Drinking water from snow question

[nazdarovye]

Chemicals with melted water

Here's another way to do it:

I just melt the snow until it's completely liquid, but only lukewarm at most.

Then I add Micropur tablets for purification.

Saves fuel (but not time).

 

[SherpaKroto]

I'm in trouble: I usually supplement my water bottle with snow after every drink as the day goes on. Makes for less melting. So for, no adverse effects.

 

[Carder Climber]

I don't know why anyone would not boil their water before drinking. Depending on your stove it only takes a couple min. to melt and turn to a boil. As long as your using the right tech. (1/4 water in your pot, heat it up, slowly add your snow). Once you have a pot of water it boils pretty quick and it's worth a couple more min to esure clean water. If you're worried about the amount of fuel your using you shouldn't. You're only out for the weekend or a couple of days. Unless you are going to be out for at least a month don't worry about the amount of fuel your using. (remember: stoves are for cooking and melting not warming your tent/fingers/toes) Just carry an extra fuel bottle. (If you can't carry the weight maybe you should re-think your adventure). Anyway, the only situation I don't take the time out to boil water is when I get water straight from a glacier (dig a little snow, crack some ice, and ahh, clean great tasting running water). Also, if you want to wet the whistle, a small amount of snow to munch on isn't a bad thing but big amounts can be. Your body uses up a lot of energy (calories) to break down the snow. (solid form to liquid form) Once you start losing a lot of calories your body will begin to work overtime to keep your core temp up. The result being: lost performance, and a higher risk of hypothermia.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

I don't know why anyone would not boil their water before drinking.

Because it's not necessary whith fresh snow.

 

[Carder Climber]

Because it's not necessary whith fresh snow.

Yes I can agree with that if your watching the snow come down or you get a good 3-5 ft. drop during your sleep hours and do some melting in the morning. Why not be safe then sorry though.....I'm sure an extra 5-10 min. would kill your entire day.......

I'm curious how many here have actually had any real formal training or is it a read a couple articles and tromp out on a weekend warrior adventure...lol

Sorry, couldn't resist.........

 

[Warren]

I'm curious how many here have actually had any real formal training or is it a read a couple articles and tromp out on a weekend warrior adventure...lol

I, for one, have never had any formal training in melting snow.

For the record, I'll boil if I have the fuel and the time, but I don't worry about it much. Under ideal conditions it may be an extra few minutes to boil, but in sub zero wind it can be somewhat longer, especially if you "watch the pot".

 

[spider solo]

I think you would be surprised how many have some form of training and a fair amount of experience....but not me ..I'm a boiler.
Particulary after my doctor said I had Giardia after a multi day snowshoe trip in the Pemi. However as time went by I've often wondered if he stood by that diagnosis esp since he never did a formal test and it turned out I had a far more complicated problem at the time.
Still he is a backpacker himself (summer) and I have never lost any sleep over whether he was right or wrong about the Giardia...just glad to be alive and kicking untrained as I may be...(though I was paper trained years ago...)

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Why not be safe then sorry though..
I'm curious how many here have actually had any real formal training or is it a read a couple articles and tromp out on a weekend warrior adventure...lol

Formal training in snow melting, or in the sciences, such as biology and physics?


"Better to be safe than sorry." Sounds great.. very emotional... but can lead to very un-scientific reasons for doing things.

 

[Carder Climber]

Formal training in snow melting, or in the sciences, such as biology and physics?

Formal training as in Winter Mountaineering / Winter Survival......in a technical sense.........

 

[Tom Rankin]

I'm in trouble: I usually supplement my water bottle with snow after every drink as the day goes on. Makes for less melting. So for, no adverse effects.

Not a health issue per se, but snow at 0 degrees C takes a lot more energy to heat up to body temperature than water at 0 degrees C. This can sap your energy reserves and make you cold.

 

[bobandgeri]

Several years ago on the morning of a snowstorm we shoveled freshly fallen clean snow into our hot tub to replenish the water that had evaperated. Not much - 4, maybe 6 plastic shovel's worth.

We ened up having to change the water in the hot tub as the filters could not filter out all the impurities in the snow! Although it may look clean - it picks up a lot of "stuff" as it falls through the air. Sicne that day we have not and would not eat/drink snow without boiling it first.

 

[bobmak]

Although it may look clean - it picks up a lot of "stuff" as it falls through the air. Sicne that day we have not and would not eat/drink snow without boiling it first.

I agree it picks up a lot of stuff as it falls through the air. And I have consumed a fair share of dust particles, vegetation and snow fleas in my day. Boiling will not remove the dirt and vegetaion. The reason you would want to boil is kill any little critters that have been left behind by other creatures waste. I only bring water to a boil if I am in a "suspect" area; if the snow looks clean I just heat it enough to melt it or to cook with it. So far I have never become ill from drinking melted snow. Maybe I am just lucky!

If you want a cheap & easy way to filter the dirt use a reuseable plastic screen coffee filter; that will get out most of the big chunks.

 

[percious]

If you want a cheap & easy way to filter the dirt use a reuseable plastic screen coffee filter; that will get out most of the big chunks.

I use an old panty hose and the top of a 20oz bottle for a screen/funnel. Gets all the pine needles.

-percious

 

[bobmak]

I use an old panty hose and the top of a 20oz bottle for a screen/funnel. Gets all the pine needles.

-percious

How old?????????

 

[Neil]

Whenever I make drinking water from snow I wait until it's dark out. What I can't see floatin around in there can't hurt me, right?

Melting a liter's worth of snow water and bringing a liter of creek water to near boiling seem to take the same time/amount of fuel.

"Heat of fusion, Lloyd, heat of fusion."

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Whenever I make drinking water from snow I wait until it's dark out. What I can't see floatin around in there can't hurt me, right?

"The best water bottle is the narrow mouth opaque nalgene. That way, you can't see what's in the water you're drinking." Jean-René H.

 

[SteveHiker]

I hope if any of you go to a Sugar-on-Snow supper at a church in southern Vermont, that you're smart enough to just eat the maple syrup and not the snow. I've seen how and where it's gathered.

 

[crazymama]

I have a friend who reports that she has had Giardia once, and it was from eating snow.

I don't know if it was new or old snow. She says she was careful to scoop up snow that was below the upper crust. She just had a couple of scoops.

Also don't know if the diagnosis was actually confirmed with testing, but it was a horrible experience that she doesn't want to repeat.

 

[Rick]

....Melting a liter's worth of snow water and bringing a liter of creek water to near boiling seem to take the same time/amount of fuel.

"Heat of fusion, Lloyd, heat of fusion."

Neil, I think it takes a lot more fuel to melt snow, especially dry snow, than to boil stream water.
Also, if you don't mind carrying an extra ounce and you hate floaters from melting snow (bits of bark and such) get a small strainer from an aquarium supply store (or make one from a coat hangar and cheesecloth) to carry with your kitchen kit.

 

[Pete_Hickey]

Neil, I think it tales a lot more fuel to melt snow, epspecially dry snow, than boil stream water.

No it doesen't necessarily. It takes 80 calories to transform a gram of ice at 0C into a gram of water at 0C (Ie to just melt it), but it takes 100 calories (slightly less at elevation) to bring water from 0C to 100C.

However...
The snow may be colder than 0C.
You may want the water warmer than 0C for drinking
There are certain inefficiencies in trying to warm a solid.

Rick. Note that dry snow, is snow which is well below 0C. It must first be brought up to 0C, then roughly 80 calories/gram applied for the state change, then the water must be warmed further to prevent, what scientists call, an ice cream headache.