Filter Stream Water in Camp
Weekend-camp water from a creek using cloth, boil, or chemicals — no need to drink raw because it looks clean.
Clear, cold, fast water still carries giardia and bacteria. Always pre-filter, then boil or disinfect. Never scoop downstream of camp or a latrine.
Required gear
Scoop upstream
Walk at least 30 m upstream of camp, dishes, and the latrine. Take from the fastest, clearest run — not a stagnant eddy or cow crossing.
Cloth pre-filter
Pour through a clean cloth, bandana, or Survive fabric filter into the pot. Sediment hides pathogens and ruins chemical treatment.
Required gear
Boil or treat
Rolling boil 1 full minute (3 minutes above 2,000 m). No stove: 2 drops unscented household bleach per clear litre, mix, wait 30 minutes. Cloudy water gets a second dose.
Store clean
Mark the clean bottle. Do not dip a cook cup that sat in raw creek water back into treated water. Cool, then cap.
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