View Full Version : Water filtration...
Chubbs4U
01-18-2011, 04:02
Was given a present and its awesome. Its on its way now but it cost quite a bit of money. Is there a "better" one to get? Is there a cheaper one to get thats just as good?
This is the one I got but may return if I can save a few bucks...
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___81260
Also heard of the new gravity ones. Platypus has a 2 bag option that I was curious about.
http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___67065
Leaftye what you think....
I do have a gravity water filter. The MSR Autoflow. It's nice, but it could be lighter...although a little weight can be saved by ditching one of the caps and the rubber cover for the filter.
The filter in the Platypus Cleanstream is the same as the Autoflow, so you could do the same mod.
If I were to do it again, I think I'd build my own gravity filter. Sawyer has a nice filter that can be repurposed for a gravity filter. The top water bag is something you might want to build on your own. For the bottom bag, it really depends on what water bag you want to use. I need to do more research before I attempt to put together a lighter system.
If you must buy a retail system.... Of the two you posted, I would go with the Platypus. It's very nice to filter a bunch of water while you're kicking back and letting your wiggle in the sun. I'm not sure if the gravity filter is slower, but even if it is, you can easily gain the time back by the efficiency of being able to do other things while your water filters. The big water bags will come in handy when you want to take a couple hours off to bathe and do laundry on the trail.
If you do get the Platypus, play around with it at home first. Special handling helps to get air bubbles out of the filter. With air bubbles it can be slow, but it can be very fast without air bubbles.
I used the Platypus Cleanstream last year and had great luck with it. Really enjoyed having plenty of water without much effort. After 3 solid months of use, the original filter is still going strong. Now I always backwashed about a quarter liter every time, plus gave it a thorough cleaning every couple of weeks. Also changed out the carry bag for a dry bag so it could go in the sleeping bag on freezing nights.
I do have a gravity water filter. The MSR Autoflow. It's nice, but it could be lighter...although a little weight can be saved by ditching one of the caps and the rubber cover for the filter.
The filter in the Platypus Cleanstream is the same as the Autoflow, so you could do the same mod.
If I were to do it again, I think I'd build my own gravity filter. Sawyer has a nice filter that can be repurposed for a gravity filter. The top water bag is something you might want to build on your own. For the bottom bag, it really depends on what water bag you want to use. I need to do more research before I attempt to put together a lighter system.
If you must buy a retail system.... Of the two you posted, I would go with the Platypus. It's very nice to filter a bunch of water while you're kicking back and letting your wiggle in the sun. I'm not sure if the gravity filter is slower, but even if it is, you can easily gain the time back by the efficiency of being able to do other things while your water filters. The big water bags will come in handy when you want to take a couple hours off to bathe and do laundry on the trail.
If you do get the Platypus, play around with it at home first. Special handling helps to get air bubbles out of the filter. With air bubbles it can be slow, but it can be very fast without air bubbles.
I have a bag system that I put together utilizing a Platy 2 liter Big Zip for the dirty and a Platy 2 liter bottle for the clean which stands up by itself for use in camp. The Filter is an inline Sawyer model SP121 with a nippled inlet and outlet. It has a million gallon guarantee and is very easy to backflush with the included faucet adapter which will also allows the filter to be used to attach directly to any faucet that you might suspect to be questionable to deliver "Just Drink" quality water. Filter itself weighs only 1.8 oz and filters down to 0.1 micron absolute, better than almost anything on the market. Flow rate through the filter is quite rapid. It has served me well and I doubt that I will ever put the million gallons through it. Great setup, and has served me well! Probably the last filter that I will ever buy! Hope that this helps. www.sawyer.com (http://www.sawyer.com)
Chubbs4U
01-18-2011, 18:55
I will show my "greeness" here. Backwash. I assume its sending clean water back into the "dirty" water holder? Will look it up soon enough. Also thanks for the replies. Anyone use the Katadyn Pocket Water Filter?
You hardly ever see the Pocket because of the expense. But, it lasts for 10,000 gallons if you don't freeze it in the field and you take care of it, and it's pretty compact. I doubt you would ever need to replace the filter element unless it were to crack.
Backwashing is one way to clean a filter - forcing water back through the element clears any clogged pores. Ideally.
I'm a big fan of the Katadyn pocket filter. Yes, replacement filters cost a lot, but it took me years to get that point. And I had abused mine a bit; filtering glacier runoff was probably the worst, but there were also many mud puddles in between . If you add the cost of replacing filters for many other types, you may find yourself spending much more. With the pocket, you'll probably want to replace the hose and other parts when you replace the filter (and yes, they sell kits for this.)
The filter is heavy but works extremely well and is easily maintained. I saw others with frustrating issues with other filters; needing to add pre-filters, clogging easily, etc.
As for freezing always turn it sideways and pump dry as per the instructions, then swing the hose around to clear it. And double check for a drop of water left at the tip as I did freeze mine twice down South. No harm done- it melted quickly on a double-boiler (lid) of a snow-filled pot and was probably due to not clearing the last drop from the tip and the hose. I was careful to try to pack it inside the pack to keep it warmer, but it's doubtful that you'll have as much cold weather as I did.
One other drawback with the filters is that you should fly with the cartridge as a carry-on so you'll know if it suffers a major drop. The silver looks suspicious in an x-ray machine but it's pretty easy to explain when it's removed from your pack. It's a small price for a filter that can work well liter after liter and year after year.