Open to suggestions: Lightweight, well-made H20 filters?

[trailangelbronco]

I use the Katahdyn Hiker for solo trips. Cheap and simple with no problems. I use a coffee filter around the filter and it never clogs.

I also have a Katahdyn Base camp for when I am hiking with two other friends. Jeez, I love the heck out of that thing! Scoop up a gallon or two of water, tie it to a tree, put the outlet hose in a bladder and walk away to pitch tent or fish. Clean water without any pumping. Uses same filter as the Hiker, too!

I wish they made a smaller bladder for the base camp, I would use it for solo. Seriously, just scoop up water and hang it. Nice after a long day in the sun.

[Snowleopard]

Ray Jardine's book has plans for a gravity filter. There are threads on backpackinglight.com on MYOG gravity filter, complete with US Plastics part numbers for the plumbing.

[take-a-knee]

You are late to the party J-rod. see post #2 above.

[J-Rod]

You are late to the party J-rod. see post #2 above.

i seen...but figured if he didn't want to buy one..he could make one with the right info

[take-a-knee]

i seen...but figured if he didn't want to buy one..he could make one with the right info

I made one using Just Jeff's plans, it works great. If you have an old Nalgene and are handy with tools (you need a dremel tool) it's a way to go. The downside is this, the filter has to be modified, that means every replacement has to be modified also. With the Aqua Simple this isn't the case.

[J-Rod]

I made one using Just Jeff's plans, it works great. If you have an old Nalgene and are handy with tools (you need a dremel tool) it's a way to go. The downside is this, the filter has to be modified, that means every replacement has to be modified also. With the Aqua Simple this isn't the case.

yeha i have one i made from JustJeffs page...and didn't like having to cut up filters

angersparrow posted a link to parts from US Plastic to make a Amigo pro
thats how i made my 2nd one...
i also still have the parts left from my first one if anyone wants them...this way you don't need to cut up a good bottle
just PM me if you need it

[Sarcasm the elf]

So just to restart the thread, does anyone has an opinion on the First Need XL as a filter for a long term/ thru hike? Is it as robust as some people make it out to be?

[Hikes in Rain]

My First Need is over a decade old, and going strong. For me, the upside is that it's the only true purifier on the market, at least that I'm aware of, in that it strains out bacteria, viruses, protozoa and the like; adsorbs dissolved chemicals with the activated carbon filter; as well as filtering out particulate matter. I don't know of any other filter that does all that. (I'm real picky in the choice of words for treating water. I know, I need help!) Oftentimes, it's treatment overkill for many water sources, but a lifesaver occasionally.

Downside, of course, is that it's bulky and heavy, as you know.

[FamilyGuy]

One of my hiking partners uses the First Need and we have used it as a group filter / purifier if in areas where we suspect viruses as well (i.e. the High Uintas Mountains where sheep graze and do their business close to water sources). It is bulky and comparatively heavy but does everything.

[FamilyGuy]

I personally have a Hiker Pro but generally use Chlorine. I am thinking of going toward the Steripen but I still see enough conflicting user reports to put me on the fence.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Thanks all, I ended up buying a Katadyn hiker pro (largely because I got a good deal), but in the end the other big reason I picked it is that after playing with most of the popular filters at EMS, this seemed like the one that would be least likely to break given my tendency to abuse equipment on the trail.

[Strategic]

If you want lighter weight in a filter, then a gravity filter is the way to go. I use an old H2OAmigo from ULA, which has a very nice water bag and lets me get water from almost any source, no matter how low or difficult. I replaced the filter element a while back with a Sawyer .1 micro filter, which has been a champ. It's proven very durable and has a great flow rate. Sawyer now makes their own versions of gravity filters, but I like the ULA style bag better than theirs. Still, it's just 9oz. for the whole 2l system, which is pretty sweet. Here's Sawyer's page on the system.

[solobip]

I have had and use the old Pur Hiker. I had it for about 13 years now. Use a paper coffee filter on the prefilter to stop small silt, use a twist tie and you are good to go for many miles, weighs in at about 11-12 oz. Never had any trouble, just maintain annually at least.

[karo]

Just remember to never store the Pur/Katadhin hiker filter wet. I actually remove the filter element from the body just to be sure. Even if you think it is dry there could be enough residual moisture to cause mold.

[Sarcasm the elf]

Just remember to never store the Pur/Katadhin hiker filter wet. I actually remove the filter element from the body just to be sure. Even if you think it is dry there could be enough residual moisture to cause mold.

The guy at EMS warned me that he had the same problem. Do you bother to run a bleachwater solution through the filter before storing it as recommended in the instructions, or is removing the filter and drying it out enough to do the trick?

[Shooting Star]

I've got a Steripen and when it works, it's great. The weight is
about 5 oz. I've had a lot of troubles with the water sensor and
intermittent operation. It would be a better tool with the electronics
ripped out and just an on/off switch. So I leave it at home and carry
a Katadyne Hiker Pro. It works well but is heavy. What I really want
is just a lightweight pump, with no filter for getting water out of hard
to reach spots. I'd use a pump and a silt prefilter and purification tablets.
Anyone know if just a lightweight pump?

[Tinker]

I bought a First Need filter in the 1980s after a case of what I figure was Giardiasis. I've replaced the cartridge several times since. It isn't field maintainable, but most filters that are clog on a regular basis anyhow. It also isn't light, at one pound even, and is pretty bulky to boot. I've never been sick in the woods since I bought it. It removes viruses, too (which a member here - I forgot who - said he got while hiking in Grayson Highlands). Peace of mind for a hundred dollars plus. It's worth it to me. I talked a friend of mine into buying one. He decided it was too heavy and offered it back to me when my pump finally wore out (not quite, really, but amost). I used it on one trip, and in the meantime he had been shopping around for other filters and comparing their virtues/vices. He asked me last week if I wouldn't mind if he recinded his offer to sell me his. Of course I said I didn't, but I'll be buying another First Need before my Long Trail thruhike this September.

[Tinker]

So just to restart the thread, does anyone has an opinion on the First Need XL as a filter for a long term/ thru hike? Is it as robust as some people make it out to be?

I broke a cartridge when I dropped it on the kitchen floor a few years ago. They sent me a new one (but they said they wouldn't do it again, and to be more careful). So it isn't bombproof, but it's pretty much foolproof unless you're a clutz like me. My pumping mechanism is about 20 years old and has been leaking around the pump shaft for the past few years but it still works.
I'll be getting a new one before my Sept. Long Trail thru.

[mieos]

Strategic has already mentioned Sawyer's products, but I wanted to point out this one: http://www.sawyerproducts.com/SP121.htm

I have been using it for a few years now, and love it. It splices into your hydration pack's line, and is pretty foolproof from there. Not for everyone, but works wonderfully for me.

[Praha4]

use Aqua Mira and leave the filter home... the Steripen EATS batteries