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Thread: Water Filters?

  1. #41
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    I've been waiting for that MSR Hyperflow filter to be released too, but I read that it is has a special kind of ceramic filter element that gets damaged if frozen...so it is really just a 3 season unit and would not be used it sub freezing temps. I hike a good bit in the winter time, and it does get into the 20s at times, so I may just go with the Katadyn Hiker Pro....at least that was the plan, but now I read this thread and am confused all over again.

  2. #42
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    Quote Originally Posted by _terrapin_ View Post
    Pretty much. Mueser speculates that it's something other than water that caused the illnesses. And you know, there are several WBers each with many thousands of miles who claim to never treat their water. Something to ponder, anyway. I carry a filter nowadays, but for the first 15 years or so, I didn't.
    I suspect that some hikers may have developed immunity to Giardia thru repeated exposure over time.

    Panzer

  3. #43

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    Quote Originally Posted by Panzer1 View Post
    I suspect that some hikers may have developed immunity to Giardia thru repeated exposure over time.

    Panzer
    It is my belief that you just get it once. Then you're good to go.
    I had it in Nepal in '96 and never got it again (rarely treat water and haven't on the AT since '91)

  4. #44

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    Quote Originally Posted by Panzer1 View Post
    I'm using the MSR Miniworks filter. $85 from REI.
    http://www.rei.com/product/695265

    I've had a lot of filters and I like the way this one works. If your a "filter person" you'll like this one too.

    Panzer
    you can filter a gallon of water with the katadyn hiker pro faster than the miniworks can filter a quart! the katadyn hiker is by far superior. IMO
    Last edited by CrumbSnatcher; 03-08-2008 at 21:16. Reason: IMO

  5. #45

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jason of the Woods View Post
    Yep. MSR mini. It works just fine. Just make sure that you boil it before use......
    IF YOUR GOING TO BOIL,WHY FILTER AT ALL?

  6. #46
    Registered User Wags's Avatar
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    i saw bear gryllis drink water out of elephant **** one time. and he was on the show the next week and his stomach was still there. i think most of the time people get too paranoid. that being said you couldn't pay me to drink water from the susquehanna downstream of 3 mile island. i don't know of any filter that safely removes uranium

  7. #47
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    I have friend/coworker who contracted Guardia from a stream in VA (VA has lots of cows and such) and it worked him over something fierce with a looong recovery. Before that I was a "drink directly from the stream kinda guy", but now it's a filter with iodine post cartage. I think it's a gamble to not do anything to h2o these days (unless it just gushing from the source and then I'll roll the dice), but filter, chemical, UV .... what have you, should help REDUCE your chances of catching a cootie.
    <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>
    <o> http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasi...ardia.htm#what</o>
    <o></o>

  8. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by CrumbSnatcher View Post
    you can filter a gallon of water with the katadyn hiker pro faster than the miniworks can filter a quart! the katadyn hiker is by far superior. IMO
    I don't like the katadyn hiker because it has an outlet hose which means that in theory the dirty water hose can touch the clean water hose. I will not buy any filter with 2 hoses.

    Also, does not screw into the nalgene bottle. At least not the way it is shown on the Internet and in stores. Also I don't like the side-by-side configuration of the katadyn.

    As far as speed is concerned the katadyn is rated a 1L per minute and the miniworks ex is about 3/4 L per minute. So, yea its faster but not enough to change my mine.

    Panzer

  9. #49
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    I just went ahead and bought the Katadyn Hiker Pro yesterday. I haven't tried it yet, but have used one on camping trips before. I need to have an outlet hose of some point because I will be pumping into a Platypus water bladder. I'm just going to be extra careful not to have any cross-contamination between the hoses and won't even let anyone use the unit without my supervision.

    Unless you are pumping water for several people on a big camping trip, I don't think the minor difference in speed is a big factor.

    One thing I am already disappointed in with the Hiker Pro is the poor documentation that came with it. There are all kinds of little connectors/adaptors that aren't explained and the diagrams are confusing. And this is from someone who has used one of the units before.

    So I'm not in love with the unit from the start, but I have so many friends who use it and never heard too much bad about this model, so it ended up being the one I went with.

  10. #50
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    Quote Originally Posted by tchiker View Post
    I just went ahead and bought the Katadyn Hiker Pro yesterday. I haven't tried it yet, but have used one on camping trips before. I need to have an outlet hose of some point because I will be pumping into a Platypus water bladder. I'm just going to be extra careful not to have any cross-contamination between the hoses and won't even let anyone use the unit without my supervision.
    The MSR Waterworks ex screws into the Platypus water bladder..

    Panzer

  11. #51

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    Quote Originally Posted by climberdave View Post
    I have friend/coworker who contracted Guardia from a stream in VA (VA has lots of cows and such) and it worked him over something fierce with a looong recovery. Before that I was a "drink directly from the stream kinda guy", but now it's a filter with iodine post cartage. I think it's a gamble to not do anything to h2o these days (unless it just gushing from the source and then I'll roll the dice), but filter, chemical, UV .... what have you, should help REDUCE your chances of catching a cootie.
    fficeffice" /><O></O>
    <O> http://www.cdc.gov/Ncidod/dpd/parasi...ardia.htm#what</O>
    <O></O>
    Hey, now this really brings back a bad memory. Back in my backpacking glory days when I was surrounded by that old hippie bubble, I went to Grayson Highlands for a trip and crossed a road where I saw a spring flowing with fresh water. Fresh sewage is more like it. In those days I did not carry a filter and did not treat, so I didn't think much about it. After getting my fill, I looked upstream a ways and saw a group of cows in an open field by the creek. Everybody knows what comes next, that evening I put my tent on an open bald high above the BR Parkway and puked my guts out all night. Once again I intoned every diety I knew but to no avail, etc. Whatever it was I drank was quick acting and by morning I was a dehydrated wreck but I managed to hike the 12 miles out. BTW, the first creek I came to in the woods I DRANK MY FILL.

