2aHawaii
General Topics => Preparedness and Survival => Topic started by: mangosteenqueen on June 06, 2018, 07:24:28 PM
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So part of my family is going out to visit Vietnam in a couple weeks and they’re looking for some kind of water filtration since the water there isn’t all that great. They’re not only going to the cities but also to the countryside.
What I tried recommending them were the $15 lifestraws that you can toss in your backpack and wherever but they’re worried about viruses (it’s a 3rd world country, what would you expect from the water?) and are looking at those $50-100+ filters that weigh like an extra pound.
Anybody every traveled to 3rd world countries using lifestraws or similar?
Should I keep recommending the lifestraw to them?
I think they’re a little too paranoid and I don’t see why they’re freaking out since my mother and grandmother have been there many times before.
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I use a steripen (uv light) for leptospirosis. Kills bacteria, parasites, and viruses.
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So part of my family is going out to visit Vietnam in a couple weeks and they’re looking for some kind of water filtration since the water there isn’t all that great. They’re not only going to the cities but also to the countryside.
What I tried recommending them were the $15 lifestraws that you can toss in your backpack and wherever but they’re worried about viruses (it’s a 3rd world country, what would you expect from the water?) and are looking at those $50-100+ filters that weigh like an extra pound.
Anybody every traveled to 3rd world countries using lifestraws or similar?
Should I keep recommending the lifestraw to them?
I think they’re a little too paranoid and I don’t see why they’re freaking out since my mother and grandmother have been there many times before.
sam's club has a 3 pack of lifestraws or something like them
supposed to remove leptospirosis and girardia
not an endorsement, just an FYI
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I’ll take reccomendations anytime.
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If they won't take your recommendation, let them buy whatever they feel comfortable using. :thumbsup:
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Boiling water for drinking is probably not convenient for tourists, so bottled water is a good option unless you plan on going off the beaten path.
You can find bottled water in most restaurants, hotels, big/small groceries, etc. Many hotels offer a couple of free bottles per guest each day.
You can also buy 19-20L jugs of bottled water for not much money, and use it to refill smaller bottles as needed. Cheaper and more convenient than having to buy a bunch of small bottles every day.
Many locals drink hot tea instead of water for meals. The water is boiled, so all the critters in it are no longer a risk.
Avoid ice unless you made it yourself, since it was likely made from tap water. If the restaurant uses ice delivered from outside companies rather than making it themselves, it's safe -- but use good judgement.
Instead of a filter or chemical treatment, use UV sterilization products like Zippz posted. This one sterilizes 50 Liters of water on 4 alkaline batteries, or 150 liters on 4 lithium batteries. Takes about 2 minutes per treatment, and it's good for about 3,000 treatments.
https://www.steripen.com/Aqua
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I do a lot of hiking/camping and a better choice then the life straw is the Sawyer squeeze. It’s convenient and can screw onto any water bottle.
The steri pen is a good choice but it won’t filter out any hard particles. That being said, I try to grab semi clean water to try and prolong back flushing my Sawyer while on trail.
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Straws and water filters don't filter viruses. You would need the steripen, chemical treatment, or boiling to eliminate viruses.
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Straws and water filters don't filter viruses. You would need the steripen, chemical treatment, or boiling to eliminate viruses.
For the price and as small as it is, it makes sense to use a steripen in addition to any other filter used.
Filters take extra time and need replacing or backwashing to clean out the impurities.
Tap water usually won't need filtering, but will need sterilization.
I'm sure this goes without saying, but travelers to certain regions need to research the vaccinations recommended well ahead of departure. Malaria, Hep A & B, and Typhoid are some common diseases US travelers often get immunized against. That way, if you do happen to get some bad water, food, mosquito bites, or whatever, the body has a chance to kill the disease before it makes you ill.
(https://i.imgur.com/DEWXfML.jpg)
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sam's club has a 3 pack of lifestraws or something like them
supposed to remove leptospirosis and girardia
not an endorsement, just an FYI
lifestraw by vestergaard
$42.98 for a 3 pack
sam's club
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They're going to the countryside for such a long period of time that they will need filtration? I have never visited Vietnam, but when I was at my old company, we outsourced to a couple of companies in Vietnam and coworkers traveled there often. Bottled water was pretty easy to come by in the main cities.
One lesson that I learned from my work trips to the PI (and reported same for Vietnam and Thailand) was be careful when ordering drinks at places like restaurants or even smaller convenience stores. Make sure they open the container in front of you. Many places tried to fill "recycled" containers and pass them off as new.
Flapp brings up a good point about the vaccinations and stuff. On my first trip to the PI, I wasn't scheduled to go and I ended up filling in for another coworker. Only had 2 week notice. I asked my PCP about what was needed and said too late for some of them. He mentioned that since I was planning on staying in Makati/Manila area, that generally ok without the vaccinations. That as long as I don't head out into the boonies, should be ok. Well, the president of the company we were working with had a fiesta in his home village and insisted we go with him. It was maybe a 3-4 drive north of Makati. Water was from trailers with big blue water bins on them. Each property had a generator and mostly for lights and the karaoke machine. ;D It was also a farming community, so there were cows, pigs, chickens, etc all around us. I spent the evening wondering if I was gonna get bit by a mosquito and get malaria.
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My PCP said the same thing about vaccines. Unless you're going into the bush, Hep A and flu shot are the only 2 they recommend. Unless you're also going to be boning, then Hep B also.
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I have the sawyer squeeze filter in the cart right now. For most of them, it’s not their first time going there and the majority of them were raised in Vietnam after all.
