HyperClog I meanHyperFlow

“Hikers be aware the MSR is not at all what it is cracked up to be. The problem I have with it was it gets hard to pump after a short use. For me about 4 liters out of a free flowing river. there is more about the HyperClog on whiteblaze.net. I carried mine back to REI today and from what the employee told me I have not been the only one. Hollow Fiber tubes is not a new technology so I think Cascade was looking at the $ as soon as possible and released the product before it was ready. Just my two cents worth”

“MSR = Marketing Science Research

makers of the MIOX, MiniWorks, Reactor, and now adding a new crappy product to their lineup the HyperFlow!

as far as i am concerned it was all over for them when they put out the pocket rocket and titan kettle. it seems they got these right... but it's hard to screw up a metal pot and a blowtorch.

i think their customer service blows chunks as well.”

“oh man, i read the posts on whiteblaze. terrible!

they may have have actually made something that sucks more than the miox... i did not think it could be done.
last edited: 8/28/08 7:39:41 PM”

“My son and I just got back from a week in the High Sierras and used the Hyper Flow. The first three gallons were fast and easy. After that it progressively harder. We backflushed several times, but it is still VERY hard to pump.

My son works in the mountain shop at a sporting goods store...he cannot recommend it now because of how hard it was to pump.

Back to the PUR Hiker! (which I prefer, but I am on my third one due to the housing splitting - I think you have to replace the filter every year if you want to avoid that)
last edited: 7/21/09 7:08:57 PM”

“MSR has had some bad filters, need to call them and give them a serial #, should be able to get a new element, then the Hyperflow should work as advertised. Posted this last Spring over on Thelightweightbackpacker.

My Hiker hasn't been used since I put a new element in it over five years ago, I like the taste of the water from my First Need better when I do use it.”

“return it and never buy another msr product again... msr = marketing science research. they are pros at taking your money and making you feel good about it. terrible!”

“When I started using a coffee filter over the intake on my Pur Hiker, it really exteded the life of the filter.

I have had mine for 6 or 7 years and never had an issue with splitting the housing, however, I change filters every year. I rinse off the filter when I get home and let it dry completely before storing it. That seemed to help with filter life also. I used to store it in the freezer, but I am not sure that was the right thing and since I stopped, I haven't had near as many problems with the filter.”

“Where did you come up with the storing in your freezer idea?

I've never been too impressed with MSR's filters, but thanks for the update. The Hiker has always seen me through.”

“+3 (or howevermany) for the Hiker. Had mine about 10 years now, change the filter about every year.”

“I could be wrong, rm, but I think I came up with the idea here on TT.

Sounded good in theory (kill the cooties by freezing them), but after reflecting on it, I am also sure the freezing moisture in the filter probably damaged the pores.”

“it was posted that the baddies couldn't grow/multiply in a freezer...i personally need more veggies in my diet.”

“Yeah, a good dunk in diluted bleach seems to kill off anything in there.”

“Probably from me.

I used to dry mine out and store the element in the freezer. That stems from having a couple of filter elements mold out on me even after bleaching and drying.

It worked for me and quite a few folks I knew living in a high humidity area who had the same issue. That Ocala water is powerfull stuff.

I don't do it anymore either.
last edited: 7/23/09 7:48:06 AM”

“i used to keep my aquamira or clo2 tablets in the freezer so they wouldn't mold and i hated it when they got clogged up. now i have the same problems with my steripen.

NOT

;)”

“I had an msr miniworks, or waterworks or something and I hated it. I spent more time cleaning than filtering.

I got a Hiker, and never had a problem with it. I usually fill up a water bag with dirty water and let it settle before pumping off the top, which probably helps keep it from getting gunked up.

I am on my second Hiker though. The little piece that the inlet hose goes over broke off of the first one. I bought the pro version the second time around that has a release on it, so no more squeezing hoses onto that piece, and no risk of breaking it off like last time.”

“I have listened to many backpackers, herd stories of problems with gear I use and not once can I say I have had any problems with MSR. Must be luck or maybe I know how to use my properly use, clean, and maintain my gear to successfully give me quality assurance we need in the bush. Maybe experience or maybe I am the MSR lucky boy.
Every Mini Works user I have backpacked with and there have been many have said, it's the best they have used....PERIOD..........many of us good at what we do.!!!”

“I'm sticking with my Hiker for now too, got sick once using Aqua Mira, probably my fault not mixing right, or waiting long enough, whatever? But, I've got more confidence in a Filter, no problems with the Hiker yet, rinse off and pump mild bleach solution through it, store upright and out in the open till its dry, then put away. I buy a new element every year, even though, I probably don't need to?
last edited: 7/26/09 4:29:04 PM”

“Good choice.”

“I concur with ncthiker. Drying the housing, hoses and filter is the key.”

“YES this is always the rule when you clean a filter.”

“When you think the filter on the Hiker is dry, dry it another day.”

“the msr miniworks does great with clear water from lake michigan or your bathtub. i can't tell you how many people i have seen pumping on one of those and the pump going "squeak, squeak"... that's the pressure relief valve blowing because the filter media is clogged and it is squirting the water back out the intake line... won't (don't) get a lot of water that way. those that have had good experiences w msr water filters (msr waterworks, miniworks and god forbid miox)... i am happy for you. i would never recommend these products to a new hiker.”

“anyone have a favorite gravity filter?
i was thinking of starting a new DIY project but have come to the conclusion that it might be more cost-efficient to just purchase one instead - perhaps the MSR version.”

“This is a common topic on the forums at backpackinglight.com and they sell all the parts for a nice setup. There used rto be a video even.”

