Filter in water bottle

Take a chance on what?
What are you trying to filter out?
What is the source of bottled water?
What is the source of tap water?
What do you use to brush your teeth?

Sally I drink the tap water.. have in Italy, France, Holland, UK, Switzerland, Germany, Austria , Spain.. etc.. sorry but what are you thinking the water filter will accomplish?

I don't think most of us travellers feel we need to filter tap water to drink it in western europe and yes,, most will think its overkill so you may not get many recommedations for expensive devises to bring along to save you from who knows what?

Ok , got the message and answer. It was just a question that bothers me so I need to ask.

You can go to the CDC website to see if their are any health reasons to avoid tap water in a country you are visiting. There are no advisories for any European countries I have visited. However, this summer I am going to Turkey and the CDC website and RS guidebook both recommend not drinking the tap water. I know lots of people who won't drink the tap water in their homes in the US. Everyone has their preferences. The filters on water bottles are for taste only. They can't be used to make water safe to drink. Whatever you decide enjoy your trip!

Sally, I apologize. Generally this forum isn't nearly as negative as most are. I cut Ed a little slack as he sometimes comes across wrong but I don't think he means to. The rest? Who knows....
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Okay so you have three basic contaminants, biological, mineral and toxins. The EU has a website somewhere that I found a few years back that does identify zones within the EU that are pretty heavily polluted with heavy metals (minerals) and toxins. A good filter will take care of the mineral but i wouldn't rely on it for toxins and biological pollution. The toxin and the mineral I don't really worry about on a short stay. The biological can only be handled with tablets or boiling.

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You have heard about Rome's excellent pure mountain water? I have seen Rome's excellently leaking sanitary storm sewer sitting above an equally leaking water line. I watched as they fixed the sewer line but not the water line and then filled in the trench. These pipes are a hundred years old, problem are to be expected and I bet they do a magnificent job at maintaining them with their economies in the wrecks they are in.. To be honest I don't know how the standards in each country compare to the US. What I have witnessed in a number of countries (I am sort of in a related business so I look at such thing when I travel) doesn't quite hold up on average to US standards.

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I don't much worry about such things in London, I worry a little more in Paris and even more in Rome. By the time I reach Romania, Bulgaria, etc. I am drinking only bottle water. But like you, I know the risk is very, very low but a buck and a half is a cheap investment vs. the total cost of the vacation. Besides the bottle water generally tastes better. I don't do anything extreme I just choose when the choice is available.

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I hope that gives you some help you can do some further research on until you find a place of peace and confidence. Hunt around for the EU website that i mentioned as it has a lot more information.

http://learn-german.language101.com/about-germany/why-germans-dont-drink-tap-water/
http://nomadiknation.com/travel-health-international-cities-where-its-ok-to-drink-the-water/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-16/european-union-funding-5-year-safe-drinking-water-project.html

I must have missed the negativity buried in all the factual statements.

Sally asked about filters. Water can be filtered or purified. Filters don't help much/any from a health standpoint. Portable purifiers are expensive and don't work for large quantities. REI and others sell several - - I use them hiking since water often comes from a stream. Some industrial contaminates can't be purified with portable purifiers. Most biological contaminates can.

Drinking water mains are under much higher pressure than waste lines. Water can't flow against pressure - - contamination is virtually impossible.

I've been in every country west of the Urals. I have to assume that I've showered, washed my teeth, and swilled tap water in all of them (except parts of Russia since there's heavy metal problems). I continue to exist.

Play with this link and see what you think: http://www.canidrinkthewater.org/.

I've no idea who the guy is, but I stabbed a few nations in other parts of the world and they pretty well match my feelings. I left Europe alone (except for Russia where I knew there was a problem) since I figured it'd be a waste of time.

Ed, I have seen a lot of your posts and your opinion is one of the ones that I trust.

