Broke my katadyn hiker pro. Looking for suggestions on new filter.

[Steeliedrew]

Last night while 6 miles back I broke my hiker pro's pump handle. And my cartridge also clogged up really bad. In our Elk spot we pull water from a little spring creek that comes out of a rocky bank above an old road and we have dug out a little pool that's a few inches deep to pull from. It's a tough spot cause sediment gets kicked up very easily from the inlet hoses bouncing around when pumping.

Kinda looking into maybe getting a new filter before the weekend. We don't have any water source that's very deep to pull from so I can't really do a gravity filter. I'd rather pump cause I like the idea of being able to fill my bladder during the day if need be. Typically when I go get water I'll fill my 3L platypus big zip and also my 6L platypus collapsible water jug for camp water. When the hiker pro is working great it does a liter per minute. Are there any pump style filters out there that are more robust and less easy to clog?

Thank you,

Drew

 

[realunlucky]

Drew how old was your pump? I have the same and can see where a broken handle would leave you in a tough spot. I've never worried about the handle before can you share the circumstances when it broke? As to the filter clogging with fine slit they'll all do it if you don't pre-filter

 

[Steeliedrew]

I've only used it on 4 trips now. It was starting to get a little tough to pump last night and that's when it broke. I had a coffee filter rubber banded around the weighted pre-filter and that thing had gotten pretty gunked up. And once the pump handle broke I decided to pull the coffee filter off and hope it would pump easier. I took that off and it started pumping easy for a few minutes but then clogged so bad that water was barely dribbling from the outlet.

 

[SHTF]

Thats definitely a tough situation drew. Sorry about that. I know Katyden will take care of you on that if you send it in and tell them your story. Not sure that will help your situation though. Id recommend going to an industrial oil/fuel filter you can get on ebay. This was recommended on Rokslide here from another user not my idea. http://www.ebay.com/itm/23135451475...49&var=530616445584&ssPageName=STRK:MEBIDX:IT This is a big sock with a metal ring you can dip into the water before running it through your filter. Id run this into a 1 liter nalgene then snag a Steripen Adventurer to decontaminate your water. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...j662Yiq0FtUKUoaAlH08P8HAQ&is=REG&A=details&Q= 65$ on B&H Photo.... Only down fall to this setup is you can only do a liter at a time and youll need to scoop the water into the prefilter that flows into the Nalgene first. No more pumping and worrying about a broken pump.

Another neat thing about this setup is you dont have to worry about your filter freezing up and keeping it warm. The steripen works in all temps. Many folks dont realize but if you let water freeze in your filters they will be useless. i.e. Katyden, msr, sawyer, first needs... This does require batteries though.

 

[Steeliedrew]

That looks like a slick setup. Thanks for posting those links. While that would be great in some situations for me, the water source from my elk spot is only a few inches deep so a pump style is most convenient for sure. Most of the time we are pulling water every two days and when we do we'll each fill a 3 liter platypus big zip and a 6L playpus water jug, so getting that chore done fast so we can get some sleep is important. It's a catch/22 though cause it does me no good to have a pump fail on me. Haha. Luckily when it happened I had already gotten enough water to last the evening and through Sunday's morning hunt and hike out. We had already planned on coming off the mountain Sunday. Going back in on Friday night though so we've got to figure this out. The hiker pro is a good setup but I think it has a time and a place. I'll have to get a replacement plunger and keep it on hand for trips where it will shine.

 

[Foldem]

Check out the Sawyer inline squeeze filter set up as a gravity filter. I will never pump water again to filter.

Kevin

 

[Cantharellus]

The way I see it is if you want a pump filter your either back to Katadyn or getting an MSR. The Katadyn Vario and Pocket seem like much better designs over the Hiker, but they weigh more (15 and 20oz). MSR has a couple good looking filters as well.

I'm currently using a Sawyer, but that option definitely wouldn't work very well in your situation. I've been considering one of these pump filters so that it's faster to get water when out in a group. I think I would go with the Vario or Pocket.

Another option, though it may be slower initially, could be to get a gravity filter and something to scoop/pump water out of your shallow source and into the gravity bag.

