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  • MSR / Katadyn water filters.

    Looking to get a water filter for backpacking / camping and have it down between one of the four that are similar in price / quality, but of course slightly different and all sorts of different review on the Internet.

    Katadyn Hiker Pro
    Katadyn Vario

    MSR Sweetwater
    MSR Miniworks

    Everywhere I have seen / heard on the Internet looks like Katadyn Hiker/Pro is a choice by most people and then the vario adds the ability to do twice as much water output (But at what price to quality?)

    Miniworks EX or whatever they call it appears to have the best maintainability and longivity over time, but some people seem complain about the work it takes to pump the water. Sweetwater seems like more their middle of the road output / quality

    I know I could consider gravity bags and filter bottles, but I'm sure I want a filter so if I had a small source of water I can get to it easy and I would probably follow the filtered water up with either boiling or tablets to ensure 100% that I'm also going to kill viruses etc... The water filter would be round 1 and what I'm currently trying to decide.

  • #2
    Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

    When I hiked, I carried the Katadyn Hiker Pro and it was more than adequate for me. But, if you're filtering for more than two or three people, you might want to jump up to something with more output. I passed on gravity bags because too many reviews I saw tended to cite poor output due to gravity not being enough pressure to get through filters.

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    • #3
      Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

      I have the Katadyn hiker Pro.
      Have had it for almost 10 years nothing but good things to say about it
      More than adequate to fill up 1 gallon jugs
      Filter is easy to clean, if mine breaks I would probably look at getting another one

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      • #4
        Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

        Take a look at the sawyer all in one system. It has a filter that can fit on just about anything. It can fit on a 2 liter bottle, a 20oz water bottle. It also comes with squeeze pouches, has an adapter for a 5 galling bucket or a faucet. I also bought an extra bladder and made a gravity system for hiking. One of the best features of this system, is during the CO floods, we were put under a boil advisory, and the supermarkets ran out of bottled water. I just pulled out the camping gear and hooked up the faucet adapter. We had plenty of water and we didn't have to boil.
        Look into it and I think you will be surprised.
        Nights camped in 2019: 24
        Nights camped in 2018: 24

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        • #5
          Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

          Originally posted by 05Kingquad700 View Post
          Take a look at the sawyer all in one system. It has a filter that can fit on just about anything. It can fit on a 2 liter bottle, a 20oz water bottle. It also comes with squeeze pouches, has an adapter for a 5 galling bucket or a faucet. I also bought an extra bladder and made a gravity system for hiking. One of the best features of this system, is during the CO floods, we were put under a boil advisory, and the supermarkets ran out of bottled water. I just pulled out the camping gear and hooked up the faucet adapter. We had plenty of water and we didn't have to boil.
          Look into it and I think you will be surprised.
          Do not own one yet but will eventually. I like the fact that there is so little resistance you can hook it up to a camel pack and drink straight through it.
          “I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority.”
          – E. B. White

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          • #6
            Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

            I'm falling into a similar situation. Anyone know what the main problems could be with gravity filters? I hear lack of flow, but does ease of use make up for that? There are ceramic filters, that are supposedly easy to field maintain, I guess. My hiking partner has a camelback all clear uv bottle that seems to work well, I just don't know how much I should trust it. Could this be an alternative to filtering? I have a general grasp of the differences between filtering and killing micro organisms, I just wonder which is more important than the other? The weight differences between the uv bottle and the gravity filter is virtually non existent, so in not sure what to do. I am not necessarily opposed to pumping, but I've heard the horror stories of wasting half your hike waiting near the river for everyone to get the water they need. I want minimal weight and good water to drink. Which way do I turn. Your comments are appreciated.

