My buddy swears by a little mesh cage he rigged up around the intake. Catches the big stuff before it can even reach the pump. What kind of pump setup are you running?

Honestly, Sarah's right, the main guy was just making bad excuses.

Honestly, calling it a time bomb is too real. I learned that the hard way after one crumbled in my hand like old cake. Tbh, your rule is solid, gracet22, I'm just bad at following my own advice until it's too late. I've created a few of those headaches for the next guy myself.

Right? Went from ranking Domain Expansions to group therapy real fast. My feed is just people crying over fictional teenagers now, the whiplash is insane.

Yeah, the map scouting thing is key. My buddy learned that the hard way on the JMT last year. His filter clogged for good near a stretch of known iffy springs. He had to rely on iodine tablets he'd thrown in as an afterthought. Said the water tasted like medicine, but it kept him going until the next good creek. He never hikes without a chemical backup now.