Aqua-Mira has been my go-to water treatment for years, but it has limitations. It will not clear sediment or scum. And it will not remove algal oils or cyanobacterial toxins from overgrown water sources, a problem that is increasingly salient as climate change brings drought and high temperatures to Western mountains.
The Hydroblu Versa Flow system is based on hollow-fiber filtration spec’d at 0.1 micron (all disease-causing bacteria are > 0.5 micron, Giardia cysts are about 10 microns). That’s good, but not special. What distinguishes the Versa Flow is the availability of an activated charcoal/ion-exchange filter (ions are electrically charged molecules; minerals and salts dissolved in water are ions). This filter weighs 2 oz, costs $8 and is rated for 150 gallons of service.
The HydroBlu website does not make any claims as to removal of cyanobacterial toxins. However it is well-established that activated charcoal filtration in general is effective at removing them. So, no guarantees, but nothing you have available in the backcountry – filters, oxidizers, heat – will work very well or at all for these toxins.
Neither the hollow fiber or charcoal filter will remove viruses. However, most pathogenic viruses perish quickly in the environment outside a human body. Hepatitis B and norovirus are exceptions. If you are concerned about exposure to those viruses (ie, you are using highly human-contaminated water as a source), you need to treat it with oxidizing agents — AquaMira, iodine or bleach. This is rarely an issue in the back country.
Spring water in deserts is often heavily laden with minerals, and if unfenced, with cow shit. Neither of these contribute to a pleasurable hydration experience.
I’ve not yet tested the Versa Flow system on cow shit water, but have on alkali springs in the Grand Canyon. I filtered with and without the charcoal cartridge, and found the charcoal-filtered water to be markedly better-tasting, although still not something you would want to bottle up and sell.
The filter is otherwise very comparable to a Sawyer filter in use and performance. It screws on to 28 mm bottles (including Smartwater) for squeeze or gravity filtration. It does clog when filtering sediment-laden water, but it clears readily with backflushing. It is superior to the Sawyer in this respect, but my last use of a Sawyer was over 5 years ago and it may have improved since then.
The filter is available standalone or as a kit which includes 2 – 2L bladders, and a bucket adapter, hose and hose clamp (useful for river rafting). The bladders have 28 mm openings and are thus a pain for collecting water. My system is to use a Cnoc 2L bladder (which unclips at the end) for water collection, and use the HydroBlu bladder to receive the filtered water.
One of these bladders failed on me this summer, a tear opening along the collar  of the 29 mm opening. I emailed HydroBlu customer service and they promptly sent 2 new bladders completely free of charge.
My other knock on the filter is that the rubber caps closing the ports can flip off easily.
This is a versatile and capable water system available at a very reasonable price: 26 dollars for the package (filter, 2 bladders, bucket hose), $ 8 for the charcoal filter. I highly recommend it if you are a desert hiker, I wish I’d had it when I hiked the AZT.
Disclosures
Obtained independently: I paid for this product or received it as a personal gift from someone not affiliated with the brand.
Backpacking Light affiliation: I work for Backpacking Light in a paid or official capacity (owner/shareholder, employee, contractor, or paid contributor), but I am posting this review as an independent user and its content was not reviewed or directed by others at Backpacking Light.
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