Katadyn Vario Water Filter, Dual Technology Microfilter for Personal or Small Group Camping, Backpacking or Emergency Preparedness

When I purchased this filter (about 6 months ago) I was torn between this item and MSR HyperFlow Microfilter... so I bought this one and my hiking buddy bought the MSR. We took them on two overnights on the AT and then one week long trip camping on a lake in Maine near Mt. Katadyn. They are both great products and each has their own pros and cons.For the Vario Multi Flow:Pros:Fast. Water goes through the pump on both the up and down strokes. Easy to pump, but you can easily over pump it, which is bad because you'll have more pressure than water that is able to pass through the ceramic filter. I've only used this filter in the "longer life" setting, as it's the one that has the water pass through the ceramic filter first.No field maintenance needed for a week long trip, pumping 5 liters a day in questionable lake water.Prefilter at collection side of the hose is very effective at keeping garbage out and has a good weight to keep the water flowing in.Cons:Big, Bulky (compared to MSR) but not too heavy.Small leaks around the top sometimes.MSR Hyperflow:Pros:Great size, portability.Easy to keep in side pocket of pack for fill-ups at the stream, I'd be rummaging in my pack for 3 minutes while my buddy was already filling up his canteen.Decent flow rate.Comes with it's own canteen top that fits nalgeen and camelback bottles, making fill up to the bottle hassel free. (the Vario connects too, but you need to take the bottle top off first)Cons:Filter gets clogged pretty quickly, needs to be "back flushed" to clear it out. During the week long trip it needed to be unclogged several times.Collection filter is designed to float, and collect water from one side, but it seems to always flip over to the other side while you are pumping, and needs to be constantly reset.If you are pumping a lot of water (like cooking for 4 people) you need to put your muscles to work.All in all I am very happy with the Vario and it's perfect for me.

I love this filter! I take about 4-6 backpacking trips every year and this filter always comes with me, except when it is below freezing. I always use the ceramic filter just to be safe, which still provides a fairly quick flow rate. I always look for the cleanest water possible and take care to avoid sediment as much as I can. Sometimes I will fill a separate bottle, let the sediment fall to the bottom, and then only pump the clean water down to an inch or so. I've never had a problem with sickness or foul-tasting water. Sometimes I get a little odor depending on the source, but it's hardly worth mentioning.This filter is light weight and easy to pack just about anywhere. Very easy to use, simple to clean and attaches to wide mouth water bottle threads, like a Naglene. Or pair this with an MSR dromedary bag with the same threading and you're set.I know there are people that just throw the tube into the water and pump like mad, which will evenually cause you problems. Take a few extra minutes and set up the tube away from sediment and the bottom of the stream, pond, etc. Simply putting a stick in a pond at an angle and letting the tube hang from that is a good way to pull clean water while the prefilter is suspended in water, keeping it off the floor and surface of the water.This is a great product and has served me well for 3 years now. I'm still using all the original parts since I only pump 5-8 gallons each year. Clean and store per manual instructions and you won't have any problems. I'm afraid most of the negative reviews could have been avoided had the users cleaned the ceramic disc properly, spent more time preparing when drawing water, or bypassed the ceramic disc if necessary.

We bought this filter a few days prior to leaving for a week-long hike in the high Sierras. It was a last minute purchase as our group-of-eight realized we'de need another filter for our trek. Where we were going was known to be contaminated with giardia and other nasties, so I was hoping this little filter would fit the bill. I couldn't be happier!I had never used one of these before, and wasn't really sure what to expect. I opened it up, and was very happy to see that the only setup required was attaching a couple of tubes to the filtration mechanism, and the weight+filter head that you dangle into the water source. Other than that, it was ready-to-go. It came in a great little case, too - with a bag of replacement o-rings and most other parts except replacement filter cartridges (which I'm sure you purchase separately). The case was very handy for keeping the unit contained in my day-pack during our long hikes, both protecting the filter unit and keeping my other gear safe from drips. The unit actually doesn't drip much, though, especially if you pull the dongle out of the water source before your last few pumps (this voids the tubing and empties the water in the filter chamber, which will top off your water bottle and get the water out of the unit, making it lighter to carry and less prone to drips). It also comes with a securely-fitting stopper that plugs up the outlet to help prevent leaking.The unit feels very sturdy and well put-together. It just feels "solid". When you're trusting your health to something like this - it helps to feel like it's well made and isn't leaking on the inside, and this filter delivers. When first getting accustomed to its operation, I noticed that if I unscrewed the top before the filter had been voided, you could hear pressurized air escaping (a result of forcing water through the filters), further testament to its tight construction.Despite two other people in our group having their own filters, by the end of the trip everyone was wanting to use this one since it was so much faster and easier. I would highly recommend this filter to anyone who needs it!