“I have used the sweetwater since its first production and the only issue I had was my fault. That said I found the miniworks 2 on sale and bought it. It failed the first time because the reed valve was distorted. I rolled it around in my fingers and reassembled it and it works. It is not as fast as my sweetwater but I do like the fact I can screw my bottle onto it.

Just about every time I have seen a filter fail in the field it is 99% operator error no matter what brand.”

“helinka, Jason Klass has a blog/home page thingy where he does lots of stuff, check it out. He has had a project or two over on TheLightWeightBackpacker too, including rigging up a gravity flow water filter.”

“Yogisan ....Every chemical user I have backpacked with using silty wter always used my MSR with no problem....what sticks said is accurate. Let's see being sticks has been backpacking for at least 30 years and my experience as well .....hummmmm 60 years plus with 2 using a pump filter....hummmmm”

“so you two have 90 years backpacking experience between the two of you. that doesn't mean your opinion on this crappy filter is any more or less valid than mine or that of anyone else. since you have all this experience you must know not all particulate matter in water is silt and that not everyone can sit around waiting for it to settle out.

msr posted on their web site that the MIOX was a great product because it was used by the US military, which has hundreds of years of experience with field operations. didn't make that turd of a water treatment system any better. MSR took a lot of people's money (mine included) with that piece of crap. they do NOT have the high ground in this discussion. i have NEVER seen a company so consistently produce gear that performs below it's claims.”

“I have seen the Miox used flawlessly on a four day trip.

I would say the relative success or failure is user related.”

“i have NEVER seen a company so consistently produce gear that performs below it's claims.”
Yogisan
7:05:06 AM
7/27/09


LOL...ya wanna compare the last 60 years of Government performance here Yogi? (LOL)

I bought the Hiker years ago when it was Pur. The housing cracked a couple years ago. I mailed it back with an explanation...got a NEW housing for free.”

“I've been through about three Hikers, two when they were PUR and now I have a Katadyn that I've been using for about three years and haven't replaced the filter element either.

I went on a trip with a buddy that had the Miox. It seemed to work but a four-hour(?) wait time for the water to purify was a joke.

Was that your big complaint with it Yogi?”

“Same as XL here - housing cracked on the old PUR model...and it should have cracked I used the he11 out of the thing...and they sent a new one no trouble at all.

As far as the MSR products go - I liked my pocket rocket and have a buddy who swears by his Hubba...but out of the half dozen or so guys I've hiked with who used one of their filters I have yet to be impressed by one. Seems to me you pay big bucks and get an average or worse filtration device.

Refrigerator can tally up his experience years (miles or bag nights would be more persuasive) and baby his MSR filter all he wants - but for the $$$ MSR wants for a pump filter I want to be able to throw the intake in a source and have clean water come out the other end - and then I want to be able to do it again later that day and again the next day and so on until I'm good and ready to go home and clean the thing up. From what I've seen, it's not going to happen with an MSR. A couple fill ups into a trip and the MSR guy is inevitably asking to borrow someone else's filter because he is going to snap the handle off his if he keeps trying to pump it without stopping to clean the dayum thing. Maybe sitting down with your MSR filter before the trip and explaining how much experience and knowledge you have helps encourage it to perform up to par?
last edited: 7/27/09 9:04:07 AM”

“Sure, a cleanable ceramic element is nice in concept, but not when you are having to disassemble and clean every half-liter.

By it's design, the MSR pumps are inferior. Having a pivot point is a weaker design.”

“I can see it now.

**Fridge sitting at his dining room table with a tall scotch and water in front of him and the filter laying out on the table**

"Now look filter. I have backpacked when your designers were still sh! tting yellow. I have maximum experience and you are not going to fail me. Got it?"”

“the miox is very fussy about the water quality used to make the oxidant mix. water with lots of tannin or minerals or particulate matter works awful while tap water always works every time. msr told me that the best solution was... get this... to carry a small bottle of tap water with me on my backpacking trips to use in making the oxidant. what a joke.

also, it performs terrible in cold weather.”

“Man - some of us are really touchy about filters.
I have been using a MSR miniworks for years (the old design) without any issues. I have had no trouble handing it to a 12 year old boy scout with very little instruction and still no issues. When it gets slow I clean it on the spot - which takes 5 minutes or less.
I also have a hyperflow. The flow rate and weight are hard to beat, but it is pain to backflush. I've been using it for a year now, and I'm still not sure if it's worth the backflush hassle.
I usually take both on scout outings and the old miniworks ends up being used most often.
The Katadyn Pocket can produce high flows and I've observed it being very dependable. It's heavy and expensive and I'll probably get one of those next.”

“I guess some of you haven't heard that MSR is replacing free any defective elements for the new Hyperflow. I guess all they need is a Serial # off the filter. Was posted over on a much smaller forum, TheLightWeightBackpacker or HighSierraTopix. Works as advertised with a good element. Not that I am going out and buying another filter when I have four versions of one sort or another.”

“i did not know that but if figures. sure hope people didn't get sick from water that was not treated when they thought it was.”

“I think my HyperFlow has a bad element. My son bought it directly from an MSR representative who said it had a good element. I wonder.

Like I said the first outing it worked great. Now it takes the Incredible Hulk to pump it.

2 Sweetwaters - The plastic fulcrum broke on one. Element froze and cracked on the other one (probably my fault). Always empty it out!

2 Pur hikers - Housing cracked on both.

Overall I prefer the hiker. If I get a good element in the HyperFlow I will prefer it.”

“I've used both a First Need, which is kida awkward, but effective and cleanable, and a PUR Hiker. Like both, but for comapctness, the Hiker's the way to go. I bought a couple extra filets years ago, but haven't cracked them open yet, and the original worked great last year. Haven't used it this year, so could be it's time to change the works, but got no complaints with either...”