Thanks LWG. I met an ultra light camper on Motutapu last year and asked her about the water purification tablets she was using. Her advice was add the tablets at night ready for the next day, the chemical taste is significantly reduced. Also they are as cheap as chips from the large discount chemist shops that are cropping up around the country.
Yes tablets or bleach are becoming a big preference amongst the ultralight crowd. And as you say, the general mode of practice is to add the tablets to your water the night before. My only gripe is that if you only have two water bottles that means you can only purify 2L at once. I usually use at least a litre every morning, which means I would still have to put a tablet in one of my 'walking' bottles and drink slightly foul tasting water at some point during the day. And personally, I don't like to ingest any kind of chemicals, which is why I opt to carry a filter. But each to their own! Purification tablets are a very popular option :)
Michelle, Thank you very much for your very comprehensive and detailed answer to my question on water filters. I really appreciate it. You always amaze me with the depth of your answers to my questions.
Glad it was helpful! And as always you're welcome. Hopefully it helps others who are also looking for advice on filters. If you don't mind, I may repost the comment and answer on my Sawyer Squeeze video also...
hello! thanks for your video. one question, how do you wash dishes in the Great Walks huts? I'll go Abel Tasman, Kepler, Routeburn, and I've not seen any information about that yet. Do I have to bring dish detergent?
Hi! Thanks so much for your question :) In my experience MOST of the Great Walk huts usually have some form of dishwashing liquid (see this part of my TNC videos for example: czcams.com/video/X3JnRNVSUR0/video.html). They also usually have a small sponge, brush and/or scourer as well for doing your dishes. However, you can never guarantee that these supplies will be there,, even at Great Walk huts, so I always carry a little bit of Dr Bronner's castle soap and a small cloth just in case :)
Haha! I don't drink wine anymore sadly, but definitely using one of those collapsible wine carriers would be a must for any connoisseurs on the trail!!
Hi Michelle, So here's my question about water filters: They don't filter out viruses, correct? If that is true, how do you feel comfortable relying on
Hi John! Yes you're correct. Most commercially available filters will not filter out viruses. This is because they are typially manufactured with 0.1 micron filters inside them. A 0.1 micron filter is capable of filtering out most bacterias and pathogens and will be sufficient for 99% of hikers and backpackers. However, for those who are concerned about waterborne viruses (such as Polio, Hepatitis, potentially even Covid in today's world if sewage is not being treated properly) a filter which has pores SMALLER than 0.1 microns will be required (e.g. 0.02 microns). Which filter you need will depend on what you're using it for. In most cases when hiking in a developed country with adequate sewerage treatment you're not going to need a filter that filters out viruses. 0.02 micron filters are usually only recommended for people travelling in Third World countries. I've pulled some snippets off the Sawyer website because it's a good summary of what these kinds of filters are capable of, which people might find helpful. They have two kinds of filters, their PointONE (0.1 micron - bacteria) filter and their PointZEROTWO (0.02 micron - viruses) filter. - The PointONE™ filtration system is usually all you would need unless you are traveling internationally (developing countries) where waterborne viruses such as hepatitis and/or Polio are present. This system removes all harmful pathogens from your water. - If viruses are an issue, we offer the PointZeroTWO™ Purifier (0.02 micron absolute pores), the first and thus far only portable purification device to physically remove viruses which it does at a >5.5 log (99.9997%) rate, exceeding EPA and NSF recommendations. Due to the significantly higher level of filtration, PointZEROTWO’s flow rate is considerably slower than the PointONE™ filters. - In North America (and the developed world) we do not have concerns about viruses in our water. They simply cannot survive. Viruses derive from contaminated human sewage and die shortly after entering a body of water. In Third World countries outbreaks have occurred due to poor treatment of sewage. Sewage without viruses can be handled by the PointONE™ filter. The only viruses with the potential to survive in water are hepatitis (which is rare) and Polio (which is extremely rare). - The Sawyer filter does NOT remove iron, sulfur, other chemicals, or simple compounds. Taste can be masked by using flavor additives like Gatorade or crystal light (filter needs to be cleaned immediately after using them). - The Sawyer filters are not made with charcoal. While other portable filters have charcoal, they lack in amount of media and adequate dwell time. Therefore, they only remove small amounts of heavy metals, pesticides, etc. (when used in real life applications). Try using better sources of water, if possible. - The Sawyer filter removes taste that comes from bacteria, dirt, and green matter. In general I would say that if you're just out hiking on a backcountry trail through the wilderness a 0.1 micron filter will be more than sufficient. If you're still worried about how effective this might be, you could consider either purchasing a 0.02 micron filter, or else double- (or triple- ) treat your water by also using chemical purification tablets (most should also remove viruses) a UV filter and/or boiling as well. Cost, weight and time considerations then start to come into play, but most major water filter manufacturers have also got microfilter (0.02 micron) options in their range as well to check out.
