A water filter is one of the most important pieces of gear you can carry. Without water, your chances of surviving for any length of time are pretty small. Not having enough clean drinkable water prevents your body from carrying out its normal functions, and can lead to death in as little as three days (possibly much sooner in harsh desert environments).
Whether you’re a hiker, a prepper or just someone who enjoys wilderness activities, having a way to obtain clean drinkable water is essential to your survival. While there are a number of water filters on the market, there is only one that I trust enough to put in my bugout bags, and carry as my main form of filtration when hiking. That Filter is the Katadyn Pocket Water Microfilter.
Over the years I have encountered a number of different types of water filters. While some of them worked for a while, not many of them were built to last. When choosing a water filter, one thing I look at, is how well it can take a beating. The last thing you want is a wimpy filter that breaks the first time you accidentally drop it.
Why we like the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter
The Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is no skimpy water filter; the thing is tough and can take a beating.
The manufacturer claims that it’s built for a lifetime of use, and they back up their claim with a lifetime warranty. From our own internal testing, I can tell you that this is one rock solid filter. In my opinion, it’s probably one of the most reliable and longest lasting filters on the market. As an update to the original review, this filter is going on its third year now and is just as solid and reliable as the first day I started using it.
Through a countless number of excursions into the wilderness, this filter has never once failed to deliver clean drinkable water. Its construction is top-notch and feels tougher, and more durable than any of the water filters that I’ve used over the years.
While it is one of the pricier filters on the market, its durability, ease of use and lifetime guarantee more than make up for the higher price tag. I’ve used some of the cheaper plastic filters in the past and found that many of them failed even during controlled conditions. That’s the last thing you ever want to happen in an emergency situation.
In a survival situation, water is your number one priority. Do you really want to put your life in the hands of a cheap plastic filter? When choosing something as important as a water filter, this is one area where I refuse to settle for anything but the best.
The Dirty Details
How much water can you filter with the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter?
The internal silver impregnated ceramic cartridge is designed to filter up to 13,000 gallons of water. The average person drinks somewhere around 1.9 Liters a day so that averages out to roughly 71 years’ worth of drinking water from this one filter.
How does the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter stack up against the competition?
DURABILITY
A lifesaving product like this needs to be built to last, and must be able to stand up to the harshest of environments. Hands down the Katadyn Microfilter has got to be the most durable, dependable and well-designed filter that I’ve ever tested.
It’s easy to use, easy to field clean and uses top quality materials that give it a rock solid feel.
WEIGHT
One thing that you need to consider is the overall weight of the filter. Although the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is slightly heavier than other filters of its size, its reliability and indestructible design make it a much better option than its plastic counterparts. While some light hikers may be a little disappointed with the filters 20oz weight, those that have never considered carrying one may find it helps them reduce their overall pack weight.
A gallon of water weighs over 8 pounds; carrying a water filter and knowing where to find water can help cut down on a significant amount of water weight. I usually carry the Katadyn filter with one full canteen and one empty one in my pack. The empty one allows me to cut down on water weight while giving me the option of carrying extra water if I’m in an area where it’s scarce.
FILTRATION
The filter is built to eliminate micro-organisms such as bacteria, protozoa, cysts, algae, spores, viruses and sediments greater than greater than 0.2 microns( 0.0002 mm). This effectively eliminates microbiological contaminants to the U.S. EPA standards for filtered water.
The filtration process itself was extremely easy. It worked with every commercially available canteen or bottle that we tried and even worked well when trying to fill up our hydration packs.
OVERALL IMPRESSION
When it comes to buying a product that your life depends on, you better be damn sure that product is built to last. In my opinion, the Katadyn Pocket Microfilter is one of the only filters on the market that can live up to that challenge.
If you’re interested in taking a look at the filter, you can buy them through Amazon.
Great review and I can’t agree with the author any more than most on this thread. My counter opinion to dad paying for college: your child is now an adult. This illusion of parents paying for college is a joke. Sure your son/daughter needs help but how much is too much? Let them pay for a few things while you line up what will have tangible value now versus paying for something that doesn’t have a guaranteed function later.
