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I'm re-thinking my water situation and wondering what you all do. I primarily hunt in northern CO and S WY in October. Finding water is not normally a problem. My normal procedure is to load my pack with 64-80 oz of water for the day. Thats 4-5 lbs of water I'm carrying around. I do the same for hikes in the Smoky's. I have used a Lifestraw in the Smokys with no ill effects. I'm considering something similar during deer/elk season in CO and WY given water is plentiful in the areas I hunt.

Do you all carry water or use some kind of filter/chemical treatment during the hunt? If so, what filter/chemical system do you use?

I'm sure someone will say that they drink high mountain water without filtering. 95% of the time, that's perfectly ok. However, in the last couple of decades, giardia has spread to some of the most remote places in the country. It's been found even in high springs coming straight out of the rocks. Most streams or springs are clean but if you get that other 5%, it can tear you up. It's a problem that we didn't have when I was growing up but we have it now.
That said, I usually carry about a quart. I have a Sawyer squeeze filter for refills.

I've had Giardia plus I'm a hydrologist by profession. I've sampled ALOT of surface water and will pass.

In my yute, I drank straight from PA mountain streams without ill affect. Once I started sampling water, I never again drank straight from the source. You're right 95% of the time, you'll be ok, its that 5% that will cause you grief. I'd also say, all surface water has various forms of bacteria, most of them fairly benign - and people's guts can get accustomed to high levels of rather benign bacteria. A sudden change in gut bacteria is problematic on a couple levels.

3L packed (roughly 100oz)

Depending on the hunt;
Unfiltered
Msr mini works
Msr gravity flow

May try a steripen this year.

Depending on water abundance and my hunting plan for the day, I often carry 2-3 L in a bladder with an inline RapidPure Scout filter/purifier. Refill as needed when I come across water.

I’d not want to rely on a Lifestraw alone, if only because it would take too much time away from my hunting efforts to find a water source and use the Lifestraw every time I was thirsty.

On a mountain hunt I’ll start the day carrying roughly 1.5 litres of filtered water, and have a gravity or pump filter with me incase I need more.
I’ve had giardia before and don’t want that experience ever again. I’ve been filtering ever since.

2-3 liters depending on temps prefer bottles over bladders.

Sawyer Mini

Various stoves in snow/ice locales.

Told a friend not to drink without processing from an isolated waterfall in the North Cascades...he was very ill for 6 weeks.

"It varies." Like many others in older times I'd just drink from the creek. Never had any issue but a couple years after I stopped, my mom got giardia from a creek I used to drink from so .. no more.

"Back in the day" when I'd get water straight from the creek I always felt a bit exposed / vulnerable while I was face down drinking. I took to carrying a rubbery/plastic cup so I could dip water and drink standing up scanning the horizon for deer or whatever. When I hunt back there today, if I'm going as light as possible I do much the same but after dipping water I drink it through some sort of straw type filter. Most of the time when I hunt, though, I carry a 1.5 to 2 liter water bladder in a day pack and I fill it by pumping with an MSR hyperflow. I usually don't drink much at the water source, I tank up then work my way back up into some cover / concealment so I can watch for thirsty critters that need to be shot.

I like the hyperflow. It has weak points ... clogs if your water isn't pretty clean to begin with. But it's about as compact and light as I've found for one person other than a straw setup.

Tom

Sawyer squeeze backpacking and hiking. It has not failed me and They work well. Just do not let them freeze on you as they will crack.

I hunt roughly the same area. Stream crossings and springs are abundant. I used to carry a full 2L with me in a bladder at the start of each day. Most days I came back to camp with a 1L or a little less remaining. Figured that was dumb. I was carrying 2lbs of extra weight each day. Now I typically load up with 1L and carry a Katadyn pump water filter. It's extremely light and if I do run out of water, I can pump as much as I need and no worries about cooties in the water. I prefer to pump from moving water like streams and brooks. If I'm out scouting with no intention of a long day in the woods I'll leave the water filter behind. I always carry chlorine pills in my first aid kit, so if really needed to refill the water I can still treat it. However, I prefer filtering for the taste and clarity.

I carry 2-3 liters in a bladder. Generally 3. Lots of places that I hunt have very limited water. Or you have to drop tons of elevation to get water. Never tried the lifestraw because I'm generally planning to have to filter lots of water.

Day hikes at Moose camp I'll just carry one liter in a hard bottle.

I know of many water sources in my hunt areas. I'm not keen on non-flowing water - something about the way bull elk roll around and piss in it turns me off.

I'll likely evaluate my daily hunt plan and determine if I'll run into flowing water. If so, I'll likely consider carrying half the water I do now and some type of lightweight filter. I always have some tablet variety chemical treatment but the taste sucks.

I've used Sawyer products in recent years with good success. They have some smaller options. Others to consider?

I grew up drinking out of irrigation ditches and stock ponds before we ever heard of giardia. I do drink from springs and figure I’ve been walking giardia since I was a kid.

But…..at 65 years old I’m aware my gut might not be as robust, and the bugs in other parts of the Interior West might be a different enough variety that my intestinal fortitude may not be up to snuff. I still have my First Need filter (with spare filters) and on occasion use it. It’s more bulky than many of today’s filters but near as I can tell it is still filters out a wider variety of bacteria and beyond, and filters more completely.

I own a MSR Trailshot pump, two Steripens and probably a couple of more somewhere

In the end, I typically just use tabs (Potable Aqua tabs). Typically carry a regular Nalgene reachable in a pocket and a soft-sided Nalgene in the pack. If it's a spring coming directly out of the side of a mountain, I just drink. If not, I refill the Nalgene at hand from the soft-side one and fill the soft-side one with stream water and put a tab in it.

A weeks worth of tabs weighs maybe 0.5 oz, they are waterproof in their aluminum foil packets (ask me how I know!), fool proof and no filter to clog (or freeze!) or electronics to give up.

mt, are you using the iodine tabs or chlorine dioxide?

Also, I have an idea how you know they're waterproof, but how do you know they're foolproof?

they're the Chlorine Dioxide ones- now using Potable Aqua tabs, previously used Aquatabs but found they didn't treat Crypto- which these ones do, also used MicroPur ones- they were tiny tabs and hard to handle

https://www.rei.com/product/736898/potable-aqua-chlorine-dioxide-tablets-package-of-30

dude if I can use them they're fool proof

Thanks. I always carry a few in the pack but I've never used them. How are they on the chlorine taste? Does it help to take the lid off the nalgene and let the water air out a little?

I don't find the taste displeasurable at all. Not as good as straight out of mountain spring, mind you but not really noticeable.

I just shake it up a little after I drop the tab in and then just refill the other bottle when needed- usually a couple of hours later.

I will use one of the Steripen's occasionally, rarely use the MSR- 90+% of the time tab and go. Definitely want two bottles imo, that way one is always ready to drink from.

If you have a base camp, you can just fill some clear plastic bottles and leave them in the sun all day. The bugs can't survive UV. There are lots of UV water purifiers being used in the US. All they do is run your drinking water past a bright UV light bulb. Sunshine isn't nearly as intense so it takes longer but it does the same thing.
For an example, Amazon has a 6 pack of these 1L bottles for $10. They weight 6oz each empty. Leave them in the sun all day and you have 3L of clean water.

Carry in more water than you think you need in
several containers while you're fresh, and make a
stash somewhere before you start hunting.
You can carry a smaller easy to carry amount with
you, and have a supply of known potable water to
fall back on plus your sanitizing method for any
needed replenishment if needed