Hi Michelle, thanks for another informative video. I would like your opinion regarding doing the TA starting at Bluff early next year. Myself and 3 mature age women from Newcastle Australia were wanting to start at the Cape early January but those plans are not going to work. Plan B is to start at Bluff later early next year. I don't want the girls walking in heavy rain or snow, what would be the latest start date you would suggest to have some staple weather? Thanks for your help Michelle.
Hi Alan! Nice to hear from you, and great that you're making preparations to start the TA next year. I wish you all the best with your preparations and if you want to have a chat to me anytime about what to expect please let me know! As far as start dates go, I would highly recommend checking out Stuart Bilby's weather chart which is posted every year on the Te Araroa facebook forum: facebook.com/groups/26638669574/posts/10157808502374575 It is an insanely helpful resource when choosing a starting date. You'll see he has four lines on the chart: two solid and two dotted. The solid lines are for an 'average' hiker anticipating to take 150 days to complete the TA. The dotted lines are for faster hikers aiming to complete in 100 days or less. Based on my North Island pace, I was on track for around 150-160 days (compare your itinerary to mine to see how it stacks up: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z4JilGDLW_1S_OSJrwcr8u7ysYPR9KOjqc8nP27UtlU/edit?usp=sharing) The dark green areas represent when winter is likely to set in. The blue areas represent when alpine areas are likely to become impassable. The two lines are placed to indicate the LATEST possible times you should be starting either a SOBO or NOBO hike. You'll see for a 150 day hike, the LATEST Stu suggests is end of January, and even then you are likely to hit the Whanganui River, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Timber Trail and Central North Island high country during the shoulder months and possibly have to look at alternates through here to deal with rough weather. Regardless, it's importan to note that NZ's weather is so changeable anyway, that even in the middle of summer you can encounter heavy rain anywhere in the country, and snow in alpine areas. Last year is a good example, where popular tracks like the Milford and Routeburn were decimated in an early Feburary storm which saw over a metre of rain in just over a 60-hour period. Your biggest protection against this kind of thing is to BE PREPARED FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES regardless of what you're expecting. Things can change so quickly here, so be flexible and always have a Plan B. You may have to consider following a 'flip flop' route instead, where you flip up and down the trail hiking the parts which have the best weather at the time, getting the more tricky sections out of the way before the worst of the weather hits and leaving the lower lying stuff until the end. Get on the Facebook forums and ask to connect with other people who have started around the same time, and have a chat to them to see what their biggest challenges were. They're likely to give you a good idea of what to expect. Hope that helps for now, and please feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
Super helpful, thank you!
You're very welcome, let me know if there's any other questions you need answered before your trip!
Thank you
Welcome!
Thanks LWG. I met an ultra light camper on Motutapu last year and asked her about the water purification tablets she was using. Her advice was add the tablets at night ready for the next day, the chemical taste is significantly reduced. Also they are as cheap as chips from the large discount chemist shops that are cropping up around the country.
