I want to upgrade my water filter and am willing to do a BOCO purchase if necessary. I currently have a bag filter that clogs quickly and is tough to adequately back flush in the field. I’m often in the Los Padres back country and have clean-ish water available to me but it also has a lot of dissolved minerals if that changes anything.
-I dont want a Squeeze filter or garvity filter, Must be a pump
-I am willing to accept a heavy filter (~14-18oz is ok if needed)
-It needs to be a surface loading filter that can be easily cleaned when clogged (like a Mini Works EX ceramic filter), be auto-backflushing (like the Guardian) or be field back-flushable with no extra tools needed.
-Carbon filter (mostly for taste) is preferred
Im considering something like a MSR Mini Works EX or Guardian, or something along those lines. I know the guardian is overkill for most places, but I just want a filter that works every time, almost forever. I had good luck with a friend’s Mini Works EX – it clogged after a couple liters of water but was easy enough to clean.
Can someone comment how well the Guardian auto-back flush feature works? With .1 micron pore size does the filter actually last a thousand gallons?
So, for a pump style filter, what do you like?