First the pipes. The pressure pipe can actually draw water into it in a sort of syphon action, or if the water is shut off for what ever reason contamination is also possible which is why there isn't a building code on the planet that allows this situation. The odds are low but its an indicator that its an old system not properly maintained and as such it could have a host of other problems. But I do agree with you, in my personal life I generally drink the water when it is what is most convenient or practical. But there are no absolutes, I do believe the odds of running across unhappy water in Europe is greater than it is here and I don't think it silly to want to manage risk by avoiding drinking the water. I too tried a couple of countries in your link. I think its a little overly generalized. This is a subjective issue, some of the countries your link says are okay the CDC says to get a Hep A vaccine for because of the quality of the water. Yup, the CDC is very, very conservative, still when answering here I try and put it all out there.

So, I drink the water in most countries and I don't carry my passport in a few countries where it is mandatory and I have been to another country where proof of medical insurance is required, but I had no such proof; but these are not things I recommend anyone else do.

I'd shop REI for your water bottle with filter. Staff can offer worthwhile advice. In Europe, I generally drink tap water except when most of the locals are buying bottled water and in rural areas if the source of water is say a farm well.

Sally,

If you do some minor homework where you are going, i think you will find that most places are fine.

so far, ive been drinking local tap water and i havent had any issues. knock on wood somewhere.

happy trails.

I would feel comfortable using any tap water not labelled with a warning except in southern Italy, where the trash burning and burying for decades has rendered the water fairly unsafe. US military people are instructed not to even brush their teeth with tap water in the greater Naples area.

I spent a long long time in Mexico, working, but solo. I did buy, and still own, a fancy filter bottle. I never used it in Mexico, and the manufacturer told me to wrap it in plastic to maintain filter quality. It is so lightweight that I wouldn't hesitate to bring it with me again. I'm convinced that had I not brought it to Mexico, I would have gotten something! That's my luck, though.

If you'll feel better getting a water filter, then get one. It doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. Britta sels inexpensive ones at almost every supermarket or big box store. There's really no need to get an expensive one used mostly for camping. The water in western Europe really isn't that bad.

Instead of a bottle, however, you might look into getting a Steri-Pen.

A friend of mine does sixth month stints in Ghana where the water supply is iffy. Even though she used to buy bottled water, she would get sick. I got her a Steri-Pen and on her last sixth month stint, she didn't get sick once. She also said she didn't have to lug bottled water home. Just filled her own bottle from the tap and used the Steri-Pen.

sally, sometimes the perception of risk is more frightening than the actual risk. The standards for safety of drinking water, tap or bottled, are pretty much the same in the US, Canada and EU. Contamination events can occur anywhere as James described, but are rare and unpredictable. People like to blame water, but your chances of getting ill from water in US or EU are less than from bad food, a sneeze in the subway, a contaminated handshake, or getting hit by a bus on the way to the store to buy bottled water.

I do whatever I would do if traveling in the US: I drink tap water in NYC and SF; maybe bottled water in Podunk, NH; water treated with a steri-pen hiking in the mountains.

Emma???

I've no medical experience either, but just a tad of flying experience. You ain't about to slip that one by me.

I've had unpressurized machines up to thirty grand and the only digestive distress is immediately cured by a bit of cheek-lifting. Explosive decompression at much higher causes everything to automatically takes care of itself before you can put down the thermos and reach for the mask.

Cabin pressure is six to eight grand. The list of cities/towns in that range is lengthy.

Sorry, poor writing. The only reference to commercial aircraft was the mention of cabin pressure.

A steep unpressurized dive would result in sudden increased pressure, but it's hard to dive steep enough without exceeding airspeed structural limitations to make it noticeable except in the ear drums.

George

Do you have a question or are you just tossing out phrases?

Do you want a flying lesson?

1. The FAA requires supplemental oxygen above 12500. You can go a bit higher without it for a while, but it can get tricky and will vary by individual and just as often by the condition of an individual at the specific time.

