Tester Bio
I live outside a small town in northeast Alabama. I enjoy hunting, fishing, canoeing and most other outdoor activities. Backpacking is my favorite pastime. I enjoy hiking with my friends and family or solo. I hike throughout the year and actually hike the least in the hot humid months of summer. My style is slow and steady and my gear is light. However, I will sacrifice weight for comfort and durability. A typical 3-season load for me is around 20 lb (9 kg) not counting food or water. I usually sleep in a hammock and cook with an alcohol stove. My backpacking trips are usually 2, 3 or 4 days in length.

Product Information

Manufacturer	Katadyn Products, Inc.
Year of Manufacture	2005
Website	http://www.katadyn.com
Listed Weight	11 oz (312 g)
Verified Weight	14.3 oz (405 g)
MSRP	$69.95 US

Product Description
The Hiker Pro is basically a unit that uses a hand operated pump to force water through a cartridge filter to remove anything smaller than 0.3 microns. This would be most microorganisms that can make you sick. Viruses are generally smaller and if the water to be treated is suspect of viruses, further treatment should be used. This might include chemicals or boiling.

The cartridge also includes an activated carbon core to reduce unpleasant tastes and odor from the water. The literature and website both mention that it takes 48 strokes to pump 1 L (1 qt) of water through the unit.

The Hiker Pro has several parts that must be assembled before operation. I counted 11 individual parts not counting the zippered pouch or the lube and sponge. Four of the pieces are for filling different types of water containers so the count is inflated by three.

The whole system seems like it is well thought out by folks who have actually used it in the field. For example, the kit includes a small clear bag that is labeled "outlet hose". I assume this is to avoid mixing the inlet hose that will have unfiltered water running through it. The handle is shaped to distribute the pressure of pumping over a wide area of the palm.

Testing Location and Conditions.
My testing has been in North Alabama and Southern Tennessee. Early on, the weather was mostly hot for fall, with several hikes on days above 80 F (27 C). It was also very dry, however, the creek down the mountain from my house remained flowing at just below normal level. More recently it has been unseasonably cold for December. I was on an overnight when the low was around 17 F (-8 C). Several of my day hikes were also in cold weather but not quite that cold. With a lot of rain recently, the creeks and streams have been muddier than they were early on in the test.

Long Term Test Results
I have actually used the filter a lot less in the past 2 months than I did earlier when it was a lot warmer. I noticed that on my day hikes I just was not that thirsty in the much cooler weather. I also found that on really cold days I was reluctant to stop long enough to dig the filter out and assemble it unless I was really thirsty.

That said, I did use the filter several times and continued to use it mostly as a drinking straw instead of pumping into a container. On one occasion it had rained quite a bit and the creek was up (and muddy). I decided to hike down the creek a good ways to see how the heavy rain had affected another swimming hole with a small waterfall feeding it. It was about 60 F (16 C) on this day and I was out hiking about 4 hours. I used the filter a couple of time during my hike down and back up the creek. The water tasted great but as I was not filling a bottle I could not tell how clear it was. I returned a few days later with a clear container and checked the water which was not as muddy but still pretty silty. It came out clear as a bell. The creek was so clear earlier this summer that I could not tell a difference in filtered water and unfiltered. And while I prefer to filter clear water it was reassuring to see that the filter is working.

On an overnight hike I did fill one 32 oz (1 L) bottle. I took this opportunity to count the stokes required and it took 50. This is up about 4 strokes from when the filter was brand new. It is still easy to operate the pump though. It was well below freezing and I had some thin fleece gloves on. It was no problem assembling everything. I only drank about half this water before it froze solid in the bottle on my hike out. I did not have the opportunity to check the filter to see if it froze any. It was almost dry anyways since I pumped it dry after filling the bottle.

On my most recent three day hike I used the filter several times to either drink straight from the filter outlet hose or to fill my water bottles. On day 1 the hike was 9 miles (14 km) and I did not mind digging out the filter. On day 2 I hiked 11 (18 km) challenging miles. I was pushing to make it to the designated campsite before dark and late in the day I took a chance by drinking unfiltered water from several small streams. I actually wanted to filter but I let being tired and needing to make the mileage overrule my better judgment.

In getting ready to do this report I dug out the pamphlet that came with the filter to see if I had left out any important tidbits of info that might be of benefit or interest. Unfortunately, I found something I missed myself, and I do need to make a correction on something I said in my Field Report. I said; "I have considered taking a quart jar (1 liter) half full of water and adding a few lids of household bleach and pumping this through the filter. However, the care instructions provided do not suggest such care. I wonder if this would adversely affect the Activated Carbon? I'm pretty sure it would not hurt the filter and would in fact clean it some."

A closer reading of the pamphlet that came with the Hiker Pro says; How do I store my Katadyn water filter? Answer; Like all equipment, the better you care for it the longer it will last. Between trips, pump a liter of water with 2 teaspoons of household bleach through the pump. Pump unit dry. Remove cartridge and allow to dry completely prior to reassembly and storage.

After reading this I dug out the filter from storage and gave it a quick bleaching. After this, I used the filter on the 3 day hike I just mentioned and did not notice any bleach aftertaste.

Conclusions
The Hiker Pro has proven a very effective and easy way to treat my drinking water while out in the woods. I have really like the fact that I do not have to wait about 30 minutes for a fresh drink like I did when using chemicals to treat my water. I have run approximately 30 gallons (114 L) of water through the filter and it still has a lot of use left. I can replace the filter after approximately 200 gallons (757 L) or when it becomes hard to pump. While chemicals have their place, I like the fact that I have removed the nasties, rather than just killing them.

I would like to thank Katadyn and BackpackGearTest for the opportunity to participate in this test.

Read more reviews of Katadyn gear
Read more gear reviews by Coy Ray Starnes

Long Term Report

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