Yes tablets or bleach are becoming a big preference amongst the ultralight crowd. And as you say, the general mode of practice is to add the tablets to your water the night before. My only gripe is that if you only have two water bottles that means you can only purify 2L at once. I usually use at least a litre every morning, which means I would still have to put a tablet in one of my 'walking' bottles and drink slightly foul tasting water at some point during the day. And personally, I don't like to ingest any kind of chemicals, which is why I opt to carry a filter. But each to their own! Purification tablets are a very popular option :)
Michelle, Thank you very much for your very comprehensive and detailed answer to my question on water filters. I really appreciate it. You always amaze me with the depth of your answers to my questions.
Glad it was helpful! And as always you're welcome. Hopefully it helps others who are also looking for advice on filters. If you don't mind, I may repost the comment and answer on my Sawyer Squeeze video also...
Awesome video! Thanks for sharing your experience
Very welcome !
@@LongWhiteGypsy 🙂
Good advice!
Thanks Robert :D
hello! thanks for your video. one question, how do you wash dishes in the Great Walks huts? I'll go Abel Tasman, Kepler, Routeburn, and I've not seen any information about that yet. Do I have to bring dish detergent?
Hi! Thanks so much for your question :) In my experience MOST of the Great Walk huts usually have some form of dishwashing liquid (see this part of my TNC videos for example: czcams.com/video/X3JnRNVSUR0/video.html).
They also usually have a small sponge, brush and/or scourer as well for doing your dishes.
However, you can never guarantee that these supplies will be there,, even at Great Walk huts, so I always carry a little bit of Dr Bronner's castle soap and a small cloth just in case :)
And don't forget the wine!!
I have a 1 ltr bladder specifically for red wine. It was always in a state fullness most of the TA.
HESR.
Haha! I don't drink wine anymore sadly, but definitely using one of those collapsible wine carriers would be a must for any connoisseurs on the trail!!
Hi Michelle, So here's my question about water filters: They don't filter out viruses, correct? If that is true, how do you feel comfortable relying on
on them?
I think you should boil when you can, filter all the time and add water purification tablets when you're concerned filtering isn't enough.
Hi John! Yes you're correct. Most commercially available filters will not filter out viruses. This is because they are typially manufactured with 0.1 micron filters inside them. A 0.1 micron filter is capable of filtering out most bacterias and pathogens and will be sufficient for 99% of hikers and backpackers. However, for those who are concerned about waterborne viruses (such as Polio, Hepatitis, potentially even Covid in today's world if sewage is not being treated properly) a filter which has pores SMALLER than 0.1 microns will be required (e.g. 0.02 microns).
Which filter you need will depend on what you're using it for. In most cases when hiking in a developed country with adequate sewerage treatment you're not going to need a filter that filters out viruses. 0.02 micron filters are usually only recommended for people travelling in Third World countries.
I've pulled some snippets off the Sawyer website because it's a good summary of what these kinds of filters are capable of, which people might find helpful. They have two kinds of filters, their PointONE (0.1 micron - bacteria) filter and their PointZEROTWO (0.02 micron - viruses) filter.
- The PointONE™ filtration system is usually all you would need unless you are traveling internationally (developing countries) where waterborne viruses such as hepatitis and/or Polio are present. This system removes all harmful pathogens from your water.
- If viruses are an issue, we offer the PointZeroTWO™ Purifier (0.02 micron absolute pores), the first and thus far only portable purification device to physically remove viruses which it does at a >5.5 log (99.9997%) rate, exceeding EPA and NSF recommendations. Due to the significantly higher level of filtration, PointZEROTWO’s flow rate is considerably slower than the PointONE™ filters.
- In North America (and the developed world) we do not have concerns about viruses in our water. They simply cannot survive. Viruses derive from contaminated human sewage and die shortly after entering a body of water. In Third World countries outbreaks have occurred due to poor treatment of sewage. Sewage without viruses can be handled by the PointONE™ filter. The only viruses with the potential to survive in water are hepatitis (which is rare) and Polio (which is extremely rare).
