RFI Water Filters

[Wandering Sagebrush]

I have a 30 year old Swiss ceramic water filter (Katadyn) that does an excellent job of providing water that is safe to drink, but it is really, REALLY slow. I'm thinking about replacing it with a lighter filter with a much higher flow rate/volume. Right now, the MSR filters that screw on to a water bottle looks like a good solution.

What are others using? How long does it take to pump a liter? Any weak points in the construction? Would you buy it again?

Thanks in advance!

 

[GroovyDad]

I use a Steri-Pen and it works great and is super light weight. The big drawback is that, although it renders water safe to drink, it's not a filter, so you might find yourself drinking mucky water that's safe, but tastes bad. The Steri-Pen is great for backpacking when weight is an issue or for a handy lightweight back-up water purifying system (like a trip to Mexico for example).

 

[ski3pin]

Mr. Sage, we've been carrying and using Katadyn Hiker or Hiker Pro for decades.

Katadyn

advertising says a litter a minute for filter time; in a perfect world, maybe.

 

[Vic Harder]

hiker pro for me. 120 strokes to fill a liter bottle. Filter seems to last a long time too.

I'm looking at ways to do a lot more filtering though, for filling up the whole 20 gal on board tank at a river or other questionable source.

Any ideas?

Vic

 

[takesiteasy]

I was on a trip with a couple of other guys and they had this filter- worked like a charm and no pumping:

https://www.rei.com/product/872130/katadyn-base-camp-pro-10l-water-filter

I use the MSR ceramic filter- similar to Katydyn you have. Works well for emergencies but I like the Base Camp approach better.

 

[Timothy McGowen]

I was on a trip with a couple of other guys and they had this filter- worked like a charm and no pumping:

https://www.rei.com/product/872130/katadyn-base-camp-pro-10l-water-filter

When I was active with the middle school backpacking club we tried one of these. I was thinking of getting one for myself. You could hand from the roof and just place the tube in your campers water fill.

 

[JaSAn]

I also have the hiker pro. But if had to replace what I got, I would go with one of the hanging filter bag things like takeiteasy linked to. There are youtube videos detailing how to make your own.

jim

 

[highz]

In the camper I keep the Katadyn Hiker. For my last backpacking trip I took a Sawyer filter. It is very lightweight and small, but takes about 5 minutes to get one liter filtered. Reviews say it can clog pretty quickly, but I've only used it with clear water and so far, no problems with clogging.

 

[cwdtmmrs]

take a look at the units from Rapid Pure. Different technology. I think you will be impressed.

cwd

 

[Bigfoot Dave]

I have been using the Sawyer Squeeze on the trail and MSR gravity filter on the Lake Superior/canoe trip rig. Both have worked great for the last 3 years. Bigfoot Dave

 

[4llamas]

I used the Katadyn hiker for several decades and was very satisfied, but a few years ago I bought a Sawyer gravity system. I love it and have quit carrying my pump. While some may feel the gravity filter is too slow, I think it is fine and it is much easier on my hands. In camp I have time to do other things and during a break on the trail there is time to take off my boots or putz with the llamas while it does it's magic. No more pumping for me.

Sage, it amazing you got 30 years out of a ceramic filter. I can imagine that it would be slow and perhaps difficult to pump.

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

<snip>

Sage, it amazing you got 30 years out of a ceramic filter. I can imagine that it would be slow and perhaps difficult to pump.

Difficult? You have a talent for understatement. It's a beast, but it does give safe water...

 

[Wango]

I have owned several of the filters mentioned above. All worked fine. Anymore, I carry and use the basecamp filter. While on a fairly long trek in Nepal, we used it along with a steri pen. A little overkill maybe, but I had no issues, and since I usually get sick everywhere we go I consider that trip a success. Light, easy to carry and have considered using it to fill my camper's tank as well.

 

[Cayuse]

MSR Hyperflow here. Small, light, fast and not terribly expensive. Cost is around $100, I think the advertised rate is 3 liters/minute, two hoses, one with an adapter for wide mouth bottles the other for the source with a prefilter.

Make sure to back flush it periodically for longer filter life.

 

[takesiteasy]

Difficult? You have a talent for understatement. It's a beast, but it does give safe water...

You can scrub the exterior surface of the ceramic filter to renew it. Makes quite a difference. Use a 3M scrubber or similar. Check your manufacturer's spec for the process and required minimum thickness of the filter. When it reaches that, it must be replaced.