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The Katadyn Hiker Water Microfilter is like having 1600 pounds of potable water in the side pocket of your pack.

Backpacking – an awesome activity that combines stress decompression and bonding with nature with the childlike glee of preparing supplies and packing them just so. To a backpacker, weight is the biggest consideration for what gets brought along. Terribly expensive, but super light clothing is chosen over heavier, more reasonably priced alternatives. Food is dehydrated to enable a person to carry enough to last several days. Tiny hiking stoves that can only heat a cup of water at a time are given the nod over more powerful, but heavier models.

While weight is a hiker’s concern, water is his or her life. The problem is that a hiker needs roughly 2 gallons per day to drink and prepare meals and that water weighs over 8 pounds per gallon. Since most human bodies simply can’t schlep enough of this liquid life to last several days, the alternative for backpackers is to carry a quality water filter and collect the water along the way. With its ability to filter 200 gallons of water to safely use for drinking or food prep, the Katadyn Hiker Water Microfilter is like having 1600 pounds of potable water in the side pocket of your pack.

Specifications

Size: 7.6 x 16.5 x 6.1 cm (3 x 6.5 x 2.4 inches)

A little too big to comfortably sit in the typical pants or jacket pocket, the Hiker rests nicely in a small backpack pocket. While in the backpacking world we always clamor for smaller, lighter products, for a high capacity, durable water purifier with a glass fiber filter, this is about as small as it gets.

Weight: 310 g  (about 11 ounces)

Output: 1 liters/minute (roughly a quart)

For a person in an outdoors setting performing heavy activity, conventional wisdom states that they should have 4 to 6 liters of clean drinking water per day. The Katadyn Hiker’s glass fiber filter makes short work of the need. Compared to a ceramic filtered device, the Hiker feels less tedious than those with an identical filtration speed. This is due to the very slightly larger openings in the filter and large filtering surface. The result of these features is a pump that requires less force and “feels” faster than a comparable ceramic filter.

Filter Technology: 0.3 micron glass fiber and activated carbon filter

The Katadyn Hiker actually is two filters in one. The primary filter is a glass fiber paper. As bacteria range in size from 0.2 to 5 microns, the 0.3 micron filter is designed to screen virtually all bacteria from the water. A long lasting, pleated design, the Hiker’s filter is engineered for maintenance free operation. This glass fiber paper is the Hiker’s method of making water found in the wilderness safe to drink. It does not, however, improve the actual taste of water filtered. For that, the second filtration feature comes into play.

The secondary filter that the Combi uses is an activated charcoal filter. The charcoal filter is designed to remove bacteria and  micro-organisms from the water.

Filter Lifespan: 750 l (Just under 200 gallons)

At 6 liters per person per day, the Hiker’s filter would clean enough drinking water to last a pair of backpackers sixty-two and a half days. This lifespan can be reduced by constant use to filter extremely muddy, gritty water.

What makes the Katadyn Hiker special?

The maintenance-free filter is a huge advantage to using the Hiker. For someone who has spent an entire day on his or her feet, the last thing that would be pleasant is dealing with difficult to clean equipment.

The input hose on the Hiker comes with a removable pre-filter to prevent larger pieces of debris from getting to and clogging up the filter, extending the life of the device.

It combines the effectiveness and speed of a much larger filter into a light-weight unit that easily fits in a pack pocket.

The output hose of the Hiker has an attachment to allow water bottles to be connected directly to the hose, preventing spills and possible contamination from the surrounding environment.

What are the “Cons” of the product?

Honestly, the complaints about the Katadyn Hiker tend to be wistful “I wish it were a little smaller (lighter, faster)” type comments. While any product can break and there are examples of every product disappointing someone, the Hiker’s owners are virtually universal in their happiness with the filter.

What do existing owners of the Katadyn Hiker say?

“This filter works great. It is very fast. It will fill a Nalgene or Camel Back in no time. It comes with the adapters to fill both with ease.”

“Easy to assemble, no brainer operation. Water filter is one of the best I have used on outdoor excursions. Volume of water is exceptional for the minimal effort.”

“My husband and I, along with other adults, take a group of girls up into the Los Padres National Forest in California every summer for a few days. We have used this filter for a number of years and it works great! We can pump enough water for over 10 people and it’s so easy to use.”

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When weight means the world and heavy water is the key to surviving, a backpacker must find some way to reconcile these crucial but opposing issues. The Katadyn Hiker Water Microfilter has done this for many people by allowing them to rely on the natural supply of water by turning it into safe, clean tasting H2O – not bad for a 10 ounce water filter with a tiny footprint and a pricetag to match…

To view additional information about this water filter and pricing, click here: View Katadyn Hiker Water Microfilter