How do you guys go about procuring or making water while you are out? I have used the sanitation/filter straws in the past and would have no problem pulling water from a creek and doing that. But how about boiling water or melting snow? What kinds of camp wares (pots, kettles, etc..) do you use? I would think a campfire percolator would work well, but I’m wondering if there are less bulky alternatives that are better suited to backpacking that I’m not aware of.
Of course the filter idea would be my first choice, but that’s assuming we are near running water that doesn’t need to be melted or thawed.
As far as cooking food goes, we will be keeping that part simple with MREs.
Filtration is a huge PITA and in my experience it's easy to get contamination. Boiling is a bigger PITA. Generally my primary plan is filtration/grit removal through cotton t-shirt material followed by iodine tabs with boiling as a backup. Yes, iodine makes the water taste funny. Throw some tang or koolaid mix in it for straight drinking. For cooking you'll never notice the taste although starches can turn bluish. I like that the iodine water is aggressively sterilizing, and can be used to for example sterilize the threads of a water bottle.
If you are concerned about cryptosporidium you have to go boiling or filter. In my experience it is not a big problem if you avoid obviously contaminated water sources. But your mileage may vary.
