benefits of having a home on wheels.

 

[Bster13]

So you don't worry about the long term effects of stuff the Sawyer won't catch? (Yes, I know something will eventually get us but...)

 

[Almost There]

Unlike a lot of people I don't dwell on what might, maybe, sometime way in the future get me! I drive those 'dangerous' highways with impunity, will get on a plane (although I won't jump out of one.... ), etc. etc.

I am way too busy enjoying the life I lead RIGHT NOW to worry about stuff like that. I take as many precautions as are easy and let the rest of the chips fall where they may.

That doesn't mean I'm careless - 50 years ago I could drink the lake water where the family cottage was...today, no way! It's either brought in from a reliable source or filtered/boiled. I open windows when I'm cooking with propane or butane in the van despite the warnings on both the stoves..

But then I also don't live with guilt over what I may or may not have done in the past nor any regrets except that I didn't start living freer sooner!!

I can't imagine what it's like to stress over all kinds of stuff I see here on the forum...people worry way too much IMO!

 

[Bster13]

Fair enough. If someone chimes in with a filter or method that's reasonably easy to do then game on, else I may face it like you....we'll see. Thx.

 

[Gadget728]

Several peoples van setups I've seen have one 5 gallon water jug with a hand pump on it for general use & wash water. They also have several 1 gallon jugs they fill with filtered drinking water from reliable sources. Try out 2-3 gallons for starters and adjust as needed for your length of stay.

 

[Almost There]

Back in the 70's while exploring in Maine I was told by a local that residents drank the water from Moose Head Lake because the well water had so many minerals in it. They would source the water far from shore. Was he pulling my Florida leg? Help Popeye!

Guy

Back in the 70's no doubt that the locals could and would drink the lake water. Getting if far from shore just meant that they didn't have to worry about small sediment particles, not that the water was any better, just didn't need filtering.

We do the same thing when we're out on canoe trips...fill up the water bags from out in the middle. BUT decades later, it is no longer safe to drink from anything but a clean mountain stream far up the watercourse and sometimes not even then.

The human race has ruined it for themselves yet again!!

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I suppose it's possible to get health problems from stuff in the water that a filter didn't remove, like, maybe, pesticide runoff or heavy metals like lead or cadmium.  But I would think that would only be problematical if you settled down and stayed in one place for a long time.  I don't see it as an issue for someone moving around all the time and using many different water sources.

If you were staying in one place, you could have a sample of the water tested by the health department to see if there was anything in your water that the filter wasn't designed to deal with.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

Back in the 70's while exploring in Maine I was told by a local that residents drank the water from Moose Head Lake because the well water had so many minerals in it. They would source the water far from shore. Was he pulling my Florida leg? Help Popeye!

Guy

Growing up I used to go to a fly fishing only camp on Pierce Pond in Maine.  All the fishing guides that worked there would dip their cup in the water from the canoe and drink it as is.  No filtering necessary.  So id say nope, no one was yanking your chain!  Pierce pond is listed on Poland springs water bottles as one of their sources.  No houses on it, just the fly fishing camp. Untouched Maine wilderness at it's finest.

Cobb's Pierce Pond Camps if anyone is curious and wants to look them up.  No roads to camp, go as far as the road will take you and then they pick you up and take you the rest of the way by boat.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Untouched Maine wilderness at it's finest.

Reminds me of the story of the hiker who stopped to drink from a crystal clear mountain stream.  The water was delicious tasting.  When he hiked another hundred yard up the mountain next to the stream, he found a rotting deer carcass lying right in the water, with all the water filtering through it as it flowed down the mountain.

 

[Bster13]

I suppose it's possible to get health problems from stuff in the water that a filter didn't remove, like, maybe, pesticide runoff or heavy metals like lead or cadmium.  But I would think that would only be problematical if you settled down and stayed in one place for a long time.  I don't see it as an issue for someone moving around all the time and using many different water sources.

If you were staying in one place, you could have a sample of the water tested by the health department to see if there was anything in your water that the filter wasn't designed to deal with.

That's fair.  I see myself staying in a spot for upwards of a week or so.  perhaps i'd visit a spot repeatedly over the years, but year....I'd be mixing it up a bit, so exposure to one bad apple would be relatively spread out.

 

[Gary68]

basic filtering and a boil for most,its the mining and industrial run off you got to watch out for,reprocessed city water has tons of chems in it and is a health hazard

 

[highdesertranger]

Bster what exactly are you wanting to filter out? highdesertranger

 

[Bster13]

Bster what exactly are you wanting to filter out?  highdesertranger

[font=arial, sans-serif]mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), thallium (Tl), and lead (Pb)?  Maybe I'm missing some?[/font]

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

[font=arial, sans-serif]mercury (Hg), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), thallium (Tl), and lead (Pb)?  Maybe I'm missing some?[/font]

Take a look at this site:

https://www.rvwaterfilterstore.com/

In particular, take a look at the specialty cartridges, many of which will remove things that regular filters will not.

 

[highdesertranger]

http://www.bigberkeywaterfilters.com/black-berkey-filters-2.html . they also have a add on that does fluoride, and Arsenic. highdesertranger

 

[Bster13]

So if there are filters out there.... am I the one wearing the tinfoil hat here? Is everyone else just filtering out the easy stuff with a sawyer filter in a stream and rolling with it?

 

[anewbiewannabe]

I don't know about tin foil hats, but my choices are limited by my finances.  Since my immune system is already compromised I need to do whatever is possible to limit my exposure to known risks.  If I had the finances I'd be filtering the fluoride, at least, here in my S&B.  Since I don't I have to just accept the situation until I can do something about it.  There's no point for me to spend a lot of time worrying over something I can do nothing about.  Where people have options they have to decide what risks they are willing to accept and of course it will be different for everyone.  Those who are healthy have less risk and less need to be concerned IMO.  When I was tested I had really high levels of arsenic---kinda makes me wonder if someone had been putting something in my food. LOL  I don't remember the results on the other stuff.

I plan to have at least something like the Sawyer when I escape but I have no idea if I'll be able to do more than that.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Now I'm afraid to drink water!!!! I'm going to play it safe from now on and only drink Diet Coke.

Guy

. . . because you can be sure that the Coke bottling plant is being EXTRA careful about the water they use.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

So if there are filters out there.... am I the one wearing the tinfoil hat here?

I certainly hope you are not wearing a TINFOIL hat.  Everyone know you need LEAD foil to be safe from the mind control rays from that alien machine the CIA recovered from the crashed flying saucer in Roswell!