Iodine in your water

[campforums]

Does anybody find that this gives the water a bit of a funny taste? If so, what do you do about this? Obviously I try to bring as much water as I can with me but there is always a limit to that.

Recently I've been using drink mixes to mask the flavour, but I really don't like having so much sugar in my diet. Any tips?

 

[charity]

What kind of drink mixes are you using? They make little packets that are sugar free. That is what I buy for my kids to put in their water, and it actually tastes good.

 

[Esperahol]

I don't generally use iodine except when I run out of tablets or don't have time to boil some water. Or I don't have a filter system in evidence. That said iodine does give a bit of aftertaste, but if I'm using it at that point aftertaste is the least of my worries.

 

[Karto]

I don't use it either. If I do for some reason drink it, I'm really desperate and all I care about is water, not taste.

 

[campforums]

I don't use it either. If I do for some reason drink it, I'm really desperate and all I care about is water, not taste.

It has nothing to do with changing the taste. Iodine is used as a disinfectant to kill the bacteria and pollutants that are commonly found in lakes and rivers. I only mentioned the taste because as a result it does give the water a funny flavor, which is why many people prefer to boil water to cleanse it or mask the taste with powdered juice mix.

 

[Karto]

I don't use it either. If I do for some reason drink it, I'm really desperate and all I care about is water, not taste.

It has nothing to do with changing the taste. Iodine is used as a disinfectant to kill the bacteria and pollutants that are commonly found in lakes and rivers. I only mentioned the taste because as a result it does give the water a funny flavor, which is why many people prefer to boil water to cleanse it or mask the taste with powdered juice mix.

It must be all in my mind then

I don't like having anything extra in my water as it feels unnatural to me. A little bit of bacteria will force the immune system to work and therefore get stronger (if toxicity or something doesn't occur).

That's just my opinion

 

[Esperahol]

It must be all in my mind then

I don't like having anything extra in my water as it feels unnatural to me. A little bit of bacteria will force the immune system to work and therefore get stronger (if toxicity or something doesn't occur).

That's just my opinion

A little bit of bacteria may well see you dead. It doesn't take much for unfortunate issues to take place, and in the woods that can very well mean death - especially if you're off the beaten track.

 

[2sweed]

You might try the gateraide mix packs. Since they are good for restoring your body and preventing dhydration. I am not suppose to use the iodine as I am allergic to it, so I just carry in the water I need. On long cross country trips where packing in water is not easy to do, then I just boil the water and use the iodine.
When you consider the alternative of contracting giardiasis or some form of hepatitis, from bad water it might not be a bad idea to just drink the iodine flavored water and be safe. Some filter systems are said to be very good at removing such things from the water, but in truth do you want to take the chance?

 

[Esperahol]

Good point 2sweed - hepatsis sucks much more then a bit of iodine. Bad taste does not justify failing liver function.

 

[Libragirl67]

I do not like the taste of iodine at all. But I also do not want to get contaminated water either. So I do pack water bottles and use them in moderation. If I absolutely had to I would use the iodine. But to boil the water does work doesn't it? I have never gotten sick after using the boiled water. As far as the extra bacteria not being bad for your immune system I disagree. You can get deathly ill from nasty water.

We have never been camping were we were in a desperate situation so thankfully I never had to face this dilemna.

 

[campforums]

I do not like the taste of iodine at all. But I also do not want to get contaminated water either. So I do pack water bottles and use them in moderation. If I absolutely had to I would use the iodine. But to boil the water does work doesn't it? I have never gotten sick after using the boiled water. As far as the extra bacteria not being bad for your immune system I disagree. You can get deathly ill from nasty water.

We have never been camping were we were in a desperate situation so thankfully I never had to face this dilemna.

Indeed, but I think the point is to avoid lugging along a case of water. Especially when you are staying for more than a few nights.

Boiling works also to kill bacteria although it can take some time and leaves you with water that is very hot and you'd probably want to wait for it to cool before drinking.

 

[Esperahol]

You know they also have little pills you can use. That's what I tend to carry along with me along with the iodine and the pot I use for boiling.

 

[Kementarri]

I think when it really gets down to it, would you rather become incredibly ill or die because you drank water from a lake, or would you rather be able to drink the water from the lake and not run the chance of contracting a bad illness or dying? I would rather drink the poorly flavoured (but safe) water with the iodine, then risk losing my life just because I don't like the taste. Honestly, I know taste is a big thing for some people, but when you are dehydrated from hiking, and you know you need a drink, it is best to be safe.

I always use iodine in my water, or boil it before drinking. I would never drink nasty lake water without treating it in some way. I would also suggest looking around for the 'pills' that people are talking about, perhaps they don't have such a strong after taste?

 

[trsarge]

Does anybody find that this gives the water a bit of a funny taste? If so, what do you do about this? Obviously I try to bring as much water as I can with me but there is always a limit to that.

Recently I've been using drink mixes to mask the flavour, but I really don't like having so much sugar in my diet. Any tips?

We used iodine tablets in our water in Vietnam and I didn't find the flavor disagreeable, but a lot of the guys did and they used koolaid for flavoring.

 

[bigteeth96]

I always think my water tastes weird if not from a very familiar source. But with hydration being so important, I mustn't complain.