    Quote Originally Posted by Panzer1 View Post
    I don't like the katadyn hiker because it has an outlet hose which means that in theory the dirty water hose can touch the clean water hose. I will not buy any filter with 2 hoses.



    Also, does not screw into the nalgene bottle. At least not the way it is shown on the Internet and in stores. Also I don't like the side-by-side configuration of the katadyn.

    As far as speed is concerned the katadyn is rated a 1L per minute and the miniworks ex is about 3/4 L per minute. So, yea its faster but not enough to change my mine.

    Panzer
    I do not see the problem with two outlet hoses. In fact, without the two(like on the Hiker and the mini-filter), getting water from the source to the jug would be much more difficult. And the Hiker has a slide-in plug for a wide-mouthed Nalgene that does not come off easily, so I don't really see the need for a screw-on feature. BTW, the mini-filter I got now has two hoses, an intake and an added short exit hose.

  12. #52
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    Let's see if I get flammed, but I don't understand the possible cross contamination issue with the hoses on the Katadyn Hiker. Seems to me, what might matter is the inside of the hose, not the outside.

  13. #53

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    Quote Originally Posted by Panzer1 View Post
    I don't like the katadyn hiker because it has an outlet hose which means that in theory the dirty water hose can touch the clean water hose. I will not buy any filter with 2 hoses.

    Also, does not screw into the nalgene bottle. At least not the way it is shown on the Internet and in stores. Also I don't like the side-by-side configuration of the katadyn.

    As far as speed is concerned the katadyn is rated a 1L per minute and the miniworks ex is about 3/4 L per minute. So, yea its faster but not enough to change my mine.

    Panzer
    your more likely to get sick from dirty hands,os sharing gorp,etc...than the second hose your worrying about.

  14. #54
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    Make you a gravity filter using the sawyer .1 micron inline. I made one with the sawyer between a silnylon (dirty) bag and a 3 liter platy. No pumping, super fast flow rate, and weighs in at aroung 5-6 oz. for everything.

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    Quote Originally Posted by kytrailman View Post
    Make you a gravity filter using the sawyer .1 micron inline. I made one with the sawyer between a silnylon (dirty) bag and a 3 liter platy. No pumping, super fast flow rate, and weighs in at aroung 5-6 oz. for everything.
    I recently setup a Sawyer between two platy's but I find the flow rate to be nowhere near what I expected (unless I force water through by squeezing the "dirty" bladder). Any thoughts or comments on this from your experience? My Hiker Pro weighs in at 13.8 oz. complete, whereas this setup is 2.5 oz.

  16. #56

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    I got the Sawyer in-line filter from Walmart. It came as part of a bottle system, but had most of what I needed to rig up a gravity flow system. I used my Dromedary water bag and a sippy tube for that bag. Cut off the bite clamp and hooked up the in-line filter. It's at least as fast as a pump filter and weighs just a few ounces. I still bring my Steri-pen along and use it when I just want to grab a quick liter on the trail, but I use my gravity filter for serious amounts and I'm really happy with it.

  17. #57
    Registered User Father Dragon's Avatar
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    The MSR hyperflow is a great little filter, but you have to take care of it and back flush it every day or two. You can't use it in sub freezing temperatures unless you devise some insulation for it and sleep with it at night. I usually just take tabs with me in winter anyway to cut weight.

    Water from (true) piped springs is generally safe to drink. The only time that I make sure I filter is when I get water from streams or false pipes. Filters are really nice in draught stricken areas too where water sources are murky and you need to take advantage of each one you find.

  18. #58
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    Quote Originally Posted by jersey joe View Post
    Slogger, this is exactly why I stopped using my filter. I dropped my entire filter including the output hose into a stream in the smokies. I figured there was no point in continuing to filter at that point so i drank directly out of the stream and continued to do so the rest of the way.

    I might be mistaken but I think we talked about this before, the hose issue was fixed and is far more clear on later models. Now I am not a fan of Sweetwater although I am sure they have improved. Anything is better than nothing.
    Dogs are excellent judges of character, this fact goes a long way toward explaining why some people don't like being around them.

    Woo

  19. #59
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    Katahdin hiker works for me. The hoses are awkward. Haven't gotten sick yet.

    The one time I listened to the "spring guys" and tried to go lighter by leaving my filter, I spent the whole time wishing I had it.
    I'm not really a hiker, I just play one on White Blaze.

  20. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Father Dragon View Post
    Water from (true) piped springs is generally safe to drink. The only time that I make sure I filter is when I get water from streams or false pipes. Filters are really nice in draught stricken areas too where water sources are murky and you need to take advantage of each one you find.
    I got giardia from a piped spring at the peck's shelter in the Smokies...of course I don't kno wif it was a true piped spring or not. I'm not disagreeing with you, but just trying to make sure people are not overly complacent like I was.

    I've heard some people hike the entire AT and never filter any of their water and are just fine. However, after being sick for a couple of weeks, I would not want to take that chance.

    Like anything else it is a calculated risk, and you calculate and then live with the consequences (if any).

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