buying new water filter-need advice

“I am buying a new water filter soon- What do you guys think I should get?”

“Used to be called the PUR Hiker, now it's the Katadyn Hiker. Best, lightest all-around filter available.”

“wanderer-what is a good price for that one-Campmor said $60”

“That sounds about right. Sometimes you'll see them on sale for the low 50's.”

“Here it is for $50

http://www.backpackingdeals.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=W&Product_Code=KH&Category_Code=F1”

“thanks DH”

“The guy who runs that store used to post here. Many of us, including myself, have bought from him.”

“I have the first need, and can't say anything bad about it. I love that filter. I do have the pur too, but don't use it. Wanna buy it?? (really don't like it too much, but I am only of few, most do like it)

It's lighter then the first need deluxe.”

“that looks really good, gem, but a little exspensive--how low do you think I can get the price-It was $86 at Campmor-the lowest I could find quickly”

“I also use the Katadyn Hiker when I take a filter. However, since I got my MSR Miox Purifier I very seldom carry a filter. It's light, simple, and not nearly as prone to failure as I've found my filters to be.”

“hmmm...I think I paid only $69 a year or so ago. I was lucky though. ask binks (backpackingdeals.com) and see for how much he's selling it.

Found it for $72 here:
http://www.backcountry-equipment.com/hydration/firstneed.html

and again for for $69
http://store.yahoo.com/twau1999/finedepowafi.html

One thing: the replacement cartridges are pretty expensive. I think $39 or more.
last edited: 1/02/05 4:25:27 PM”

“hobbit--at first I thought the miox would be a good idea, but then a friend of mine showed me a review that said it didn't remove some stuff (ya know-the stuff with the long names that nobody can spell)”

“that's why I like the first need, it's a purifier, so it does remove bacteria and viruses. Not saying that you'll need this here, but hey...it can't hurt.

the pur is cheaper though...
i guess it's personal preference.”

“thanks gem--do you think the output would fit in a sigg bottle?”

“don't know. it'll fit on a regular nalgene. i thought you can buy adapters, but I'm not sure.”

“thanx”

“I had a PUR Explorer, they quit supporting it. So I bought the First Need Deluxe. No complaints, the first cartrigdge lasted what seemed years.”

“my first filter didn't last too long, but that was mostly the fault of the New Jersey water. That one trip screwed up my filter. I do now use coffee filters on top of the filter for a little bit longer life.”

“I use my old Katadyn filter when i backpack. It has lasted a lot of years on the original filter, with a lot of use. I love it. Plus i love sitting by the water pumping my bottles full....see lots of wildlife at those moments! For day hikes, i have been using a simple Aquamira filter bottle. Haven't had any problems with it.”

“MSR Mini-works is the bomb! I've had mine for about 6 years and it has never failed me.”

“Yes!

A water filter or other treatment is imperative on the trail for survival.”

“I like the Exstream Water Purifier. No pumping, cleaning or worry. Top off at a stream and move on. Removes bacteria, viruses and chemicals.”

“hobbit

tell me more about the Miox Purifier - how do you use it? what all do you take with you, extra batteries? salt?

for the record, I love my pur hiker. I just changed the filter for the first time in many years and it continues to work like a charm.”

“Like Spam, I'm a big fan of the MSR Mini-Works. It has never failed me, and it is very easy to clean in the field.

If you backpack in cold weather, don't let a filter freeze. Frozen water can expand and crack the filter element.”

“I've had a pur hiker for the last 4 years, used 3 filters. It broke once, the input nipple blew out (knew it was getting hard to pump), but I crazy-glued it and it's still working great.
I boil as much as possible though. If it's going to be boiled to make lunch/dinner/coffee, it doesn't really need to be filtered, I figure. I've gone many times for 3-4 days and never filtered water.”

“Thanks for the advice guys

-hd”

“It broke once, the input nipple blew out (knew it was getting hard to pump)

Lesson learned. Never pump a nipple.”

“I use a Katadyn Hiker filter for 90% of my backpacking. If I'm gonna be around silty water (glacial silt or muddy water), I'll take my MSR Miniworks. It's field cleanable with a ceramic filter. The Hiker isn't, so if it's clogged you die a horrible death from explosive diarrhea. Neither of these are purifiers though, so take iodine tablets if you need to slaughter viruses. I like tacos.”

“Aqua Mira - produces the same chemicals as MIOX for 1/10 the cost, and no batteries to die. Its all I use, and if there is floating particulate I'll use my hankerchief to "filter" that out first.”

“how long is the Aqua Mira reaction time in cold water?”

“Something like 20 mins. normally, but longer for cold water. I can't remember exactly but I think they say to double it to 40.

Found it on the web: "Shake or stir and let stand for 15 minutes. If water is very cold, cloudy, or if cryptosporidium is suspected, let stand for 30 minutes or more..."

Note that this stuff treats crypto and other nasties that iodine doesn't. Also will clear up the color and taste of the water - and it really does.
last edited: 1/07/05 8:49:57 AM”

“i don't know about other filters, but my first need deluxe filtered nasty hmm, what was it again?? sulfar water? yuck, nasty smelled like rotten eggs, REALLY bad!!
anyway, my filter filtered it without problem, no smell no bad taste.”

“$14 for 30 gallons for the Aqua Mira. Add that up over time, and it makes the MSR Miox look like a bargain. It takes a regular Photo Cell (CR 123) battery and rock salt. You keep rock salt in the salt chamber, put a measure of any water in the chamber, shake it a bit, and then press a button to create the chemical reaction. It's a piece of cake. If you hike in places where you're going to have to filter scummy water, then a filter is a must. But mountain streams are usually clean enough that my Miox is all I take.”

“I just found a 4 ounce inline filter (hooks to your platy line) for $25 or so, good for 100 gals. I have one but havent tried it yet.”

“hobbit - but you also must hope the electronics in the unit are working, that the battery isn't dead, and that you have enough salt. With Aqua Mira, you mix it and that's it. Nothing to break.

I always add in "reliability" to the mix when deciding on equipment. Many things can go wrong with the MIOX.

30 gallons is a lot of water when you are only making 1 or 2 liters at a time. Adding in the time-value of money, the money you haven't spent on the MIOX continues to earn you money. So the cost-per-liter of Aqua Mira isn't quite as bad as you think. Put another way, you wouldn't buy a tanker full of gas to power your car for a year. You might use up that gas in a year, but over the short-term your money is better spent if you just pay the higher per-gallon price at your local gas station.
last edited: 1/10/05 1:16:09 PM”

“Okay techntrk, you win. Your myox is better than my myox.”

“Not trying to win a race.”

“My next filter will be a first need.”