I think I have just about everything I need in my BOB. Sort of...

I don't have a water filter. I always figured I would just boil my water. And I still do intend to boil my water, whenever possible. But I was thinking about some situations in which I might not be able to wait for water to boil, and then wait for it to cool down. So I decided I'm going to get a water filter, just in case.

Katadyn Pocket Microfilter = $200
Katadyn Hiker Microfilter = $60

Is the extra $140 necessary?

If your looking for a water filter, the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is a very good filter with a .2 micron rating which will filter out 1 micron more bugs out of the water than the hiker, but I would get a filter that also has a carbon filter as well like the Katadyn Combi. The carbon helps take out chemicals that are in today's waters like pesticides, petroleum products etc.. The Katadyn Combi gives you the the capability of the Pocket but with carbon granules for chemicals and pesticides and it's cheaper. You will still need to boil the water for virus bellow the .2 micron level or use a steripen, miox or other types of purifiers. There are purifier filters out there but I think the Katadyn filters will last longer in the field. If you just want something for short camping trips then the water bottle purifiers would work and you wouldn't have to boil the water but they have a very short filter life. I have a Katadyn Combi and a steripen and the combo works great for what I do--> Chemicals and viruses.


Katadyn Pocket Microfilter = $200
.2 micron filter 13000 gallons used by swiss army and built solid and highly recommended between the two

Katadyn Hiker Microfilter = $60
.3 micron filter 200 gallons
Reviews for the Hiker (complaints about handles and pumps breaking in the field
http://www.trailspace.com/gear/katadyn/hiker/

Katadyn Combi =$139.95
.2 micron filter 13000 gallons plus replaceable carbon granules for pesticides,chemicals, etc..

I have a Katadyn Hiker and am very happy with it. I think the Pocket filter is ceramic. The advantages of ceramic is it’s good for something like 13,000 gal of water, the hiker is good for only a few hundred. The ceramic can be cleaned, the Hikers filter has to be thrown away and a new filter element cost $30.00 to $40.00. But a ceramic filter will not tolerate freezing temperatures, it will crack.

Another reason to filter water is to make it taste better, you can kill organisms by boiling, but it does nothing for the taste.

That's a critical piece of information. I don't get to choose what time of year disaster strikes. If I have to bug out in winter and my water filter cracks, it's a worthless piece of junk.

I have an old Pur (pre-Katadyn) Hiker that I like just fine, but before it I used a First Need purifier. It was a little hard to pump, but not all that bad, cost less than most other filters, and it PURIRIES. They can be had in lots of places for under $70 or so...

I use the Katydyn Combi and a SteriPen, with a bandana prefilter if the water is full of debris. So far, so good.

One of the concerns I always have is keeping the raw water part of the system, which is contact with what may be problem water, away from the clean water part of the system. If the raw water has giardia or whatever, then I do not want to have it come in contact with the rest of the filter setup.

So far I am relying on a separate freezer bag storage for the intake / raw water side, and then I immediately clean my hands with waterless sanitizer. I also use the sanitizer after attaching the intake / raw water intake tube to the rest of the system and before pumping. I do not touch the intake tube once it is attached until I am ready to remove it from the pump / filter.

Is this good enough? Are there some other best practices?

Thanks.

I just used to use a ziploc bag and a rubber band, never had a problem, so you should be in pretty good shape...

Fiberglass filters will also crack when the filter is still wet in freezing temperatures. Fiberglass will stand up better to temperature changes. I prefer the cleanability of ceramic over the fiberglass resistance to temperature. Ceramic filters has proven to be reliable enough for me.

Personally i think you can't really compair the hiker with the pocket. The pocket is a big chunck of allunium and heavy duty parts. It looks and feels heavy duty, which also means the filter is self is heavy. The hiker is much more plastic-ish and it just hasn't the quality feel of the hiker. Thats why the pocket is marketed to people on long expeditions and rescue workers. The hiker is more of a filter for hikers and such, thats why it isn;t as heavy duty.

Somebody already mentioned the katadyn combi, which is also a good heavy duty filter, with alluminium (or was it steel?) lining inside the pump. The carbon capability is a plus, but you can also upgrade a pocket with a carbon after filter (uses the same granulates as the combi).

if you are preparing for a short emergency, than the hiker is fine. Although there are plenty of other brands and models. If you plan on long emergency's for the combi or pocket for a portable filter.

So basically what you're saying is, in winter, all water filters are useless?

