Reviews > Water Treatment > Filters > Katadyn Hiker Pro > Jim Sabiston > Field Report

Field Report Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter

Date: November 11, 2005

Reviewer Information:

Backpacking Background:

Product Information:

Manufacturer’s Specifications:

MSRP:          

Specifications as measured:

Brief Description of the Hiker Pro Filter:

The Hiker Pro is part of Katadyn’s Backcountry Series water filters, intended for backpacking and trekking. The Hiker Pro is marketed as a ‘higher performance’ version of the Katadyn Hiker.

Externally, the Hiker Pro is virtually identical to my old PUR Hiker. There are some small differences noticed on closer examination. The first change I noticed is the quick release fitting on the pump input, located on the side of the pump shaft tube. A quick review of the provided assembly instructions indicated that this accepts a male quick release fitting (provided) and which must be installed on the input hose. Next is the dark blue color of the pump shaft, filter cartridge cap and brand label.

Much attention has been given to preventing, or at least reducing, the old bugaboo of water filters: clogging. In addition to the external strainer, designed to filter out any impurities larger than 130 microns, Katadyn has designed a secondary pre-filter, referred to as a ‘filter protector’ in the literature, which wraps around the primary filter element. Its primary purpose is to afford additional protection against clogging of the primary cartridge. An additional advantage is that the filter protector is field maintainable. The instructions are provided illustrating how to remove the filter cartridge and then to remove the filter protector, held in place by a stretchable plastic mesh. The filter can then be scrubbed with a provided sponge and the filter reassembled.

The primary filter cartridge is rated to .3 microns, which will remove all bacteria and protozoa, such as Guardia and Cryptosporidium. The next important feature is the activated carbon core now included as part of the filter cartridge design. The activated carbon is located within the filter cartridge itself and intended to reduce the presence of any organic chemicals and generally improve the flavor and color of the filtered water. In the rare instance that one might require additional protection against viruses, Katadyn properly recommends a secondary chemical treatment of the water on the box labeling.

Katadyn has provided a dedicated plastic storage pouch just for (and even labeled!) the outlet hose. This is a very nice detail. Another plus is that by having two different hose fittings, it is not possible to accidentally connect the input hose to the output fitting, further reducing the possibility of accidental contamination. Another nice detail is the inclusion of a black nylon carry pouch. The pouch is 9 in (23 cm) X 7 in (18 cm). It has a zipper closure across the top front and two nylon webbing loop tabs at either end, one 1 in (2.5 cm) long, the other 2.3 in (6 cm) long. Inside the pouch is a tag which gives “Important Field Tips”.

For more detailed information on the Hiker Pro, please refer to my Initial Report.

Field Experience:

I have carried the Hiker Pro on a series of backpack overnights during late summer and now fall. The nylon stuff sack makes the pump very easy to store and keep in my backpack. The packed size is not very small, but it still disappears pretty easily in my small backpack, an Arc’Teryx Needle 35. The Hiker Pro has been used as the primary and usually the only filter used on these weekend trips, ensuring a fair amount of use.

The filter has proven to be as rugged as its predecessor and has survived at least one drop onto the rocks in a Harriman stream bed when I was climbing down the shallow, rocky ravine to reach the water at the bottom. I am in the habit of assembling the pump and then carrying the filter and bottles, etc., to the water source. In this case, it might have been better to carry the filter in its small nylon pouch and assemble it once safety ensconced on the rocks at the bottom of the ravine, as an assembled filter can be a bit of an awkward handful. This is normally not an issue in the normal surface stream scenario, in which I just walk up to the stream and make myself comfortable on a handy shoreline rock. The only 'wear & tear' issue has turned out to be the little plastic bag that the intake hose is stored in. It remains intact and the zip-lock closure works fine, but several small holes have appeared in the plastic. I'm not certain what caused this, as the bag has been stored inside the filter's nylon stuff sack at all times, except when being used. So, it is either a result of being knocked around inside my backpack or when lying around on the rocks while filtering (or both!). Fortunately, the bag can be replaced with an inexpensive ziplock bag available at most grocery stores.

As far as filtering goes, the Hiker Pro performs as easily and reliably as expected. Pumping large volumes of water requires only moderate effort and is accomplished rather quickly. The resulting filtered water is clear and has no odd aftertaste, common with some chemical treatments. The quick connect fittings do not leak noticeably. The filter serves well as either a solo filter or as the primary filter for small groups. Gallons can be filtered in just a short matter of minutes without exhausting the pumper (me, in this case!). There is no excuse for being improperly hydrated when using this filter given a reliable water source to filter from. 

We are fortunate in the Northeast to have much in the way of high quality surface water which is easy on pumps. Clogged filters are virtually unheard of. This summer and early fall seasons were exceptionally dry, however. The result was low water levels which necessitated putting the filter intake line into deep cracks in the rocks in the search for deep, free-flowing water, but it usually ended up bouncing off the bottom of the stream in just a couple of inches of slow moving water. This increased exposure to algae, debris and other impurities that can normally be avoided. The Hiker Pro did the job just fine, supplying cool, clear water.

I was curious as to how much material the filter was removing from the water, so I disassembled the cartridge to have a look. Removing the filter cartridge is simplicity itself, just screw it out of the housing in a counterclockwise direction. The first thing I noticed was some minor discoloration of the prefilter (see Fig. 2). Next, I removed the mesh screen and the prefilter, which appears to be a thin synthetic layer of some sort. Much to my surprise, there was a significant amount of material built up around the outside of the filter cartridge (see Fig. 3). This illustrates that the filter was picking up quite a bit of material from the water and filtering it out. The water appeared to be quite clear in the streams! What does concern me a bit is that the material seems to have gotten around the prefilter. It is possible that the material is an extremely fine particle that just passes through the prefilter and the result is the buildup I see on the filter cartridge.

Fig.2  - The filter cartridge removed.	Fig. 3 - Filter cartridge without prefilter

  
Summary:

Likes:

1 – Quality materials used all around.
2 – Very easy to filter large volumes of water.
3 – New upgrades, including quick release fittings and filter protector design.

Dislikes:

1) Size and weight, which really are not that unreasonable, especially when considered against the resulting advantages: Easy filtering of large volumes of water.

The more I use the Hiker Pro, the less the size and weight seem to bother me. The fact is, in areas where frequent water supplies can be expected, the filter takes up less room and weight than a  typical 1 liter water bottle. This has the additional advantage of letting me drink cool, fresh water instead of the tepid, stale water that I've carried in my pack all day long. This is far more refreshing. I find a short water break is also a pleasant opportunity to relax a bit and take in the scenery.

I will continue to use the Hiker Pro in the field. The filter will be exposed to some below freezing temperatures towards the end of the test period. Also, I have fitted the quick connects to my water bladder and purchased various fittings to take advantage of the filters 'quick connect' versatility. I will get these extra goodies out in the field for some experimentation to see if they work out as intended.

Reviews > Water Treatment > Filters > Katadyn Hiker Pro > Jim Sabiston > Field Report