To all who read and agree but “can’t afford it”, I say bollocks. Cut cable, internet and cell phone for one month and voila water filter paid for. If you are truly destitute then this isn’t possible and I pray you find a helpful soul to feed you and water you when the time comes. Everyone else just do it and get it over with.
For the person questioning Berkey or Katadyn you can’t compare. Katadyn in your backpack, Berkey in your kitchen. Both offer similar filtration and are almost identical in cost.
Hope nobody took this too personal but I’m a father of four living on $32000 a year and I manged to get both so most don’t have any excuse. Just my two copper coated pieces of steel.
To all those who are on the fence about getting a Katadyn Pocket Filter…remember this: It would be better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it! Water is life!
If things get bad enough where we have to survive for over 60 days we are pretty much screwed. I won’t waste resources on ideas from folks that want to make good folks crazy, betting on your trust in them, getting very rich on folks like us. To me its a scam… Pete
First off, parent paying for your kids college. Help ’em out but don’t baby ’em. They will appreciate their education more.
Secondly if you out there in the survival community think that it’s a waste of money to send the kid to college vs getting a water filter….if it’s an either or situation, send the kid to college and save up for the filter. When your kid has a skill set that’s needed, and you have a mindset for survival and shtf come find me. Ill share my filtered water. No man is and island. And I’d rather cooperate than make enemies looking for my valued gear, not saying give it over, but cooperation.
Lastly, just remember everything you give up to survive and limit and diminish the worth of your survival at times. Trade humanity for safety and you don’t deserve either. Trading liberty for safety is the same way.
Sorry typing on a smart phone is not the best way for me to edit my postings.
I live near brackish (salt and fresh mix) river. Will this filter be adequate for the wife and I? Or must I have desalinizer? BTW: Not a hiker, interest is purely ‘all hell breaks lose’ ‘power down, hurricane type survival. Thanks.
It will not remove salt.
Has anyone tried the Sawyer filter line?? The filter mfg. claims to filter to .1 micron for the Point One line of products and they have a .02 filter system that will filter out any biological and VIRUSES. I have the .1 filter and have been under a boil order for some time now with no issues regarding sickness. I contacted a rep from Sawyer and they said I would be safe using the .1 micron filter for this purpose.
I think the .1 micron will suffice unless it is a source with suspected viruses. Usually in North America the lakes and rivers do not contain viruses but I would imagine a stagnant water source may contain viruses. I would then use the .1 to initially filter out the water and then use the .02 filter to eliminate 99.9997% of viruses.
The .1 filter removes 99.99999% of bacterial cells.
The rate of flow is based on head pressure! In short your .1 will flow quicker than the .02 micron filter , but you will have filtered out viruses without chemical additives or boiling!
I have one. It blocked up almost straight away and I can’t get water through it or back-flush it successfully. Good theory – bad in practice.
I’ve read reviews on Sawyer filters, one stood out to me.. Think the guy had been using his filter in Ghana for like 6 months and had zero issues or any sickness.. I have a few for caches..
Honestly have yet to try 1, maybe I should..lol.. I do plan to pre-filter whenever possible to help keep from clogging.. I know entend to try before I buy more for cache.. Living in very rural KS hopefully they cover my needs. Way I see it, if work for my needs $20 they could be worth a fortune as barter post shtf. If not I now know what to get, may get one regardless.
If I get one of these filters, can it just sit around unused in my bag without failing? What kind of maintenance is required weekly/monthly/yearly?
I agree that this filter is expensive. I have one and feel it’s worth saving for. Super durable product.
Can someone please answer the previous post? Thank you.
……jake mccandles says:
January 1, 2015 at 12:37 pm
If I get one of these filters, can it just sit around unused in my bag without failing? What kind of maintenance is required weekly/monthly/yearly?
to the dad; college textbooks are one of the absolute biggest scams going. Put as much research into options there as being done with prep/survival gear and you’ll see.
From virtually endless 2nd hand sources on used texts, multiple issues in the library (for those who cant afford), photocopies of important portions/articles (work aound copywroite reg’s), and other ways of not having to spend large amounts of money for very short term & minimal use.
I’ve been trying to save and budget for the Katadyn but my emergency bag(s) have the cheaper options currently and those will rotate to 2nd line spares or donate/trade to others
good luck