[Dang]

I am thinking of purhasing this filter, but wanted to get some general feedback on it if.

I know it is expensive, but I've seen it as low as $209, but you don't have to replace the filter anytime soon.

[LaRemnant]

I have yet to use mine, but I would DEFINITELY say go for it!!! If you filter 3 liters a day, it should last you 35 YEARS lol provided the water you filter isn't a cesspool on a regular basis! Obviously, filtering crappy water will shorten the filtering life, but you can clean it to prolong it also. Holding it, it is around 2 to 3 lbs heft, but that is good weight IMHO!!!

If you're married or have a woman you care for, I would recommend you get one more! You never know if you will have to split up, by desperate choice, force or unfortunate happenstance!

[Mac]

i've been using and like the aquamira line

like the frontier filter

gets rid of 99.9% of nasties... and really inexpensive

[snowshoe67]

Mac have a pic of it? Thanks

[Dang]

Mac said:

i've been using and like the aquamira line

like the frontier filter

gets rid of 99.9% of nasties... and really inexpensive

Mac,
The problem I see with this one is it only filters down to 3 micron whch would not filter bacteria as far as I know.

So as a prefilter before boiling, most likely a great solution.

[Mac]

Dang said:

Mac,
The problem I see with this one is it only filters down to 3 micron whch would not filter bacteria as far as I know.

So as a prefilter before boiling, most likely a great solution.

You are completely right - not an apples to apples comparison... Aquamira is not a bacteria filter (thus the price difference i'm sure!). Aquamira filters are rated to remove giardia and crypto.

I carry both the filter and the water drops to treat the water if I suspect the water.

That Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is a purty filter!

[Hagusofnwn]

Dang said:

I am thinking of purhasing this filter, but wanted to get some general feedback on it if.

I know it is expensive, but I've seen it as low as $209, but you don't have to replace the filter anytime soon.

Whew!! When I looked at this online, I was shocked at the price and then realizing how long it should last regrouped. I do have a question if it could be used as a desalinating device if you were stranded/lost with only salt water as a source.

[Celticwarrior]

I have both the Microfilter for larger group hikes and the Hiker for personal use. Both are excellent. They ARE only filters though, and do not guarantee against some microbes. To get something that is more effective, you have to look for the FDA regulated title "Purifier". Those will kill things like viruses for example. Most have a silver and charcoal layered filter. To take care of this, you could get the Katadyn Ex-Stream water bottles. Pump the filtered water into them. The attached purifier in the Ex-Stream allows you to filter out anything the Microfilter won't handle.

You can also use the Katadyn purifier tablets to neutralize most things the filter didn't cover.

[Dang]

Hagusofnwn said:

Whew!! When I looked at this online, I was shocked at the price and then realizing how long it should last regrouped. I do have a question if it could be used as a desalinating device if you were stranded/lost with only salt water as a source.

No it will not.

[Celticwarrior]

Correct. To get desalinization, get one of these: http://www.katadyn.c...n-desalinators/

[snowshoe67]

CW,I can't find a price on the site(Katadyn) I keep the tablets What do think of them?

[Celticwarrior]

snowshoe67 said:

CW,I can't find a price on the site(Katadyn) I keep the tablets What do think of them?

I stopped using the iodine stuff and switched to the MicroPur tabs a couple of years ago when they came out. Better than the military Chlor-floc tabs, they don't have as strong a taste as the iodine or the old chlorine pills. They work really well in filtered water or clear running water like rivers and streams. I have never been desperate enough to try it out on scummy swamp water or stagnant lake water, but I would probably pre-filter that stuff in a regular filter, or use a baggie with the untreated water and some tabs, then pour the finished treated stuff into my Katadyn Ex-stream purifier bottle for final filtration. Either way, I've been using the tabs for a couple of years and never gotten sick. The iodine crystals or tabs were awful unless you added Vitamin C or koolaid to it afterward.

Hope that helps.

Emergency Essentials carries the tabs, as well as Nitro-pak and several others.

