Water filter shortcut on the JMT saved me 3 days of hassle

I was on the John Muir Trail last summer and kept getting slowed down by filtering water every few miles. My friend showed me a trick where you fill up a 3-liter dirty bag at a creek and then hang it off your pack while you hike. The gravity does the work through the filter tube as you walk, so you don't have to stop and sit there squeezing or pumping. I tried it near Thousand Island Lake and it worked way better than I expected. I got through 15 miles that day without stopping once just for water. The trick only works if your filter has a hose long enough to reach your mouth, so check that before you go. Has anyone else tried hiking while filtering like this or found a better system?

2 comments

2 Comments

fiona50216d ago

Not a fan of this one, @jessicamiller. Dragging around a wet heavy bag while you walk just sounds like a recipe for a sore neck and a leak in your pack. Stopping for 5 minutes to pump water is not the end of the world, keeps everything stable.

jessicamiller17d ago

Funny how that works with a lot of things, really. Once you find a way to get the job done without stopping, it changes the whole flow of your day. Your mileage may vary with different filter setups, but it's cool when a little tweak saves that much time.