katadyn pocket

[jbum]

Don't know where to post this actually. But I am building a new b.o.b. and want to know if this is my best bet or should I look further. It seems expensive. What filtration system are you using.

Thanks
Jeff

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[Supertac45]

M.S.R.

[jbum]

M.S.R.

Looks interesting thanks

[packinnova]

M.S.R.

+1. I have the MSR Sweetwater and it works rather well.

[Supertac45]

Both of mine are the old MSR MiniWorks model style.

[Bark'n]

When it comes to purifying water it is important to understand the difference between a water filter and a water purifier. Water filters generally do not kill viruses. They filter bacteria, protozoa, cysts and sediment. Water purifiers on the other hand will do all the above plus kill or inactivate viruses. For the most part, and I'm speaking generally here, boiling your water does it all. It takes care of bacteria, protozoa, cysts and viruses. Chemical additives such as Iodine and chlorine dioxide will kill the viruses. Iodine is not as effective as the chlorine dioxide. (Chlorine dioxide is not the same as household bleach) Chlorine Dioxide systems is what is used on large scale city municipal water supplies all over the world.

Fortunately, in North America, there is not a huge risk of viruses in open water sources. But that is not 100% certain. You should check with resources in the area which you will be traveling if there is a risk of viruses in the water sources.

I have carried the original Katadyn Pocket Filter for nearly 25 years and have good luck with it. It filters down to 0.2 microns with a silver impregnated ceramic filter. Because 0.2 microns is so small, it gets to be a pain just to pump a liter of water after you've done it several time on a trip.

Recently I have acquired the MSR MIOX purifier device. It uses rock salt, (or any other type of salt, including table salt) and an electrical charge to make a Chlorine Dioxide (mixed oxidant) slurry which is then added to your contaminated water to kill all bacteria, protozoa, cysts and viruses. Again, while not exactly necessary here in North America, it would be highly recommended when traveling outside the United States and especially in third world countries where virus risk such as hepatitis, polio and others are more prevalent. It is not a filter therefore it will not filter out dirt, sediment and other particulate matter in the water, however it will make it safe to drink. You can use a pre-filter in order to remove sediment and other matter floating in your water.

Something fairly new on the market, as far as I can tell, is a micro filter made by Sawyer called the "Complete Water Purifier." It is a gravity filter however it utilizes a continuous hollow filament with microscopic holes in it contained inside an cartridge that is placed in-line between a dirty water bag and a clean water bag. This filter/purifier utilizes the same technology used in dialysis machines to purify and filter blood for dialysis patients. This device filters down to 0.02 microns which is small enough to trap the smallest virus. It is also good for filtering/purifying up to 1 million gallons of water using that single filter device. Do not confuse it with the Sawyer "Complete Water Filter" which only filters down to 0.2 microns if you are looking for virus protection. But it is effective against bacteria, cysts, protozoa and sediment.

I will probably be getting one of those in the very near future to try out. For me, I look for complete purification to includes viruses, but that's just the medic in me. I certainly don't want to end up getting Polio, hepatitis, SARS, rotavirus or others like the hunta-virus from my drinking water.

The MSR MIOX Purifier can be found lots of places including Amazon, REI, and many other backpacking and outdoor outlets but here is a link to the manufacturers website for detailed information on how it works and what it does as well as some comparison charts.
MIOX Purifier Pen

Here is a link to the website for the Sawyer Complete Water Purifier.

[F350]

As a double safety measure; or to use a filter that is faster to use but may not filter all biologicals....

http://www.steripen.com/

UV light scrambles the DNA of microbes and renders them inactive (dead) just like the UV cabinet barbers keep their combs and other implements.