Backpacking with the scout troop in the Colorado back country, we see a bunch of different water filters. This is one of the easiest and fastest to use. The inlet line can be easily placed in a small stream, and the float adjusted so it doesn''t sit on the bottom. It isn''t very sensitive to being fully submerged, unlike some other filters. Even the younger boys have no trouble operating this one. You can easily fill up a 1-quart water bottle in less than a minute. It comes with a reasonable carrying bag, although some care must be taken to keep the inlet & outlet lines separate. Parts (e.g., replacement filters) are readily available from a variety of sporting-goods & camping stores.
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I purchased this product to filter my water on a daily basis (I live in the interior region of a developing country) and it''s great! The pumping handle is strong and sturdy, and it takes a short amount of time to filter a 2 liter bottle of water (1-2 minutes on average). The input and output hoses are more than adequate (almost too long for everyday use!). Best of all, when I do travel it packs into a small carrying case that takes up minimal space in my bag, and is lighter than a pair of jeans. A great product, highly rated for both camping/hiking and everyday use.Read Best Reviews of Katadyn Hiker PRO Microfilter Here
Like many in the market for a packable water filter, you might be wondering if the difference between Katadyn''s Hiker and Hiker Pro are worth the price difference. Stop wondering and buy the PRO model--it''s worth the relatively minor difference in price.THE ADDED BENEFITS
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First, you get a reusable sleeve filter that sits on the inside, and that helps reduce filter-related wear on the main filter cartridge. It effectively extends the life of your filter cartridge, especially if you''ll be filtering water with lots of suspended sediment.
The second added benefit came as a real surprise to me--quick release connectors for the intake and output hoses. They are not installed by default out of the box, but a few moments with the instructions and my pocket knife had them in place quickly. They made packing and unpacking the filter much easier than on other models that require you to seat the hoses onto a nipple each time.
A COUPLE OF MINOR NEGATIVES
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Once the quick-connect ends were installed, the one on the output hose is open and exposed to the fill line when packed in the bag. It would have been nice for Katadyn to have incldued a rubber cap or something similar to reduce the risk of any contamination of that output hose. The rest of the output hose gets stored in a zipper storage bag, but that''s the next (and only other) negative I''ll address.
The zipper storage bag for the output hose did not prove very durable at all. It broke at one of the seams on the third packing or so. Thankfully, I had some extra zipper bags with me (an old Scout always remembers that motto--"Be Prepared!"), so no harm was done. Had I not had them with me, I would have needed to find some other way of keeping the intake and output hoses apart--likely by placing the output hose in our food bag/barrel.
ONE TIP
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A very useful tip for any of these filters is this: carry along a few coffee filters and rubber bands (or o-rings). If you place one on the outside of the intake housing, with the rubber band holding it in place, you effectively create a pre-filter that helps keep some of the bigger particles from ever getting into the filter, thereby further extending the cartridge life. If the coffe-filter pre-filter ever gets too mucky, you just replace it with another (and pack out the old one).
OVERALL, you''ll find owning a Katadyn Hiker PRO to be one of the best purchases you''ll ever make if you like to spend any time in wilderness areas, or as a nice additiona to your family''s emergency supply kit (in case of flood or other situation whereby the local water supply becomes contaminated).
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I''m a Boy Scout leader and spend a lot of time in the outdoors camping and backpacking. For the past 20 years, I''ve only used iodine tablets for water filtration primarily due to the fact that I couldn''t justify the added weight of a water filter when the iodine works just fine. I think alot of this was due to the fact that I always camped where there was plenty of fresh water. Well, this past summer''s drought in the South opened my eyes to the necessity of having a filter. When it comes to having to drink out of muddy puddles, then it''s time for more than just tablets.I had tried out an MSR filter that our Boy Scout troop owns and didn''t like it because it was so slow to use. Then, I went backpacking with a friend of mine who had a Katadyn Hiker filter. I loved it! It was very light. The pump action was very comfortable and the flow was fast. I also love the way it just connects to a Nalgene bottle via the hose adapter.
So, I spent a long time shopping around before I finally decided to go with the Hiker Pro. It''s basically the same as the Hiker except that it has an additional screen around the filter element that permits you to service it in the field and extend the life of the main filter. If you already have a Hiker model, you can just buy the screen and you''ll have the same filter.
I couldn''t be happier with this filter. It''s a very simple, but effective design that I feel that I can trust for any length of trip. The water that comes out of it tastes great too. I recently went on a trip that required filtering from a black spring hole. The water filter with the Hiker Pro came out crystal clear and tasted great.
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