Boiling works - just bringing a pot of water to rolling boil will wipe out
everything you'd need to worry about as far as bacteria and viruses (boil
longer at higher elevations), but does little for mud or chemicals in the
water. Now you have hot muddy water

You can use a hand pump water filter. You can buy portable water filters at
any store that sells camping equipment. They have a bottle with a pump
handle on one end and a tube on the other end. The tube gets placed in the
watersource (lake, stream, etc.) and then you pump the water which gets
filtered and goes into the bottle. Then you can drink the filtered water out
of the bottle!

You can also use water purification pills, aka iodine pills.

So, if you pump the water with a portable filter, and then boil it, you
should be pretty safe. And if you go one step further and then add water
puritication tablets, then I don't think you can go wrong.

http://www.katadyn.net/waterfilters.html Rubbish site, but may give you an
insight into their filters.



"Jim Murray" wrote in message
...
Would agree the Colemans are great. When placed in front of a brolly on a
cold day will even act as a space heater!

I got a Shimano stove bag a couple of years ago and it takes the stove,
fuel
bottles and kettle as well.

Got sent an Eydon(like a Kelly) kettle last week as a magazine prize.
Can't
see it taking over from the Coleman though, cheers,

While we're here would anyone know if it's safe to drink boiled
lake/river/canal water?

Jim.

"Johnny5" wrote in message
...
I too have the Coleman unleaded petrol stove and cook on it every week
during the winter months on the riverbank, no you dont taste the fuel at
all, they are economical, efficient and easy to use.
"Danny" wrote in message
...
Do you 'taste' the fuel in your cooking?


"John" wrote in message
...
You won't go wrong with a coleman sportster 533 dual fuel. They run
on
unleaded petrol and are mighty powerful. Even in cold, wet and windy
conditions they boil a kettle in no time. I have used one for years
and
found them very hard wearing and reliable.

John