Nope, just don't let them freeze. Let it snuggle in with you under your jacket. Pull the hoses off, blow them out, stow them in your pack- they'll be fine. But if the residual water in the filter itself turns into ice, it will block the flow, and you'll need to thaw it out. The fiberglass filters are nicer in that regard, for the cracking issue already mentioned. I put mine in a zip lock, roll it up, stick it in my jacket pocket- I know people who go to the trouble of pulling the filter out and putting just that in their pocket, but it is an annoyance I don't want fiddle about with and I'm just not sure how reliable they are if they get bent about.

Right now, I'm using a Hiker when I have all my gear, but I'm looking to upgrade to the Combi because it has the charcoal layer. My other filter, the one that lives in the bag that I WILL have with me when stuff hits the fan is a McNett Frontier, I'll probably switch up to the Frontier Pro before too long. 2, not 0.2, micron filter, but that will catch most of what iodine or chlorine might not. *shrugs* If I had room in my MAV for the Hiker or Combi, I'd run with better, but my Katydin is at my folks in storage.

No, you do it about how I do it. And if I'm some place where I can hang up my tubes and let them dry in the sun, you better believe I let the UV shine in.

YOu could always flush with potable, but it wouldn't be my first choice. I'd have to have a lot of water available to me- and I do, and I still dont' like to do it. :P

Any filter can stop working in the winter because they all have water, ceramic will break easily where the hiker model won't. It will just have to be warmed up to work again. But anything with water in it could break when you let it freeze.

If you take a ceramic (Any)filter apart (set the filter element on the counter for a few days) and let it dry, it’s OK to leave it in a BOB in the trunk of your car because it has no water in it. But once you use it again it then has water in it and you better sleep with it to keep it above freezing. Hopefully your wife won’t get jealous…


They are very good filters for the long haul as they filter a very large amount of water for the price, you just have to care for them in colder weather.

My next (or spare) filter will be ceramic because of its long filter life.

So if you're out in the boonies for a few weeks during winter, and you're using your water filter every day, how do you keep it warm enough 24/7 to prevent cracking? What's to stop it from cracking while you're in the process of pumping water?

Not to derail the discussion from the OP's question, but has anyone here used a Katadyn Vario? It has ceramic, glass fiber and charcoal elements. It seems reasonably priced compared to some of the other models under discussion.

you keep the filter warm, the same way you keep yourself warm. Just wear it under your clothing/sleeping bag at all times. No it's not comfortable having a filter close to you, if you hate it you can always boil your water. Warm water is much nicer when your freezing you butt off.

I think the main thing is (in the winter) that when you are done with getting your water is that you need to continue to pump out as much water out of the filter (keep pumping until no water comes out)as possible and try to make sure it is as dry as possible. With the combi, it's very easy to remove the filter from the unit to dry it off with a cloth if needed, the main thing is to reduce the amount for the water to freeze and expand.

Katadyn Vario is not a bad filter but the pocket and combi has a 1 micron better filtration with more gallon capacity. I just think the pocket and combi would be better for filtration and endurance than the vario. A $50 difference in price.

Smaller the number the better filtration


Katadyn Vario $89.95
1.0 micron prefilter
0.3 micron glassfiber 530 gal plus replaceable carbon granules

Katadyn Vario Replacement Cartridge $39.95 good for 530 gallons

Katadyn Pocket Microfilter = $200
.2 micron filter 13000 gallons

Katadyn Combi =$139.95
.2 micron filter 13000 gallons plus replaceable carbon granules

Another option as well if you are looking at the cheapest option would be to add a Katadyn Carbon Cartridge on to a .2 micron filter if need be, the main thing is to use a .2 micron or less filter with carbon.

http://www.rei.com/product/709006

$11.95

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I don't do much camping or hiking so my filtration/purification needs are pretty much limited to disaster preparedness/bugout situations. I currently own a SteriPEN and I plan to purchase a filter to pre-filter the water, if necessary, before using the SteriPEN. The Vario caught my attention because it appears to provide a decent volume for minimal effort.

Thanks for your input.

I just now ordered a Combi and 2 replacement carbons. Total price on amazon.com was $126.

Congratulations, I think you'll gone to like this filter and in the winter it takes you a whole 2 seconds to remove the filter and you can put it in your pocket to keep it warm or just shake the remaining water out of it after you pump out the remaining water in the system. It's a very good filter and even easier to maintain. Very simple and straight forward.

Grouch, glad to help, I was just trying to say that you'll be spending way more money on the Vario in the long run with replacement filters at $40 a pop vs the combi at 13000 gallons before filter change and a 2 micron filter vs the Vario's 3 micron filter.