[lpm67]

Whats the benefit of these filter units over boiling? Other than removing turbidity?

[Dang]

Celticwarrior said:

Correct. To get desalinization, get one of these: http://www.katadyn.c...n-desalinators/

Wow & ouch...$1K to $2K!!!

[snowshoe67]

Celticwarrior said:

I stopped using the iodine stuff and switched to the MicroPur tabs a couple of years ago when they came out. Better than the military Chlor-floc tabs, they don't have as strong a taste as the iodine or the old chlorine pills. They work really well in filtered water or clear running water like rivers and streams. I have never been desperate enough to try it out on scummy swamp water or stagnant lake water, but I would probably pre-filter that stuff in a regular filter, or use a baggie with the untreated water and some tabs, then pour the finished treated stuff into my Katadyn Ex-stream purifier bottle for final filtration. Either way, I've been using the tabs for a couple of years and never gotten sick. The iodine crystals or tabs were awful unless you added Vitamin C or koolaid to it afterward.

Hope that helps.

Emergency Essentials carries the tabs, as well as Nitro-pak and several others.

HEY CW THANKS MAN! I've tried the old MIliary ones koolaid great idea or C. Thanks for the help

[Celticwarrior]

lpm67 said:

Whats the benefit of these filter units over boiling? Other than removing turbidity?

Boiling is 100% effective, and if you believe the water to be seriously compromised by microorganisms, then I would certainly recommend it over any other method. However, if boiling is not an option, or if the water is not likely to be a heavily contaminated source, then filters and purifiers are good substitutes. Not perfect, but good. FILTERS are only good to a certain size, generally 1 micron. That is effective against MOST bacteria, viruses and spores like Giardia, but not everything. The US Food and Drug Administration requires that filters can ONLY be called "PURIFIERS" if they can prevent viruses, and that usually means a .02 micron filter plus a virustatic element, like silver, that kills off viruses on contact between the filter and the user. It is good to know that difference if you are looking them up on line, so you get the appropriate model for the use you intend. They are usually pretty portable, and like the Ex-Stream bottle type, allows one to carry it without much additional room or weight, and can help you in areas where open fires and stoves are not allowed, or it is impractical to stop and boil water because of time constraints, for example. Again, boiling is 100% effective, and even the best purifiers are only 99.9999%. If you look at the numbers of microorganisms in an average glass of pond water, you'll realize that even that level of effectiveness is WOEFULLY inadequate, and that isn't even a fetid swamp or crowded watering hole with animal droppings all around, just pond water. But, better than nothing, depending on your situation.

[Dang]

Celticwarrior said:

and that usually means a .02 micron filter plus a virustatic element, like silver, that kills off viruses on contact between the filter and the user.

That is partly why I was looking at the Pocket as it is .02 and silver impregnated. As I understand it, the pocket does meet the requirements you stated but for some reason doesn't have FDA approval (I wonder why?).

[LaRemnant]

The ONLY thing I have against most filters/purifiers (like the Pocket), is that as far as I know, they do not take out chemicals unless there is charcoal involved. Am I right/wrong?

The reason why I chose the Pocket, is because:

1. It last INSANELY LONG!
2. Purifiers don't last as long, and you will need to replace the filter component regularly if you use it often, and that means boo koo's of $$$
3. Once I filter the water of MOST of the crud, I can boil it for 0 minutes to get the smaller critters.

There you have it.

[snowshoe67]

LaRemnant said:

The ONLY thing I have against most filters/purifiers (like the Pocket), is that as far as I know, they do not take out chemicals unless there is charcoal involved. Am I right/wrong?

The reason why I chose the Pocket, is because:

1. It last INSANELY LONG!
2. Purifiers don't last as long, and you will need to replace the filter component regularly if you use it often, and that means boo koo's of $$$
3. Once I filter the water of MOST of the crud, I can boil it for 0 minutes to get the smaller critters.

There you have it.

I Belive You Got a Point LaremnantI agree!