 

[KMT]

Sawyer filter. It's Cheap, small and it works well.

 

[twall13]

As far as pump filters go, I really like my First Need XLE, but it is heavier than most and also more bulky. I haven't had it plug up where a backflush didn't fix it and it's actually a purifier, not a filter so it goes a step further in making the water clean. That step probably isn't necessary for your needs as it sounds like a decent water source you are pulling from, if a little silty. Mine pumps significantly faster than my buddies MSR but again, it's ALOT bigger and weighs more. Here is a little video clip, while a bit boring, it has some good info. on this pump.
[video=youtube;OT1UkzzPJek]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OT1UkzzPJek[/video]
Just another option if you are interested. Otherwise I think you are limited to Katadyn or MSR...

 

[The John]

have you thought about taking a collapsible container to pull water into and then filter from that? this may help reduce the amount of silt that seems to be clogging your filter.

 

[Steeliedrew]

have you thought about taking a collapsible container to pull water into and then filter from that? this may help reduce the amount of silt that seems to be clogging your filter.

Where the spring comes out of the embankment it kind of pees out actually. Enough so that I could stick some kind of container under it and then filter from that. I'm also thinking in terms of long term and hunting other areas would I be better off using a different set up than the hiker pro.

To the gravity filter guys, What is your setup and how long does it take to filter per liter?

 

[Steeliedrew]

twall13,

I'll take a look at that video. Thank you.

 

[rodney482]

This right here!!

have you thought about taking a collapsible container to pull water into and then filter from that? this may help reduce the amount of silt that seems to be clogging your filter.

 

[rodney482]

http://www.h2ofilters.com/kabacacawafi.html?gclid=CIqTpuip98cCFYsAaQodc0gD4A

 

[The John]

I have a sawyer inline filter as well, but it doesn't see use like my hiker pro. I love my hiker pro but as you discovered they all have their faults. The only reason I don't use my sawyer is the time it takes to filter, I can usually get water quicker and move on rather then humping water back to camp to hang and wait.

 

[dangerousD]

I have a Hiker Pro and love it until it failed on my hunt last week. We were out away from base camp for a couple days and had just hiked into our spot and set our spike camp. Went to get water from another clear mountain stream like I've done many times with this unit the past couple years. I don't use a pre filter over the pick-up tube in the clean stream. As soon as I started pumping, it got super hard and wouldn't pass much of any water. I thought something was pinched or plugged but nothing was. Took the filter out and it's perfectly clean on the outer screen pre-filter. Tried to blow air back through it and I couldn't blow any air through it. The filter swelled like it was going to pop. Like it was plugged solid. I had just pumped water the day before without any problems. Weird deal that I still haven't figured out the cause. I always carry pills for backup and have a Sawyer mini back at base camp but this failure cramped our style a bit. I dried the filter that night and the next day but it did the same thing again. If I pumped extremely slow I could get a little trickle through it. I don't know a better alternative to the Hiker Pro and will continue to rely on it when I get a new filter but will always make sure I have a backup that will get me through as many days as I plan to be out.

That doesn't help the OP but wanted to mention my recent experience.

 

[realunlucky]

Damn all these failures. Dangerous how many gallons did your filter see? Please report back after you get the new filter

 

[dangerousD]

Damn all these failures. Dangerous how many gallons did your filter see? Please report back after you get the new filter

I'm estimating that on the high side I've pumped 40-50 gallons at the very most and this was actually my third year on that filter. All our water at base camp is from a spring and we never filter that so the Hiker Pro only saw use during the day away from camp or when we spike or bivy out so I figure 1 gallon a day at the very most for my elk hunts the past few year and I always rinsed the filter element and dried it after each trip. Maybe I didn't use it enough? Either way I will get a new filter for it and see how it goes. I certainly still like the unit. Maybe I will contact Katadyn and see what they say or if I did something wrong.

 

[Markdjr]

For you guys that got stiff pumps that led to a break, did you happen to lube the o-rings?

 

[Steeliedrew]

I had checked my o-ring a while back and it seemed to have enough factory installed lube still on it.