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My PCP said the same thing about vaccines. Unless you're going into the bush, Hep A and flu shot are the only 2 they recommend. Unless you're also going to be boning, then Hep B also.
When I had my Hep A vaccine, I needed a booster about 4-6 months afterward to be long-term effective. That's why you need to plan ahead.
There are many ways to contract Hep. One of the most common ways is to come in contact with someone who's infected or eat food they have prepared.
Do you think, with all the difficulty US employers have making their employees wash their hand after using the toilet, a place like Vietnam would be any better? :shake:
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When I had my Hep A vaccine, I needed a booster about 4-6 months afterward to be long-term effective. That's why you need to plan ahead.
There are many ways to contract Hep. One of the most common ways is to come in contact with someone who's infected or eat food they have prepared.
Do you think, with all the difficulty US employers have making their employees wash their hand after using the toilet, a place like Vietnam would be any better? :shake:
I guess after the whole Genki thing, many people now have their Hep A, including myself. So it worked out that I went to Taiwan later.
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Unless you're also going to be boning, then Hep B also.
that's what you've heard...
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that's what you've heard...
It's listed in the chart I posted earlier. :geekdanc:
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Make your own.
This is all i use now.
https://youtu.be/m8VQk4isaOM (https://youtu.be/m8VQk4isaOM)
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Make your own.
This is all i use now.
Do you really mean "all I use", or "all I use before boiling or chemically treating for pathogens?"
The guy said over and over, this is for pre-treating the water for particulates. Parasites and pathogens still need to be removed, correct?
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I don’t think i would want my relatives to travel on a plane with something that resembles a very suspicious looking pipe in their luggage. Even a life straw sounds more efficient than this home made filter/pipe bomb.
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Make your own.
This is all i use now.
https://youtu.be/m8VQk4isaOM (https://youtu.be/m8VQk4isaOM)
HEY !
What happened to the do it yourself Berkey you asked me about ?
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My friends do Vietnam, Cambodia and such several times a year.
They Love it there. Feel very safe.
Always hiking to the back side and up country
Bottled water aplenty all over and that's all they drink.
Bring plenty of CRISP $1 dollar bills for tips and you'll be treated lie a king !
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I don’t think i would want my relatives to travel on a plane with something that resembles a very suspicious looking pipe in their luggage. Even a life straw sounds more efficient than this home made filter/pipe bomb.
If looks are important to you, suck it up and buy a straw. If something that has been proven for over a decade in the jungles of south america and can easily fabricated from simple materials is better, use the Colhane design. To me, functionality and being able to make something from scratch for cheap is more important than how something looks.
Also, the life straw isnt more efficient, because you still need to sterilize the water either chemically or with boiling to Ensure it is safe; Same with this filter. I have personally filtered and chemically sterilized 2 gallons of lepto rich water in less than an hour with the Colhane filter and a makeshift funnel attachment, so not sure where you are getting the idea that this filter is inefficient.
And being that Dave McIntyre travels to South America yearly with this filter, its highly unlikely it will be mistaken as a pipe bomb; especially if you exercise common sense and disassemble it before taking it on the plane.
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Lol was that a pun?
Pretty plain and simple, I just don’t want them to leave the state without any problems and they’re not the bushcraft adventurer kind of people and I’m not expecting them to do anything as extreme as wading through the jungle or drink water out of a river.
The DIY video is pretty neat, and I’m sure that knowledge will come in handy for me and I’ll take it to consideration but not in this case because the straw or similar devices available on the market will do just as fine as the McIntyre filter if you say so, it’s just not as reusable once it’s “expired” compared to the McIntyre filter where you can head down to the store and buy replacement fingers and activated carbon. They’re just gonna be there for like 2-3 weeks and probably won’t travel there again for another year or few, so I can’t really justify buying the materials and the time to make the DIY filter for them if it’s just gonna be for that time frame.
Nothing has been purchased, it’s just sitting in the amazon cart and I’m just gonna let them decide if they need it or not. I’m confident they’ll be getting bottled water anyway but hell I’ll probably suggest them to pack some stuff to chemically purify their water.
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Lifestraw is $9.99 at Amazon for prime customers.
https://www.amazon.com/LifeStraw-Personal-Camping-Emergency-Preparedness/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=gbph_tit_m-5_c234_f1aeb209?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_p=de8de7a2-90f6-40fa-a5e1-a4b922f1c234&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=13887280011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=68D5AM4D92Z1P0W0R2S3
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This one looks better fhan the lifestraw and goes on sale at 3:44am (not sure if EST or HST). It filters 0.05 which removes lepto and viruses which the lifestraw wont do.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WWQMRFY/ref=gbps_tit_m-8_b1a1_c20db175?pf_rd_p=1e60991e-bcf0-4d90-9cff-cbc52236b1a1&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=13887280011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=YCCA5D60EX8W3FP31SQF
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This one looks better fhan the lifestraw and goes on sale at 3:44am (not sure if EST or HST). It filters 0.05 which removes lepto and viruses which the lifestraw wont do.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06WWQMRFY/ref=gbps_tit_m-8_b1a1_c20db175?pf_rd_p=1e60991e-bcf0-4d90-9cff-cbc52236b1a1&pf_rd_s=merchandised-search-8&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=13887280011&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=YCCA5D60EX8W3FP31SQF
Already have a bunch of Life Straws, but ordered a couple more anyways. Also ordered one of these. Thanks for the heads up.
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Already have a bunch of Life Straws, but ordered a couple more anyways. Also ordered one of these. Thanks for the heads up.
heads