- Joined
- Jan 14, 2001
- Messages
- 18,959
Or, lessons learned...(written earlier today for a FB 'outdoors' user group)
I started out, years ago, with this Pur Hiker system (now Katadyn) and it has performed admirably with no issues to date. They are expensive now, especially the filters, but can be found near new (with new/extra filters) on the ‘Bay for around $40 if you shop well. You’ll probably need a quick-disconnect adaptor set if you want to integrate it into your Camelbak (or similar) pack water bladder for easy refill. The only real downfall to this type of filter is weight; mine weighs ~12oz. dry. So, I went down the rabbit hole of finding an equally versatile, lighter weight, less expensive system. If I had to do it all over again I’d just suck up the weight and press on. That said…
The Sawyer Mini and similar 3oz filters are all the rage, but have drawbacks, including layers of complexities depending on versatility and intended use. I have about $40 into this set up, the majority being $20 into the Miniwell filter, and $9 into the UST drybag. The optional adapter set was $5, with another $4 for the extra 6' of 1/4" id clear hose and rubber plug screw protectors bought at Ace Hardware. I had the syringe and cheesy red roll up ‘dirty water’ bag, so didn’t need to buy them.
The Sawyer mini also comes in at around $20, comes with the dirty water bag and back flush syringe, and is rated for longer use, albeit at a slower flow rate, and without the longer gray water tube. Buying it, and extra hose, would probably be the better deal. The Smart-water bottle cap is sized for back flushing the filter, and the bottle squeezable, so the syringe isn’t needed. Onwards we go…
Intended to be a gravity filter system, with all the widgets and hoses, the wide-mouth dry bag can be used to scoop water, then be hung via a clip and paracord or similar. The rolled and buckled handle has an integrated D ring. Use caution cutting the adapter hole. Fold bottom over and nip ~1/8" off the tip.
Uses with a water bladder can be to drink directly from the bladder, or the smart water bottle (or the roll up bag for that matter, just don’t mix clean and dirty), which in turn can be refilled via the filter directly into the reservoirs or with use of adapters when used as a gravity fed filter. Another option is to use the Smart-water bottle or roll-up bag for dirty water (the filter screws directly on), then filter; or, by filling the Camelbak (or bottles) with dirty water and using the filter inline. The dry bag can be used to contain all the smaller items.
Misc. - The blue bottle adapter cap came with the white quick-disconnect set and needs to be loosened at the bottle to break the vacuum; one loosened, the bottle filled in less than 30 seconds but also overflowed so will need to be monitored unless a slower drip is desired. I bought three of the yellow 3/16" screw protectors and one of the white 1/8", but two of each would work better. For head height hanging I used a 2" piece of clear ¼" diameter hose, and an 18" piece of the soft gray hose that came with the filter. Unused (not shown) was a spare 4’ piece of clear hose, an 8" piece of clear hose, and a 6" piece of the gray. The gray will be kept in the kit for integrating into my Camelbak via the white adapter set.
Unfortunately, the complete gravity fed filter system as shown, minus the extra 4’ length of hose, weighs in at 11.3oz, compared to 11.9oz for the Pur/Katadyn Hiker, takes up about the same space, and is much more complicated. Standalone, using just the microfilter and a Smart-water bottle would save on both weight and cost, but would have, IMO, limited use.
In closing, at close to the same price as a used Pur/Katadyn Hiker or Hiker Pro, and about the same weight, with a lot more effort putting together, if doing over again, I’d just stick with a Hiker style pump filtration system. Hope that helps. If you have any questions, ask away.
I started out, years ago, with this Pur Hiker system (now Katadyn) and it has performed admirably with no issues to date. They are expensive now, especially the filters, but can be found near new (with new/extra filters) on the ‘Bay for around $40 if you shop well. You’ll probably need a quick-disconnect adaptor set if you want to integrate it into your Camelbak (or similar) pack water bladder for easy refill. The only real downfall to this type of filter is weight; mine weighs ~12oz. dry. So, I went down the rabbit hole of finding an equally versatile, lighter weight, less expensive system. If I had to do it all over again I’d just suck up the weight and press on. That said…
The Sawyer Mini and similar 3oz filters are all the rage, but have drawbacks, including layers of complexities depending on versatility and intended use. I have about $40 into this set up, the majority being $20 into the Miniwell filter, and $9 into the UST drybag. The optional adapter set was $5, with another $4 for the extra 6' of 1/4" id clear hose and rubber plug screw protectors bought at Ace Hardware. I had the syringe and cheesy red roll up ‘dirty water’ bag, so didn’t need to buy them.
The Sawyer mini also comes in at around $20, comes with the dirty water bag and back flush syringe, and is rated for longer use, albeit at a slower flow rate, and without the longer gray water tube. Buying it, and extra hose, would probably be the better deal. The Smart-water bottle cap is sized for back flushing the filter, and the bottle squeezable, so the syringe isn’t needed. Onwards we go…
Intended to be a gravity filter system, with all the widgets and hoses, the wide-mouth dry bag can be used to scoop water, then be hung via a clip and paracord or similar. The rolled and buckled handle has an integrated D ring. Use caution cutting the adapter hole. Fold bottom over and nip ~1/8" off the tip.
Uses with a water bladder can be to drink directly from the bladder, or the smart water bottle (or the roll up bag for that matter, just don’t mix clean and dirty), which in turn can be refilled via the filter directly into the reservoirs or with use of adapters when used as a gravity fed filter. Another option is to use the Smart-water bottle or roll-up bag for dirty water (the filter screws directly on), then filter; or, by filling the Camelbak (or bottles) with dirty water and using the filter inline. The dry bag can be used to contain all the smaller items.
Misc. - The blue bottle adapter cap came with the white quick-disconnect set and needs to be loosened at the bottle to break the vacuum; one loosened, the bottle filled in less than 30 seconds but also overflowed so will need to be monitored unless a slower drip is desired. I bought three of the yellow 3/16" screw protectors and one of the white 1/8", but two of each would work better. For head height hanging I used a 2" piece of clear ¼" diameter hose, and an 18" piece of the soft gray hose that came with the filter. Unused (not shown) was a spare 4’ piece of clear hose, an 8" piece of clear hose, and a 6" piece of the gray. The gray will be kept in the kit for integrating into my Camelbak via the white adapter set.
Unfortunately, the complete gravity fed filter system as shown, minus the extra 4’ length of hose, weighs in at 11.3oz, compared to 11.9oz for the Pur/Katadyn Hiker, takes up about the same space, and is much more complicated. Standalone, using just the microfilter and a Smart-water bottle would save on both weight and cost, but would have, IMO, limited use.
In closing, at close to the same price as a used Pur/Katadyn Hiker or Hiker Pro, and about the same weight, with a lot more effort putting together, if doing over again, I’d just stick with a Hiker style pump filtration system. Hope that helps. If you have any questions, ask away.
