Ok, a camping nut friend of mine has sold me that I need a water filter for BoB. I have several canteens, aqua tabs, etc. But friend says a good water filter (pump style) can provide a years worth of water. Now thats a heckuva argument! So It looks like there are about a hundred different brands out there. Anyone here have first hand experience with these? Can I get one for under $100 that will make lake/river water guaranteed safe?
Which water filter?
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
Joined
·
3,153 Posts
I used the MSR miniworks ceramic filter up north in the great lakes on a one week canoe trip. they have a tube to feed directly into your canteen or a nalgene type bottle will screw right on. there about $80 replacment filters are around $40 but the filters last along time. And a mantanance kit is only $17!
One bad thing is the flow rate is SLOW! 1 liter/min. o and the filter element is fairly breakable, dont let freeze.
It removes bacteria and protozoa it but not viruses, so I treated my water with chlorine bleach in a 2 liter bag before filtering to kill the viruses.
they also make the Water Works EX...its about $150, not sure on specifics but reviews look good.
Joined
·
496 Posts
I use this one. It is the same thing as mentioned above (MSR). Only at the time MSR had not bought the SweetWater company. I love it, no problems and have pumped countless gallons of H2O.
![]()
Joined
·
914 Posts
Katadyn Pocket.
Its ceramic filter is good for about 13,000 gallons, and I have had mine for over ten years, during some of which it saw very heavy use, and have never had any problems with it. The ceramic is just now thinning (after repeated cleanings) to the point that it needs to be replaced.
Oops. I see that you said under $100, which this one is not, but believe me, the high filtering capacity makes it worth it, if you end up relying on it for any length of time in a situation where you can't run into town to pick up a replacement filter every month or so, as you would have to do with most of the other brands/types.
Its ceramic filter is good for about 13,000 gallons, and I have had mine for over ten years, during some of which it saw very heavy use, and have never had any problems with it. The ceramic is just now thinning (after repeated cleanings) to the point that it needs to be replaced.
Oops. I see that you said under $100, which this one is not, but believe me, the high filtering capacity makes it worth it, if you end up relying on it for any length of time in a situation where you can't run into town to pick up a replacement filter every month or so, as you would have to do with most of the other brands/types.
MSR miniworks for me. On long treks I take iodine as well. Plop in the dine, wait 30, filter... No iodine taste! I've drank ag-runoff like this and not gotten sick.. I don't know how many gallons I've used it for, but 8 years, and about 5000 miles.
It clogs fast, but cleans easy. The pressure it generates is also ideal for filling bladder bag without removing them from your pack.
It clogs fast, but cleans easy. The pressure it generates is also ideal for filling bladder bag without removing them from your pack.
Joined
·
36 Posts
Okay, I love talkin filters.
The MSR Miniworks is a good start, I would choose that one. There is alos the Katadyn Hiker if you are looking for a more basic one.
The reason I would go with the miniworks over the hiker though is that the hiker's replacement filter costs about as much as the filter itself. the miniworks its the same deal, only the filter is surrounded by a ceramic pre filter which is easily cleaned off when it gets clogged, this making it last MUCH longer before you have to go out and get a new filter.
Now on with purification. If you are going to stay in North America we dont really have a problem with waterborne viruses, we mostly have to worry about chemicals from farming or bacteria, or protazoa, this means we dont need a chemical treatment to kill viruses and a regular water filter will do. if you plan on traveling elsewhere or really want to be prepared for when the SHTF, then you need a Water PURIFIER, there is a difference, the filter does everything BUT viruses, the purifier uses a chemical additive to kill viruses as well.
If you want a purifier you can spend the extra $$ for one, OR just use a filter such as the MSR Miniworks, in conjunction with purification tablets.
Which brings me to the next section: PURIFICATION TABLETS.
you have heard of iodine tablets, there is also Chlorine Dioxide tablets.
