Bobble water bottle

[WldWil]

Has anyone used a bobble water bottle? they are a water bottle with a built-in charcoal filter in the cap.

They can to take out some impurities and other items that may be in the water as well as make it taste better. I understand that they do not take out things like chloroform or other nasties that could make you sick.

They seem quite light and better quality than a typical plastic bottle.

 

[Bajaracer]

The only place that had tap water that didn't taste that good was in Pamplona, (from the Brierly guide, and he was right) bottled water from the supermercado is cheaper than the tiendas, if you don't have a sensitive stomach, you won't need a charcoal filter.

 

[jeffnd]

Tap water from Spain is just fine to drink. There were a few places where the water had a bit of a chemical taste, but nothing that was too bad. And you'd be surprised what you can drink when you're thirsty!

I could see the value in using a filter system like the Bobble to make tap water more palatable though. A spare filter won't add much more weight either.

 

[Tia Valeria]

Charcoal merely removes bad taste, to filter out 'nasties' you need a proper filter (most are ceramic 'candles' with silver and charcoal core). Heavy for the Camino and not needed as you can buy water if wary of tap/fountain water. If buying water it is best to buy the biggest size and share it. Less waste, and please dispose of the bottles for recycling.

 

[Tincatinker]

In response to the OP. I use a 'bobble' bottle, great for removing the, occasionally heavy, chlorination in tap and fuente water and they do provide some protection against infection agents. Standard (improvised) wilderness survival filters are made from charcoal (wood fire ash) and spagnum and are held to be pretty effective against water-borne 'nasties'.

 

[WldWil]

The bottle weighs 70 grams and holds 20 oz (.6L). I figured I only need the one as I could add more water to it even if from another bottle.

I grew up on a farm with an artesian well and currently have my own private well today.pretty much all municipal tap water taste funny to me.

Now that I have my pack weight down, temptations are popping up.

 

[Anemone del Camino]

I bring with me effervescent electrolytes. Not only do they do their job as electrolytes but they also mask the taste of the water.

 

[jeffnd]

Charcoal merely removes bad taste, to filter out 'nasties' you need a proper filter (most are ceramic 'candles' with silver and charcoal core). Heavy for the Camino and not needed as you can buy water if wary of tap/fountain water. If buying water it is best to buy the biggest size and share it. Less waste, and please dispose of the bottles for recycling.

There is a lightweight option for removing most of the nasty stuff from water.

http://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-mini-filter/

It's only about 2 ounces, maybe 3 total if you include the syringe used to clean it. And it lasts for a million gallons if taken care of. The only drawbacks are that it does not improve the taste of water and does not filter out viruses, but many filters weighing much more and costing much more won't do that either.

Again, tap water in Spain is fine to drink and you shouldn't have a problem staying hydrated using only municipal sources, as long as you bring adequate water carrying supplies. (Have the ability to carry at least 2 liters and you should be okay.) This is true for the French route, on other paths, your mileage my vary.

 

[cher99840]

Now that I have my pack weight down, temptations are popping up.

I urge you to resist those temptations; keep it basic and keep it light.

 

[whariwharangi]

That 90 liter leather backpack sure holds a lot ...

 

[Tia Valeria]

Thanks @jeffnd - we will stick with our ordinary bottles and buy the bottled water to fill them. We don't carry the extra weight of any filter on the camino. If we did we would want something that took out the viruses as well - like our Katadyn hand pump filter. Great, and works like our Berkefeld 'bucket' filter did, in but not our choice for backpacking.