View Full Version : HikerPro Filter modifications
Just got my Katadyn HikerPro water filter today. :)
The intake hose is rather long, but I think I will leave it alone as I dont want the whole unit being in the water...
The output hose too, is quite long, almost 3 feet. Has anyone cut theirs shorter? What is a usable length without cutting to too short? (cant put it back together!)
Is the weight at the intake end really needed? Figure I can save a few ounces leaving it off if its not necessary. I plan on following previous suggestions of securing a coffee filter over the prefilter. Any feedback on that setup? Works? Doesnt work?
I dont see any real use for the bottle adapter so I plan on leaving it at home. Same with the "float" piece of foam.
Any other good ideas for the HikerPro?
the goat
12-12-2006, 18:44
alhikergal i've got one of those that i've used for many a mile here are some of my thoughts regarding your ideas:
- with regard to cutting either hose, i would definitely use the filter in several situations before cutting. it's often helpful to have the length to allow you the flexibily to stand where you need to, while still having your water vessel in a stable or flat area.
- coffee filter works great, just change it every once in a while. a piece of bandana works too, that's what i usually use.
- bottle adapter is nice if you have a nalgene, but pretty much useless otherwise.
- i would think twice before ditching the foam piece. it keeps your prefilter off the bottom of the watersource and makes it easier to pump. it's hard to pump through a prefilter that's covered in a coffee filter that is covered in mud.
one idea to add:
keep your output hose in its own ziplock to avoid contamination w/ the input hose (or else why pump, right?).
happy pumping, may your arms never tire!:D
Dont get rid of the float - it keeps the suction hose from sinking and sucking up junk on the bottom,Great filter,just remember to flush it out well before using and to remove the filter element and let dry after your finished your hiking trip,I would also keep the hoses long,Sometimes your water source isn't real close..
Skidsteer
12-12-2006, 18:52
Don't worry too much about cutting the hoses and experimenting. Lowe's and Home Depot sell the tubing by the foot if you really mess up.
Just got my Katadyn HikerPro water filter today. :)
The intake hose is rather long, but I think I will leave it alone as I dont want the whole unit being in the water...
The output hose too, is quite long, almost 3 feet. Has anyone cut theirs shorter? What is a usable length without cutting to too short? (cant put it back together!)
Is the weight at the intake end really needed? Figure I can save a few ounces leaving it off if its not necessary. I plan on following previous suggestions of securing a coffee filter over the prefilter. Any feedback on that setup? Works? Doesnt work?
I dont see any real use for the bottle adapter so I plan on leaving it at home. Same with the "float" piece of foam.
Any other good ideas for the HikerPro?I have the Hiker, not the HikerPro, but they are basically the same.
For a while I used no outlet hose, simply aiming the flow of water into a GatorAde bottle. This was less than fully successful, so I now use a piece of hose about 6 - 8" long. The reason I didn't use a hose was that I didn't want to be bothered making sure it didn't cross contaminate with the inlet hose or the pump body, and that is also the reason I keep it short. Less weight is just a bonus of better engineering.
I left the outlet hose as is. Without a weight the hose won't stay underwater by itself while you are pumping.
When pumping from a scum covered pond with a mucky bottom, I adjust the float to keep the inlet below the surface and above the bottom. Even then, pumping jerks the inlet hose a bit. Without the float, and letting the inlet lie on the bottom (a problem you won't have if you dispense with the weight) the action of pumping stirs up a lot of sediment. I'm not sure it is bad, but it will reduce filter cartridge life.
I keep the filter body in freezer bag in an outside pocket of my pack, and keep each hose in a separate (and labeled) pint-sized freezer bag.
One way to keep weight down, is when you are finished and have removed the hoses, pump a little more until no more water comes out. No sense carrying this freeloading water to the next stream.
If you don't mind umping frequently, you can get a net weight savings by using a filter. Your filter weighs less than a pint of water. By using it (the filter) often you can carry a lot less water.
With a filter you can go ahead and drink all the water you have and be pretty thirsty when you hit a stream. Pump a quart and drink if down. Pump another quart and be on your way.
If you had chemicals, you couldn't camel up a quart of water at a water source because you have to weight until the chemicals work. So you really need to carry more than just a quart of water with you. If you only carry a pint and a quart, you are carrying more than a quart and a filter.
Plus, you have to be more aware (with chemical treatment) of running out of water. You cannot drink instantly when you hit a water source as you can with a filter.
The only drawback I've found to my Hiker filter is having it freeze on me. Whatever water is left inside, perhaps a film on the inside of the handle, froze on me at Carter Gap last March, and naturally it was when I was too sick to go get water the night before. I hope to do some hiking this January and will try my luck with Polar Pure. In deference to the cold, I may even buy another Jetboil (my first one is lying on the side of the trail somehere between Blue and Bemis Mtns).
EDIT: Wow, by the time I got my answer typed up, several people had already said what I was trying to say.
OK OK OK...
I guess I shouldnt mess with whats a good thing. I wond be cutting off anything or leaving any parts behind...
Frosty: The inability to have "instant" water is why I went to the HikerPro filter in the first place! I did the AquaMira thing and that got old quick!
But thanks for the reassurance that my decision was right (at least for me!)
cannonball
12-12-2006, 19:26
I also use the hiker pro and agree with all that has been said.
That cap thing that fits into the nal.- throw it away. I will add that it is crucial to keep the intake line segregated from the rest of the unit while packing it away to avoid cross contamination.