I will tell you right now, screw iodine go with chlorine dioxide, reasons being are:
it does not taste bad like iodine does (does have a little bit of a taste still but not much) and it is also MUCH safer and more effective than iodine and also much safer over long term use. you have heard of giardia well there is also somthing called Cryptosprodium which is giardia on PCP basically , iodine doesn't kill it, Chlorine Dioxide does though.
alone Chlorine Dioxide can take as long as 2 hours to treat your water for Cryptosporidium (other bactera and protozoa are killed within minutes) but that crypto stuff is TOUGH!, but if you have run the water through your filter, then you use the tablets, you now have a purifier and it fixes up your water in about 5 minutes for safe drinking.
OKAY, hope that helps and hope I didnt just confuse you more.
The MSR Miniworks is a good start, I would choose that one. There is alos the Katadyn Hiker if you are looking for a more basic one.
The reason I would go with the miniworks over the hiker though is that the hiker's replacement filter costs about as much as the filter itself. the miniworks its the same deal, only the filter is surrounded by a ceramic pre filter which is easily cleaned off when it gets clogged, this making it last MUCH longer before you have to go out and get a new filter.
Now on with purification. If you are going to stay in North America we dont really have a problem with waterborne viruses, we mostly have to worry about chemicals from farming or bacteria, or protazoa, this means we dont need a chemical treatment to kill viruses and a regular water filter will do. if you plan on traveling elsewhere or really want to be prepared for when the SHTF, then you need a Water PURIFIER, there is a difference, the filter does everything BUT viruses, the purifier uses a chemical additive to kill viruses as well.
If you want a purifier you can spend the extra $$ for one, OR just use a filter such as the MSR Miniworks, in conjunction with purification tablets.
Which brings me to the next section: PURIFICATION TABLETS.
you have heard of iodine tablets, there is also Chlorine Dioxide tablets.
I will tell you right now, screw iodine go with chlorine dioxide, reasons being are:
it does not taste bad like iodine does (does have a little bit of a taste still but not much) and it is also MUCH safer and more effective than iodine and also much safer over long term use. you have heard of giardia well there is also somthing called Cryptosprodium which is giardia on PCP basically , iodine doesn't kill it, Chlorine Dioxide does though.
alone Chlorine Dioxide can take as long as 2 hours to treat your water for Cryptosporidium (other bactera and protozoa are killed within minutes) but that crypto stuff is TOUGH!, but if you have run the water through your filter, then you use the tablets, you now have a purifier and it fixes up your water in about 5 minutes for safe drinking.
OKAY, hope that helps and hope I didnt just confuse you more.
I use this same filter - it will save your life - and you could probably beat someone to death with it's top notch metal construction if need me. I swear by it - it is 'the ****'.
Wonderful. I do have the bleach type sterilization tabs, so I guess I only need a filter. If water is suspect, just treat with the tabs after the filter eh? I went to the local camping store today (those guys are great) and learned that to provide daily drinking and cooking water for a family I would want a gravity flow system rather than a pump. The pump style they had would take 48 pumps for one quart! That would be 600 pumps for one family day in perfect weather and no activity-ack! Where the gravity flow one filters four quarts in 2.5 minutes.
Anyone have experience/knowledge of this one?http://www.platy.com/product_detail.aspx?ProdID=29
Anyone have experience/knowledge of this one?http://www.platy.com/product_detail.aspx?ProdID=29
Joined
·
36 Posts
Excellent! glad we got on to this next idea! (I said I like talking filters) I have worked at REI for a long time so I know the camping products in and out, I spent alot of time talking to the reps from these companies and training people on this kind of gear, (I love this job lol).
Well I was hoping you would ask about gravity filters. If you want to treat water for a family, this is by FAR the best way to go, honestly! There are two brands I would check out, the brand Sawyer just came out with a system, and so did Platypus. When the Sawyer system came out I had the opportunity to be a product tester for it. It holds about 4 liters of water and claims to filter it all in about 3 minutes or so. Its nice cuz you just fill up the bag with the questionable water, hook it all up and let it go while you do your camp chores. We had one going for a group of three of us and it was perfect. I fell in love with gravity filters after this.
Now, there was a problem with a vacuum forming in the bag while it was filtering which would cause it to slow down dramatically, there are ways to fix it, but I found with the Sawyer filter you almost had to fix it every time, I found this counter productive because to me the point was to forget about it and let it do its job.
