Best water filter pump

Luked

WKR
Joined
Apr 3, 2014
Location
Sullivan, MO.
What would be your alls suggestion for a good quality pump.
I havw a steripen, and purification drops. But being unsure of thr area my hunting partner is going to get a pump also.
Is Katadyn the one to go with?
If not which would you suggest.

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It really depends on the length of stay, how many people you are filtering for and how much effort you want to put in to filter it.

We do a review + raffle on water filters and recommend Katadyn, MSR, Sawyer and Platypus as the top 4 choices, each with their own pros and cons for different scenarios.
 
The only one I've used is the MSR TrailShot. It worked fine, it's great for getting into small or shallow water sources.
 
I haven’t used a full sized pump in many years but I have used a Trailshot or a BeFree 1L squeeze bag/filter as a backup at times to the drops. I tend to carry the BeFree more often than the Trailshot.
 
I had a really bad experience with the Platypus QuickDraw. Brand new, fresh out of the box, never subjected to any extreme environments, and I nearly popped my dirty bag trying to squeeze water through it. It was infuriating to be camped along a beautiful crystal clear river and be thirsty, kids and friends in tow. Eventually got it to piss a tiny stream of water.

Now I know it's not a pump filter, and that's what you were asking about, but based on other online reviews I've read my experience is not unique, and it makes me doubt the quality control going on at Platypus. I won't be buying another filtering product of theirs.

I have used Katydyn pump and Sawyer and MSR filter (but not pump) products with success.
 
I bought a Sawyer squeeze filter and set it up as a gravity system. It is pretty sweet. In the time it takes to eat lunch I have all the water I need with no active pumping.
 
I have had a platypus gravity system for years. Works great. Passive filtering of large quantities of water. You do have to make sure the water is fairly clean of debris or silt. It will really slow things down. Also,they can be prone to air locks, just backflush the filter , easy peasy.
 
Obviously not every area has water but where you do have available water it's super nice to just carry a light Katadyn BeFree water container empty that has a filter on it. I often use this while on high alpine trips where I have plenty of water sources available but need to purify the water before drinking.

Katadyn BeFree are super nice, light, and compact for day hikes. Why carry water, a water bottle, plus a water filter around all day? If you have water sources all you do is head to the creek or spring for water every few hours and fill the rubber container and drink on the spot. You obviously have the choice of carrying a little water but I often carry my empty bottle around unless I know I'll be in a dry area for a few hours. I guess I'm getting old because I'm always searching for ways to shed weight and bulk off my back.
 
I have always been happy with the Katadyn Hiker. The MSR MiniWorks is a solid filter too and is what we used 99% of the time in BoyScouts back in the early 2000s.
 
The Katadyn pocket is pretty much bomb proof but expensive. Been around for many years for good reason. Just disemble it in freezing temps dry it out so your filter doesnt crack. It is well made though.
 
The MSR Guardian is the “best” as it’s got the most comprehensive filter. I believe it’s the only one that is NSF P248, which means it’s certified to remove viruses.
I use the MSR Mini Works. The filter is NSF 231 certified and USEPA certified 0.2 micron ceramic. If you use the supplied tablets after filtering, that also kills viruses.
I’m by no means an expert, but my wife works in the pharmaceutical industry doing cleaning validation processes. She was pretty adamant about me getting a decent filter.
I do have the Sawyer and have used it some, but it’s not officially certified by NSF. It does say they have 0.1 micron filter I think. I just always felt more confident with the large ceramic filter versus that tiny little pocket size filter. My current elk spot has some really gnarly water holes, and the MSR does a great job with it.
It does suck sometimes when I have to fill my 4L bag for camp and 2 1L nalgenes. It takes a lot of pumping LOL


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The MSR guardian is technically a purifier and goes down to .002 microns vs the filters which go to .02, You need to go to .002 to get viruses. Honestly it's probably more than you need for most water but it has a super fast flow and is dam near impossible to clog. SOCOM paid for its development and its temperature rating and ability to self-clean combined with the really fast flow are trade offs.

The filters can be much smaller and lighter but then all have trade offs.

MSR just came out with a new guardian that is smaller lighter and removes chemicals. It's an inline filter that comes with a bag you hang. It's a lot slower than the original so trade-offs. Would be great for a group expedition style.
 
I have the katady hiker pro and it works great. Cold weather heard tjey can freeze up. I plan to try and use the sawyer sqeeze. Much smaller and light weight. The one benefit of a pump is you can backfill a bladder without removing it from your pack.
 
Whatever you get make sure you do a field test with it and bring a second way to purify water when you go on your trip...stainless steel nalgene style bottle or purification tablets.
 
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