- The Sawyer filter does NOT remove iron, sulfur, other chemicals, or simple compounds. Taste can be masked by using flavor additives like Gatorade or crystal light (filter needs to be cleaned immediately after using them).
- The Sawyer filters are not made with charcoal. While other portable filters have charcoal, they lack in amount of media and adequate dwell time. Therefore, they only remove small amounts of heavy metals, pesticides, etc. (when used in real life applications). Try using better sources of water, if possible.
- The Sawyer filter removes taste that comes from bacteria, dirt, and green matter.
In general I would say that if you're just out hiking on a backcountry trail through the wilderness a 0.1 micron filter will be more than sufficient. If you're still worried about how effective this might be, you could consider either purchasing a 0.02 micron filter, or else double- (or triple- ) treat your water by also using chemical purification tablets (most should also remove viruses) a UV filter and/or boiling as well. Cost, weight and time considerations then start to come into play, but most major water filter manufacturers have also got microfilter (0.02 micron) options in their range as well to check out.
Hi Michelle, thanks for another informative video.
I would like your opinion regarding doing the TA starting at Bluff early next year. Myself and 3 mature age women from Newcastle Australia were wanting to start at the Cape early January but those plans are not going to work.
Plan B is to start at Bluff later early next year. I don't want the girls walking in heavy rain or snow, what would be the latest start date you would suggest to have some staple weather?
Thanks for your help Michelle.
Hi Alan! Nice to hear from you, and great that you're making preparations to start the TA next year. I wish you all the best with your preparations and if you want to have a chat to me anytime about what to expect please let me know!
As far as start dates go, I would highly recommend checking out Stuart Bilby's weather chart which is posted every year on the Te Araroa facebook forum: facebook.com/groups/26638669574/posts/10157808502374575
It is an insanely helpful resource when choosing a starting date. You'll see he has four lines on the chart: two solid and two dotted. The solid lines are for an 'average' hiker anticipating to take 150 days to complete the TA. The dotted lines are for faster hikers aiming to complete in 100 days or less. Based on my North Island pace, I was on track for around 150-160 days (compare your itinerary to mine to see how it stacks up: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1z4JilGDLW_1S_OSJrwcr8u7ysYPR9KOjqc8nP27UtlU/edit?usp=sharing)
The dark green areas represent when winter is likely to set in. The blue areas represent when alpine areas are likely to become impassable. The two lines are placed to indicate the LATEST possible times you should be starting either a SOBO or NOBO hike. You'll see for a 150 day hike, the LATEST Stu suggests is end of January, and even then you are likely to hit the Whanganui River, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Timber Trail and Central North Island high country during the shoulder months and possibly have to look at alternates through here to deal with rough weather.
Regardless, it's importan to note that NZ's weather is so changeable anyway, that even in the middle of summer you can encounter heavy rain anywhere in the country, and snow in alpine areas. Last year is a good example, where popular tracks like the Milford and Routeburn were decimated in an early Feburary storm which saw over a metre of rain in just over a 60-hour period.
Your biggest protection against this kind of thing is to BE PREPARED FOR ALL EVENTUALITIES regardless of what you're expecting. Things can change so quickly here, so be flexible and always have a Plan B. You may have to consider following a 'flip flop' route instead, where you flip up and down the trail hiking the parts which have the best weather at the time, getting the more tricky sections out of the way before the worst of the weather hits and leaving the lower lying stuff until the end. Get on the Facebook forums and ask to connect with other people who have started around the same time, and have a chat to them to see what their biggest challenges were. They're likely to give you a good idea of what to expect.
Hope that helps for now, and please feel free to reach out if you have any more questions!
@@LongWhiteGypsy Hi Michelle, thank you so much for your comprehensive reply.
@@alankelly3546 You're very welcome Alan. As I said, feel free to reach out again if you have any more questions :)
Thanks again Michelle