The brand Platypus fixed this, if you are worried about a vaccum forming, the top of the feeder bag opens up to let air in while it still filters out the bottom, it is also easier to fill this way. the Sawyer one was all out of one hole, so while it was filtering you could not open it up to let air in. kinda stunk.
the Platypus is also lighter in weight.
Another neat thing about these bags is that the filters never run out, they last forever, once it clogs you just backflush it until its clean again and you keep going, most are guaranteed for a million gallons or somthing crazy like that.
SO, yes, if you can afford it, go with a gravity filter since its not just for you.
here are some links to check out:
Katadyn Base Camp
Platypus
MSR Autoflow
Sawyer Complete
I have not tested them all but it seems to me that the platypus one is the best buy. read the reviews, find out for yourself
I know that both REI and cabelas it would be guaranteed for life, so If you find something wrong with your choice you always have a fail safe.
Let me know if you have any other questions.
I got to play with that one in the store, and was concerned about the bags themselves. How long will those plastic bags last? Once the water is in the clean bag, I still need to pour it out into whatever container I have. I brought a g.i. canteen in from my trunk-it lives there with some other stuff (12 hour fanny pack BoB), but the screw on cap at the end of the clean water hose was far to small. Does this hose screw directly onto a "Platy Bottle™". A while back the same guys tried to sell me into the platy bottle water bag thingy. It just seemed kinda flimsy to me. I like the indestructability of canteens.
The Kataydin filters to .03 microns and the platypus filters at 0.2 microns. Does this matter?
Here's another question. With four people in my group, would a http://www.rei.com/product/737349 filter be a better option? This one holds 2.6 gallons but filters only when you put your container under it and open the valve. Since it will filter a larger quantity of water at a go, would this be better? It weighs like seven ounces more than the platypus clean stream but can do a days worth of filtering without going back to the stream...There's the rub, do I go for quantity or lightweight.
The Kataydin filters to .03 microns and the platypus filters at 0.2 microns. Does this matter?
Here's another question. With four people in my group, would a http://www.rei.com/product/737349 filter be a better option? This one holds 2.6 gallons but filters only when you put your container under it and open the valve. Since it will filter a larger quantity of water at a go, would this be better? It weighs like seven ounces more than the platypus clean stream but can do a days worth of filtering without going back to the stream...There's the rub, do I go for quantity or lightweight.
Joined
·
36 Posts
I hear ya, I have not personally used the platypus filter, but I have used their collapsible canteens ALOT with backpacking, they do seem flimsy, but my god, they are SUPRISINGLY tough, I think its the same plastic they use with their filters. I think you would be surpised how tough they actually are. But if your still not sold. Check out the material for the sawyer, MSR, and Katadyn ones, they seem different, I know the Sawyer one is extremely tough, the MSR and Katadyn seem similiar in material although I have never held them.
But again, I think you would be suprised at the toughness, I recommend going back to the store and picking up one of platypus's regular collapsible bottles, the one or two liter and filling it up with water, dropping it , throwing it, sitting on it, stepping on it, have some fun, seriously, and find its breaking point, I havnt tried it, but they have been great to me so far. If you are convinced then I say go for platypus, they have a solid system.
That being said, when you spend $100 dollars on anything, your not going to abuse it
So think about it, read reviews on the different ones, see if anyone has comments about them breaking or anything. and just test out their bottles because I am sure the bottles are the same material as the bags on the filter set they sell.
If not convinced, check out the others.
another thing, all these systems have two bags, the dirty bag and the clean bag full of the freshly filterd water, then you can fill any type of container you want, whether its a canteen or a platy bottle, dosnt matter, you just fill it up from the fresh water resevoir.
But again, I think you would be suprised at the toughness, I recommend going back to the store and picking up one of platypus's regular collapsible bottles, the one or two liter and filling it up with water, dropping it , throwing it, sitting on it, stepping on it, have some fun, seriously, and find its breaking point, I havnt tried it, but they have been great to me so far. If you are convinced then I say go for platypus, they have a solid system.
