Water Filtration
You can’t see, smell or taste them, but millions are swimming around in the crystal clear stream water you’re about to drink from. When you’re hiking deep in the backcountry, the last thing you need is to be sidelined by a nasty bug. Once giardia, cryptosporidia or other protozoa enter your system it’s usually takes 24-48 hours before symptoms appear that can derail your plans and may require medical assistance. To stay safe in the backcountry, it’s always a good idea to purify water before you drink it.
Many options are available for treating water including boiling and using iodine or purification tablets, but these solutions typically take time and don’t do much to filter out sediment or improve taste. More modern filtration options include infrared filters that are compact and lightweight, but they rely on batteries and are limited in their volume output. To get the best of both worlds with convenience, improved taste and high volume output, a quality handheld pump water filter leads the pack.
Katadyn Hiker Microfilter
With Swiss roots and more than 70 years experience in water purification, Katadyn is widely recognized as an industry leader and their products are trusted by militaries, health organizations and outdoor adventurers worldwide. Katadyn offers a full line of water filters for various conditions, but for a large number of consumers the Katadyn Hiker Microfilter offers a great mix of features and value.
The versatile Katadyn Hiker uses a glass-fiber, activated carbon filter that has the ability to produce safe drinking water at a very respectable rate of 1 liter per minute and can filter up to 200 gallons of water before a filter change is necessary. With its lightweight and compact form factor, it can easily slip into your backpack, 72-hour kit or car trunk and you won’t notice it’s there until you actually need it. It’s also a great item to add to your food storage supplies. While it’s not the cheapest pump filter on the market, it is still relatively inexpensive and with all the features and quality it provides, the Katadyn Hiker is a high value filter worth a serious look when trying to decide which water filter is best for your needs.