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            • #7
              Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

              Well, my question would be, why do you want a water FILTER? 'Cuz all you really need to do is kill any potentially harmful organisms. Being able to asess water quality is an essential outdoor skill. It's rare that I actually treat the water I drink, partly because of the areas I hike in. The southern part of Mississippi is full of blackwater streams. Coffee colored water. Safe to drink? Mostly. It tastes of tannins, but yeah. If the water is questionable, Aqua Mira or iodine does the trick. Determining the safety of water is a whole topic I don't have space to go into here. Bottom line is, you don't need a filter. You DO need some sort of chemical or thermal treatment. It's cheaper and weighs a whole lot less.
              2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

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              • #8
                Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

                i went to Africa last time to watch the migration of the famous wildebeest, water is very polluted there but thanks to survival water filter, it about 7 months and i haven't had any water related disease. Click image for larger version

Name:	survivor tube itse.jpg
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ID:	70000 it can filter protozoa, bacteria and heavy metals. http://survivingoutdoor.com/survival...drinking-straw

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                • #9
                  Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

                  Originally posted by Irate Mormon View Post
                  Well, my question would be, why do you want a water FILTER? 'Cuz all you really need to do is kill any potentially harmful organisms. Being able to asess water quality is an essential outdoor skill. It's rare that I actually treat the water I drink, partly because of the areas I hike in. The southern part of Mississippi is full of blackwater streams. Coffee colored water. Safe to drink? Mostly. It tastes of tannins, but yeah. If the water is questionable, Aqua Mira or iodine does the trick. Determining the safety of water is a whole topic I don't have space to go into here. Bottom line is, you don't need a filter. You DO need some sort of chemical or thermal treatment. It's cheaper and weighs a whole lot less.
                  Southern Mississippi water - drinking without filtration or purification?? Yuck! I can't even imagine it. I have been to Mississippi and I never saw any surface water I would want to drink even after filtration and chemicals.

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                  • #10
                    Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

                    We (Wife and I) use a mini water straw when backpacking http://www.shtfandgo.com/h2o/h2o-10. When we camp at a campground or with a larger group we use canister type water filters like this http://www.shtfandgo.com/h2o/h2o-30. We even filter the water from the campground water supply just to be sure of purity.

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                    • #11
                      Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

                      Originally posted by Irate Mormon View Post
                      Well, my question would be, why do you want a water FILTER? 'Cuz all you really need to do is kill any potentially harmful organisms. Being able to asess water quality is an essential outdoor skill. It's rare that I actually treat the water I drink, partly because of the areas I hike in. The southern part of Mississippi is full of blackwater streams. Coffee colored water. Safe to drink? Mostly. It tastes of tannins, but yeah. If the water is questionable, Aqua Mira or iodine does the trick. Determining the safety of water is a whole topic I don't have space to go into here. Bottom line is, you don't need a filter. You DO need some sort of chemical or thermal treatment. It's cheaper and weighs a whole lot less.
                      I am not a skilled survivalist or anything,
                      but my common sense tells me you cant tell how safe water is by looking at it,
                      their could be contaminants upstream, either farm/sewage run off, or even a beaver *****
                      you could minimize chances of drinking bad water, but still a risk,

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                      • #12
                        Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

                        Originally posted by terasec View Post
                        I am not a skilled survivalist or anything,
                        but my common sense tells me you cant tell how safe water is by looking at it,
                        their could be contaminants upstream, either farm/sewage run off, or even a beaver *****
                        you could minimize chances of drinking bad water, but still a risk,
                        And you would be correct. I dont believe the "skill" of being able to tell if water is safe to drink exists. Some may be lucky drinking the local water. Even if infected with Giardia, it takes a certain level of infection in the particular sample to make a person sick, but I'm curious how anyone could tell that by looking. I live in the rockies, the creeks and rivers are snowmelt from high altitude. The only water I'd drink without reservation is from springs, or coming directly out of a melting snowfield, and even that has risks.

                        If drinking untreated water, even in the "pristine" rockies with zero indistrial use or agriculture upstream, is a calculated risk. Animals and birds can carry all sorts of things and can transmit it to water. I know people have gotten sick from drinking from creeks in the mountains.

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                        • #13
                          Re: MSR / Katadyn water filters.

                          Originally posted by terasec View Post
                          I am not a skilled survivalist or anything,
                          but my common sense tells me you cant tell how safe water is by looking at it,
                          their could be contaminants upstream, either farm/sewage run off, or even a beaver *****
                          you could minimize chances of drinking bad water, but still a risk,
                          This is exactly correct - you cannot asses the quality of the water by looking at it. You have to be aware of the environment you are in. I spend a lot of time in the water because of my peculiar hobby. The fauna therein will tell you a lot about the water quality. Plus, you should be aware of the land use around you. For the average hiker not trained in biology - go to the aquamira every time. But it IS a learnable skill. Besides, filters have their own drawbacks.
                          2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

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