That being said, when you spend $100 dollars on anything, your not going to abuse it
So think about it, read reviews on the different ones, see if anyone has comments about them breaking or anything. and just test out their bottles because I am sure the bottles are the same material as the bags on the filter set they sell.
If not convinced, check out the others.
another thing, all these systems have two bags, the dirty bag and the clean bag full of the freshly filterd water, then you can fill any type of container you want, whether its a canteen or a platy bottle, dosnt matter, you just fill it up from the fresh water resevoir.
Joined
·
36 Posts
No, they are totally different. the autoflow uses a dry bag closure at the top. and it hangs from that . dont know if your familiar with dry bags, this means that when its filled, you fold the top three times then buckle it. you hang it from that loop, this means that if a vaccum forms, you cannot open the top to easily release it without unhanging it and it kind of being a pain in the ass. thats not a HUGE deal, but it is a nice feature that I have only seen in the platypus.
I guess it can be done though, with the autoflow, you could just not seal it the way they want you to and buckle it without folding......
other than that, The filter itself does look very similiar though. if anything, MSR might be making platypus's filter unit if anything. MSR does not have ANYONE make their stuff but them.
whats cool about the autoflow is it will hook up right to your nalgene
If the bottle thing is important, I say go with MSR, they are both pretty similiar, I just kind of like platypus's bags more. but that is really personal preference I guess. I think you would be happy with either or.
I guess it can be done though, with the autoflow, you could just not seal it the way they want you to and buckle it without folding......
other than that, The filter itself does look very similiar though. if anything, MSR might be making platypus's filter unit if anything. MSR does not have ANYONE make their stuff but them.
whats cool about the autoflow is it will hook up right to your nalgene
If the bottle thing is important, I say go with MSR, they are both pretty similiar, I just kind of like platypus's bags more. but that is really personal preference I guess. I think you would be happy with either or.
Joined
·
36 Posts
The Katadyn Hiker PRO is different from the normal hiker because it has a chemical additive that you mix into the filter process, otherwise its EXACTLY the same as the hiker in EVERY way.
The chemical is guess what?? : Chlorine Dioxide
SO, if you have chlorine dioxide tablets, and mix it with the original hiker or any gravity filter, you have the same thing.
otherwise, for cryptosproidium, it is a protozoa, any filter sold at a sporting goods store will take care of that. its the viruses that filters do not kill because they are too small. that is what chlorine dioxide will kill (as well as bacteria, protozoa, and anything else)
Chlorine Dioxide alone will kill everything and take care of your water completely, but it will take a while (5 hours +) to kill EVERYTHING including cryptospridium, where your filter will do it in minutes, you couple that filter with just 5 minutes of chlorine dioxide and you have a great team that will kill just the remaining viruses in about 5 minutes.
Joined
·
8,226 Posts
how about makeing your own, its alot cheaper :thumb:
kev i got a question on your video how far up stream should you look to see if there are ppl living near or cattle nearby the water your at on your 2nd video for it to be ok? 500yrds?1000yrds? 1 mile? how close can those houses be and still be safe to drink the water? or is it a MUST that the stream has no homes near it?
kev i got a question on your video how far up stream should you look to see if there are ppl living near or cattle nearby the water your at on your 2nd video for it to be ok? 500yrds?1000yrds? 1 mile? how close can those houses be and still be safe to drink the water? or is it a MUST that the stream has no homes near it?
Joined
·
95 Posts
Based on the recommendations in this thread, I ordered the Platypus filter for $66 from the Moosejaw site with a $15 coupon, free shipping. I plan to pack just the dirty water bag and filter and mate the output line to the hydration bladder drink tube in my BOB. I'll just place the pack at the base of a tree with the bag hung over it and connected. I plan to use a floc bag for really dirty water, if needed; I have two dozen envelopes for mixing with really dirty water before it goes into the Platypus. That should be compact and efficient enough to keep me going in any situation, I think.
Thanks for this thread and your input, folks.
Thanks for this thread and your input, folks.
1 - 20 of 32 Posts
