High Sierra Topix

I use this inline in my gravity water filtration system. It's installed after the main filter. I use a Sawyer mini. It works great and uses the Camelback Groove carbon filters. It makes a huge difference and removes any funky taste in the water. I haven't used it with tannic tasting water but I'm sure it would improve the taste.

https://www.amazon.com/CamelBak-90766-C ... dpSrc=srch

Thanks for the guidance.

That's definitely a contender. I could easily pop it in-line and add it to my Hiker Pro quick-connect for just the addition of a carbon element. It also led me to Lifestraw's Universal 2-stage system with an activated carbon filter. With the latter, other than testing it out to see if it does the trick, it's pretty pricey for what it is, and the charcoal stage filters only last for 25 gallons, and then run $12.50 per to replace.

I'm still a holdout on narrow-mouth Nalgenes for drinking water. I want it trailside and fast, and I want to also be able to chug my water instead of sipping through a straw. Activated charcoal is easy to find and cheap, so I may just end up creating my own system that can slip into the neck, allows the water to pass through freely, and that I can replace easily and cheaply when the time comes. For now, filtering for microbes and filtering for taste are something I'm trying to consider as two different things.

mrphil wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:16 am Thanks for the guidance.

That's definitely a contender. I could easily pop it in-line and add it to my Hiker Pro quick-connect for just the addition of a carbon element.

Doesn't the Hiker Pro already have carbon in the filter element? https://www.rei.com/product/724044/kata ... nt-element

robow8 wrote: ↑Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:43 am

mrphil wrote: ↑Mon Oct 08, 2018 6:16 am Thanks for the guidance.

That's definitely a contender. I could easily pop it in-line and add it to my Hiker Pro quick-connect for just the addition of a carbon element.

Doesn't the Hiker Pro already have carbon in the filter element? https://www.rei.com/product/724044/kata ... nt-element

It does, but it's primarily a glass fiber element with a little activated charcoal thrown into the center. It's usually perfectly adequate, but I think it was just overwhelmed and didn't have the surface area to handle removing the bad taste in a few situations I encountered. Or maybe charcoal (or even more of it) just isn't the answer. I was blown away by the overwhelming tannic taste after pumping out of a couple bogs where I didn't have any choice but to drop the pre-filter/float directly onto the bottom of the source. I hydrated, but it was horrible and unsatisfying enough that I wondered if there was a way around it without resorting to adding flavoring or chlorine to help. If I can basically pump mud and make it taste good, I'm all about whatever thoughts and suggestions I can get.