Gear: Water Purification Tablets, Thermals and Jacket

Hi Everyone:

I'm about to leave on my trip and am trying to get all of my gear together, and I'm not sure how much I really need to bring.

1. Water Purification tabelts: How necessary are these? (I'm planning on doing a lot of trekking.) Can I buy them in Peru or do I need to get them before I go?

2. Jacket: I'm bringing a fleece for the nighttime. Is that and a rain poncho sufficent, or do I need a waterproof windbreaker as well?

3. The salesman in the sporting goods store somehow convinced me to buy super-fancy $80 thermals. I'm thinking they're a rip-off and I should return them. Are suped-up thermals necessary, or can I just use the standard cotton long underwear kind that costs $20? (I hate being cold, and will be hiking one of the Inca trails.)

Thanks and happy travels!

Hi,

1. I brought some but didn't use them. Water bottles are really cheap and you can get them everywhere. Also, while I was trekking (mostly in Patagonia), I often took the water directly from rivers/streams, since it came from glaciers. Didn't got sick once.

2. I guess it depends where you're going. High in the moutains and in Patagonia, it can get really windy. I had with me a light North Face waterproof windbreaker (about 65$) with me and I used it almost daily. On the other hand I used my fleece maybe only 4 or 5 times in 5 months.

3. Again, it depends where and when you go. I don't think it gets that cold in Peru (expect maybe the second day of the Inca trail when you're at 4000 metres, or around Huaraz, or in Puno). Also I'm from Canada so I tend to handle cold weather well. So if it was me I wouldn't invest on super fancy thermals.

Hope it helps a little.

jon

1) Jon, I think you may have gotten lucky. We were drinking mainly glacier water via streams (we could see the glaciers) and still used tablets for all our drinking water, I used iodine and my friend used chlorine. Sometimes the parasites would even be visible. I wouldn't go buy the fanciest pills, but I also wouldn't drink completely untreated water. Better to be safe than sorry. And I'd buy before you leave as the selection will be better.

2) I agree it depends where and when. In Peru, you're main concern is likely to be wet more than the cold. Something to cover the ears at 16,000 ft was also nice. If you're camping, the coldest part are the night in your sleeping bag. During the day, the temp swings don't necessitate more than thermals and a fleece. I found our trek to be hotter than colder, but it all depends which one I guess.

3) Thermals are great, but you're probably the best judge on whether you'd use them or not...

To start with right now is winter and if your up on the altiplano much at night it can get pretty cold in some places. Myself, I always carry a good set of thermals, to me they are worth their weight. If your not trekking much I would question this and when hiking during the day I usually don't wear them, however I don't get into my sleeping bag when the sun goes down so just sittin around can be uncomfortable if higher elevation. Many of your better thermals also protect you from wind, which can be an issue as well. The inexpensive cotton type are just that, they are cotton. They will loose heat if wet and the synthetic work much better for this.They are very lite weight and take up little space.

As far as water, yes the water bottles are everywhere, literally. Unfortunately there's not a lot of recycling going on to do something with all the empty bottles besides litering the countryside. Iodine, the brand Portable Agua in the bottle tablet form is certainly the least weight and I usually bring from home, though I also carry a filter myself. My Andean experience is not in Peru, but Bolivia so not sure of availability of this there. I do know you can find iodine in liquid form in a pharmacy as I've gotten it in Bolivia before, the trick is knowing the quantity to use as there is some evidence that a lot of iodine over time isn't good for you. I would pick up a bottle of tablets at home just so you have this myself as they weigh practically nothing. I have tried the crystals before with the refillable bottle, but it seemed a bit more hassle as well. The trekking in Peru is like Bolivia with lots of rural villages with people and livestock and not just empty parkland. You really want to be careful of your water sources if your not purifying the water. I do agree down in Patagonia you can drink lots of fresh water without this and I've done the same, but I would be very careful doing this in Peru unless your sure about your source.

As long as you have something that is warm such as fleece and something to cover you and the fleece like your poncho should it rain you should be fine. Layering in the mts. is always the best idea and whatever you do I'd avoid any real heavy coat. You can also pickup lots of cheap woolen products there which will still keep you warm when wet, but these are bulky. Agian with years of hiking I am completely sold on Gore tex shells because of breathability and weight, but there are plenty of persons don't think this necessary or have had problems with leaky shells. Gore tex itself doesn't gaurantee you'll stay dry. It is neceassary to buy a good gore tex jacket that has seams sealed or they can leak after awhile, and the cheap poncho can be just as good an option to a leaky outter shell if you don't want to spend a lot. If going soon you shouldn't experience much rain unless headed down into Amazonian areas where even the dry season sees some rain.

Oops potable agua. Not Portable.

Thanks guys!

1. Depends on your activities. In towns this is fine (depending on how thick your fleece is, and how many layers of other clothing fit undreneath it). On serious hikes you may need more.
   Layering is the way to go for staying warm. And if you're still cold you could always buy an alpaca woolen sweater at a tourist shop.
   
   3. Cotton thermals get clammy when you sweat. As soon as you stop walking (or whatever activitity) you will get very chilly with the wet cotton against your skin. Good thermal underwear will not get clammy and will keep you warmer even when you sit still after activity because it feels dry. (I say warmer, not warm, because I often need an extra fleece after activity in cold weather). You can also use it as pajamas.
   
   I have a $60 thermal longsleeve shirt by Icebreaker and it's been the best buy in years. It's been lasting me for about 5 years already and I use it a lot at home too, after or during sports, on holidays to cold countries, underneath my clothes to work in winter. Because it doesn't soak up sweat like cotton does, it also takes longer before it gets smelly. :-)
   
   Good gear comes at a price! But it will last way longer. So it all depends on how often you think you will need it in future.
   The same goes for sleeping bag liners... a silk one is way more expensive than a cotton one. But a silk one is much more comfortable on the skin, stays cooler in hot weather, and gives (5 degrees) extra warmth in cold weather, and is lighter in weight and smaller to pack (the size of a small apple). So in the end you'll have much more use for it.
   I used my silk sleeping bag liner underneath the hotel's blankets for the extra warmth and cleanliness.
   
   I never go on holiday without:
   - ear plugs
   - elastic clothes line / get the type with hooks , not suction caps.
   
   More packing tips in my Amazing Travel Tips.

We have been using Iodine drops this time around, rather than tablets. A small bottle of drops has lasted two of us three months and we find that they work better in cold water (such as glacial rivers). The tablets don´t always dissolve properly if it´s really cold. I personally would recommend the drops over tablets after using both. Also, I would NEVER drink unpurified water from streams or rivers. There are so many animals grazing and fouling the water, never mind the locals who use the river as their toilet. It really isn´t worth the risk, especially on populated treks such as the Inka trail.

We drink bottled water in the towns and cities by the way, only purifying water on treks, so consuming excessive Iodine over long periods isn´t a problem.

As for thermals, I don´t wear them unless I´m on the glacier, but my partner does at night (she sleeps cold). A good sleeping bag is important for night time use. The treks during the day have been very warm but the nights get quite cold, as you would expect when sleeping at altitude.

Enjoy