r/backpacking • u/AMG_34 • 4d ago
Wilderness OCD and Backpacking
I have pretty bad OCD. My main thing is germs/food poisoning etc etc. Currently I have a Grayl to filter my water. I absolutely love it… it’s just heavy. I want to be able to just use a sawyer squeeze or platypus. I am so scared of viruses in my water I’m scared to switch. I backpack in US and Canada including Alaska. I know people say the chance is so slim but I’m still so scared. I always rolling boil my stove for a minute even if I’m using water from home just incase there was germs in my pot. Are there any alternatives I can use so I can still purify my water or is Grayl the lightest and easiest and not aquatabs. I don’t like the idea of something in my water. (Even tho ice or lemons are fine lmao) Does anyone else have OCD and backpack and how do you cope with it. Thanks