2. A suit (partial or full) is a pressure device to keep blood in the brain and has nothing to do with elevation or oxygen. It's an anti high G device. Unsuited, most people can handle four with a slight grunt, short-term sevens take a bit of training. After that it's a balance between the tolerances of the pilot as well as the airframe. Soviets tended to use full suits; NATO used partials except for the ultra- highs such as the U-2 and the SR-71.

3. With a mask and enough fuel you can stay at any altitude until you either run out of oxygen or bump the lube limit of something.

4. If you stay within airspeed limits, you can hold a steep dive until.......well, until you hit the ground or water.

5. Zzzzzzzz. No more, please.

Maybe anti-gas tabs -- about the same as cheek lifting? Beats me, but I've been mucking about in flying machines since I was a wee kid and have never heard of such a thing.

Well, I'm getting my Sunday morning chuckles with this one. Reminds me of playing 'telegraph' as a child - from water bottle filter to stomach gas (and worse) in 22 replies.

I sort of got lost at 30,000 feet.

Ha James, me too. Maybe I passed out.

Digestive distress while traveling can be caused by a few things:

1) Bad water or food...or food we may not be used to eating;
2) Change in time zones and times we eat. Our digestive system is thrown for a loop.
3) The site of mass amounts of pale tourists in shorts, socks and sandals.

Beano perhaps?

To Frank II's list:
4) Seeing chubby male locals wearing Speedos.

Naturally there are various health risks, particularly in the developing countries. I check the CDC travel website http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/ before I go someplace new. Sometimes I think it is ridiculously conservative but I’m not going to argue with them. After all they have to describe an entire country in one statement which often doesn’t account for the differences between major cities and small towns. But it’s better than nothing. As for Hep A in particular, that’s a particularly nasty one that goes beyond just travel precautions. In 2013 there were outbreaks in places as diverse as Bosnia, Canada, Texas and Denmark. In most states the Hep A vaccine is a requirement for public school attendance and I decided years ago what was good enough for my kids was good enough for me so I got vaccinated
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And here is a list that will give you the heebie geebies. Note, nothing in Europe but the Americas yes (Brazil, Mexico and Canada) http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices

"...To Frank II's list:
4) Seeing chubby male locals wearing Speedos...."

5) Seeing this guy dance:

http://youtu.be/dkPQDvtkF7Y

So funny Michael... A few too many ouzos?

Beginning to sound like the forum posters need a filter, but please do not stop as quite entertaining!

Beginning to sound like the forum posters need a filter, but please do not stop as quite entertaining!

Aside from bottled water not really being any healthier for you than tap water in developed countries, a very good reason to avoid bottled water is that the bottles produce a couple million tons of waste every year. For some odd reason, people trash these instead of recycling the bottles. It also takes something like 40 million gallons of oil to make all of those bottles each year. No need to add to all of that plastic in the oceans. :)

Aside from bottled water not being necessarily healthier and bottles requiring recycling, restaurants charge as much for still water as a good beer. BYOB, a reusable one filled with tap water from your room.

sally,

I'm getting into the discussion a bit late, but wanted to add a few comments. My suggestion would be the same as someone else mentioned. Buy a good quality (ie: non-BPA) re-useable water bottle and then just refill as required from the faucet. If you'll be travelling in Greece, using bottled water is advisable in some locations (sometimes due to high lead content and sometimes because the tap water tastes dreadful).

Using a filtered water bottle may not produce the results you're looking for. Many of the cheaper models only filter particulate matter and don't provide any protection against bacteria, protozoa or viruses. Some of the more expensive water bottles designed for expedition use also provide iodine or chlorine to deal with those, but for western Europe that's not really necessary (IMO).

I normally buy about a 600 mL bottle at the airport when I'm departing and use it for most of the trip (unless it breaks). I may also buy a re-useable bottle for my trip this year, if I can find one that fits in my Daypack well.

Based on all the suggestions here, We will just drink the tap water there and do away with the bottled water. We will eventually adjust to the acquired taste if any. Thanks .