I love the HP because you can sit at a stream and pump water directly into your pie hole. Ahhh, instant gratification.:)
Can the outsides of hoses touching each other cause cross contamination? Seems like a myth more than anything else. If someone can explain, I'll listen.
Can the outsides of hoses touching each other cause cross contamination? Seems like a myth more than anything else. If someone can explain, I'll listen.
I'll agree. Sounds like an urban myth. I don't worry about it.
Glad to see some good posts in favor of filtering.
halftime
12-12-2006, 19:37
Can the outsides of hoses touching each other cause cross contamination? Seems like a myth more than anything else. If someone can explain, I'll listen.
I have not heard of cross contamination because of this but understand you need to use filtered (or treated water) to prevent cross contamination when field cleaning the filter element. This could be a tricky if the filter cloggs completly and no other treated water is available.
after you can the bottle adapter for the nalgene can the nalgene and replace it with a 32 oz coke or gatorade bottle.
Can the outsides of hoses touching each other cause cross contamination? Seems like a myth more than anything else. If someone can explain, I'll listen.Neither hose is capped, remember. They are open at the ends. Neither is dry when you put it away, and water dribbles out and wets the inside of the bag.
It is perhaps unlikely that unfiltered water would get onto the end or inside the outlet hose, but it is possible and would negate carrying the filter and pumping gallons of water. It is easy enough to pack each in its separate ZipLoc. Packing them separately does no harm.
I also clean my bladder, or rather my platypus bladder, and pump every couple of weeks by putting a couple MicroPur tablets and two liters of water in the bladder, letting it sit a few hours, then pumping it through the filter.
There may never have been any contamination or algae or fungus in the bladder before I did this, but there wasn't any after I was done, either.
I have not heard of cross contamination because of this but understand you need to use filtered (or treated water) to prevent cross contamination when field cleaning the filter element. This could be a tricky if the filter cloggs completly and no other treated water is available.Filters rarely clog suddenly, without first getting harder to pump and having the output rate diminished, but I agree it is good to carry a backup water purification source, either a few MicroPur tablets or Iodine tablets. Filters can break and chemicals can get left behind or lost.
the goat
12-12-2006, 21:07
Can the outsides of hoses touching each other cause cross contamination? Seems like a myth more than anything else. If someone can explain, I'll listen.
a doctor hiking on the trail recommended it to me.
i thought it was silly, but i immediately started using the separate ziplock anyways. i figured why take the chance since it's so easy.
i would be interested to see if anyone can lend any credence to the theory though.
Any other good ideas for the HikerPro?
You've gotten a bunch of good advice. I haven't found a way to "weight reduce" this filter. That black weight thingie at the end of the input hose is about 1 oz. (or a bit less) but is necessary. The ideal placement for the inlet hose opening is an inch or two below the surface of the water, but not touching bottom -- so the float and the weight are needed to accomplish that.
You can't really shorten the hoses without sacrificing some freedom of movement when you use the filter.
IMO, the filter is 11 oz. "well spent." But I still carry iodine tablets in case the filter screws up. I haven't had the Hiker Pro long enough to know how it'll handle "in the field" but I know my MSR has messed up a few times to where it didn't get fixed 'till the next town stop.
Oh, yeah -- what others have said -- do a bunch of "extra" pumps after you're through using it (and with the inlet hose out of the water.) Shake the pump and both hoses to get rid of any water that you can. There's no point lugging that extra weight around. A little centrifugal force helps here.
If at all possible, try to find clear water to pump. If you see visible sediment swirling around the input hose, wait a moment to let it settle, or find another (deeper) place to pump from, if at all possible.
Skidsteer
12-12-2006, 21:17
You've gotten a bunch of good advice. I haven't found a way to "weight reduce" this filter. That black weight thingie at the end of the input hose is about 1 oz. (or a bit less) but is necessary. The ideal placement for the inlet hose opening is an inch or two below the surface of the water, but not touching bottom -- so the float and the weight are needed to accomplish that.
Actually you can leave the acorn and float at home. Use a coffee filter or bandana like The goat recommended and sandwich the prefilter between two flat rocks to hold it in place and keep it off the bottom.
briarpatch
12-12-2006, 21:19
I posted this in another water questino today, but I don't filter from the source, I carry a couple of gallon zip locs, and collect water in them, then carry it somewhere more confortable to filter. I can also let debris settle before filtering. No need for a float, I can control how far into the bag the hose goes. I don't have to hassle with sitting or crouching on a slick bank or rocks, either.
Actually you can leave the acorn and float at home. Use a coffee filter or bandana like The goat recommended and sandwich the prefilter between two flat rocks to hold it in place and keep it off the bottom.
Interesting idea. Of course, now you've added a bit of time to locate a couple of suitably-shaped stones.
After I read your suggestion, my mind wandered back to a few of the zillions of watering holes I've been at, trying to recall what the rocks in the vicinity looked like... :D As usual, each of these weight-saving ideas incurs a bit of risk and/or inconvenience.
How about this idea... a small, stout rubber band and about 1" of string connecting it to the end of the input hose. You'd find any old rock about 1" in diameter, such that you can "capture" it with the rubber band. You'd still use the float. The rock sinks to the bottom, and the float pulls the hose-end an inch above that. Haven't tried it yet... but that "acorn" did bother me some. Carrying a dead-weight seems wrong somehow... :D:D