Katadyn Pocket Filter

[Michael Cockrell]

So, on my way to swapping out my old hiking gear to newer stuff, lighter.

BUT . . . my MSR Miniworks has been rebuilt by me several times, still have to deal with clogging, and ALMOST got stuck with a full failure several times.

Luckily, I go to REI, due to their return policy.

I bought a Steripen Adventurer, but returned (without using) it after all the reviews about battery removal after each use, filtering, etc.

Even bought the new MSR Hyperflow, returned it (without use) after the continued reviews of filter problems.

So, if I really am concerned about going out with a "full trust" in my filter, what is wrong with the extra weight of the Katadyn Pocket Filter, 20oz, if I know that I am getting water in all conditions?

Especially if your with several kids?

I mean, the extra weight is forgotten if your other pump just died, and along way from your car.

[jeremy wo]

I've never had a problem with my Steripen Adventurer. You'll find nightmare reviews for almost any product online because people who have bad experiences tend to post more than those whose product works (and is thus unmemorable). If you are averse to chemical treatment but want to kill viruses, I think Steripen Adventurer is the way to go.

That said, if you don't mind chemicals, use Aquamira (chlorine dioxide). Light and effective, if you can handle the taste.

[Anonymous]

"So, if I really am concerned about going out with a "full trust" in my filter, what is wrong with the extra weight of the Katadyn Pocket Filter, 20oz, if I know that I am getting water in all conditions?"

Check out the Katadyn Hiker filter. It's the unofficial standard by which all filters are judged. Way cheaper and will save you ~ 7 oz. Lots easier to use, too.

[Roger Caffin]

> Check out the Katadyn Hiker filter. It's the unofficial standard by which all filters
> are judged. Way cheaper and will save you

+1

Cheers

[Laurie Ann March]

Michael,

I have had issues with other filters as well and have returned to using my Katadyn Pocket. Yes, it is not light by any means but there are also three of us… one being a small child (now 8). I don't want to take chances with his drinking water so I've been using the Pocket for the past 4 years.

Water isn't something to mess around with in my opinion. So many times we've been on trips with friends who's filters have failed and I ended up lending them ours. The Pocket has never failed me.

We often are camped where the water is brackish and "thick". If the Pocket clogs it is super easy to clean.

While other units may be cheaper you have to look at it on a litre by litre basis and the Pocket's filter has a life of 50 thousand litres.

My husband, Bryan, has a saying when it comes to gear "you can't afford the cheap stuff". I don't often agree with that but I do when it comes to water filters.

[Richard Mueller]

The First Need Deluxe water purifier weighs 16 oz. , about 20 oz. when saturated and it will also remove viruses which the Katadyn Pocket or Hiker filters will not do. I have been using the First Need Deluxe for quite a few years and have never had a problem with it nor have I ever got sick from the water it purifies. I'm still using the same filter cartridge it came with, though I may change it out soon as it is getting a little harder to pump water through it………..Rich

[Simon Wurster]

+1 for the First Need. NEVER had a problem clogging, NEVER got sick. Sure, I use a SteriPen for most solo trips, but with groups it's the FN. It's heavy (I measured 19 oz. dry (in the bag with all the hoses and what-not) / 20 oz. wet–just pump the water thru when done), but will kill viruses and other nasties, as well as "improve" the tast of sub-par water. It'll even filter out herbices and pesticides. And it's fast too: pumps a liter with little effort in 40 seconds or so.

I've used this filter in the NE US, Hawaii, and last year a friend took it to Albania for 5 weeks with his wife and toddler. The only thing I haven't tried is using it as a gravity filter.

[Michael Cockrell]

Thank you Laurie for your willing testimony to health-vs-weight.

I have always gone with the old mechanic's theory on tools "buy cheap-get cheap, buy quality-get quality!"

I think I'll go ahead and order the Pocket. I'm keeping my MSR for my survival car kit.

I will follow the SteriPen development. Hopefully, the company will recognize reviewers' comments on making a better battery cap, like the idea of the modified thumb closure posted on the other thread. I know the UV method

I also have been a close follower of the freeze bag cooking school. Your posts on this forum of recipes has directed me to also read your posts from your "Fork in the Trail" style cooking. Both lead to a fun, simple tasting.

Nothing like couscous, dried fruits, vegi-chips, spices, dried non-fat vanilla soy milk. And a nice cuppa Celestial Seasonings "Madagascar Vanilla Red Rooibos Tea", with a pinch of Allspice!

Thanks to all on the 1st Need, SteriPen, tablets use, etc. Nice to have feedback without punishment.

[Laurie Ann March]

Thanks for that Michael.

We had a real scare when my husband's little cousin, Justine, got eColi. To this day we aren't sure if it was from a fast food hamburger or a water source but she was a very ill little girl. She had problems for quite sometime afterward too. That, almost tragic incident, coupled with close to a dozen people who died of eColi from the water supply in Walkerton, Ontario quite a few years ago, has really made me think long and hard about weight vs water safety. It was a big thing for me that this was a filter that my friend who volunteers for the Red Cross uses too.

In the end you have to find what works for you as there are so many good choices out there (as we saw in this thread). That's what makes these forums great and we all have different ways of doing things… mine, in this case, isn't exactly UL.

[Sarah Kirkconnell]

I always carry MicroPur tablets as a backup no matter what I am carrying for my main method. The tablets are very UL and take a tiny spot in your pack.
For me, it depends where I am hiking on what method I use. In certain areas I just pack water in due to sketchy sources (be it agri runoff in Eastern Wa to poison laced water (uh…the profanity meter did not like the A word!) near old mines in the Cascades for example).

As for water though in the mountains, it really depends on the source. There are springs gushing right out of the ground that I have no issue drinking straight from. Where as a mile away I would treat the flowing stream as one doesn't know how safe it is.

I grew up on well water and still drink it to this day – you'd be surprised at how impure well water can be. Something to think about – we worry about water when backpacking but not at home.

MicroPur and Aquamira are the consumer equivalent of what cities use to treat municipal water.

[mark sullivan]

I've read some of these post. One thing most of us agree on is that katadyn filters are the best. I use the combi. Its not that small (they have smaller ones) but it works like a dream. Also it can filter 13000 gallon before the filter needs to be replaced. I bought it at katadynwaterfilter.com. They have good deals.

[Alex Gilman]

I use a Katadyn Pocket filter and am super happy with it. I use it in combo with the in line charcoal filter. Great tasting water sucked out of some of the most stagnant nasty water around.

If you read the stats on the "other" filters you'll notice some of them don't get down to the same mesh size as this filter. Also, if they do they tend to clog and are sometimes made of cheaper materials (MSR). This thing is bomb proof. I trust it with my life obviously.

I know a lot of military guys use this when deployed. This is hands down the best filter out there/most reliable if you are willing to deal with the extra weight.

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