I use the Katadyn Pocket as well. Great bit of kit.

However make sure you pack it well. A hefty drop and a cracked filter (as its ceramic) will effectively mean its useless until you replace the filter. Thankfully the filters are cheap.

Alternatively just drink bottled beer - water is vastly overrated :-P

Sophie, we did an exhaustive review of water treatment systems in our Fall, 2009 issue, using clinically contaminated water and laboratory evaluation. It's worth the read as it covers all aspects of what a traveler needs to know regarding waterborne pathogens.

I like the Katadyn Pocket Filter a lot. It's slow, but reliable. The First Need XL and Sweetwater are also good choices. Watch out for the UV systems, whether the leave-it-in-the-sun variety or more sophisticated.

I have also been looking at this for a trans Africa trip (www.pictureafrica.org) and found this little Gem... Vending Machines - RO Water - Table Mountain Aquavend (P008 model)

There is very little information on the website. I did manage to get a PDF out of them and it compared on par with a few devices that are more than double the price.

I bought one for around GBP 200 and it is good for 4 000 liters without filter change....

Steripen
 

What about the STERIPEN, this is a bit off topic cos i am riding a bike and space is a bit of an issue.....i'm thinking of using the steripen when you go to a resturant in a little town in south america or when camping in the amazon....would it work as good as the miox pen???

pumps need to be washed with sterilyzed water otherwise you'll kill their porpouse, but they do give you clean water faster than thos pens, pens need batteries, pumps dont......the STERIPEN will work for about 5000 L if i'm correct....just add batteries.....the MIOX pen needs batteries and salt and those testers.....

many many option to choose from....

i'd say for a daily use i would use the stripen.....and for the big tank in your car a one of those nice pumps....perhaps use the pumps to clear that 99% and then hit the plus 1% with the pens! ;)!!



enjoyyyy! ;)!
Matteo!! :)!

The Katadyn can be washed with dirty water to get the filter clean. You're only removing buildup from the outside of the ceramic filter.

You would need to use some prefiltered clean water to clean any filter unless you can clean the dirty side without the clean side getting wet?

If you started out with a decent filter that included iodene resin then carbon, there won't be much left for the UV to work on. If you were storing it and you kept it in the dark with something like Micropur Forte in then it will be fine for 6 months. The only things that would be definitely left untouched are heavy metals, fertilizer chemicals etc and as far as I know the only thing to touch anything like that is a Brita filter, so you need to be sure your source doesn't have any to start with i.e. don't fill up from field runoffs etc.

The steripen seems like a good idea for insurance against dubious hotel tap water, or bottled water where you thought it maybe bottled a bit too locally for comfort (the back of the shop for instance!). If the bottle rim or cap underside was still contaminated however you'd be wasting your time unless you had a clean bottle too.

If you opted for just a mechanical filter then chemical treatment is cheaper and more reliable than something with batteries and a microcomputer!!

Or just boil it like everyone used to!

The other bit I'm not sure about is I'd heard the Steripen inactivates bacteria, rather than killing them. So left for long enough they'd repair themselves? One of the lab reports from their own site uses "inactivates" on one page, then quotes a "kill rate" on the next? :confused1:

With the Katadyn you can easily clean the filter without getting the "clean" side wet. There are two rubber stoppers provided for the in and out lines. As well, the Katadyn comes with a "clean bag" for your outflow hose so it doesn't sit in the pouch with the "dirty" line, rubbing together.

I was told about the Katadyn by a pro climber and bought one. I've seen the other options and I realize I bought the best one out there. $350 or so at the time, but if you're on the road for a year like I was, you don't want to skimp on clean water.

Hi...

I have this bottle and i think that is the best there is... The Lifesaver Bottle

lifesaver
 

i watched the video about the LIFESAVER BOTTLE...that is an amazing thing but not quite what you want on a long ride ....cos how many litres can it hold???

and also...does it needs cleaning after use???

it looks and work really well although!!! Thanks for sharing!! ;)!!

PS

how much does it weight too??

lifesaver
 

i really did not know how much it weights and I put it on a food scale.... 620Gr empty.... it holds 750ml...

but i use it with a 3 liters camelback it takes maybe 2 to 3 minutes to fill it up.... if I’m just walking around I’ll take just the bottle.....

when I’m on a trip i do not clean the bottle... i just make sure that it has some water in... it needs moisture....

when I return I follow the procedure to clean it... also sometimes if you use the bottle with some sandy water it needs a so called field clean..

is nothing much as finding some running water, fill it up agitate and discard....
on top it has a carbon filter and after the trip I’m discarding that… they are selling them for around $5.00
one other reason why i like this one is that if you are really stranded somewhere in the middle of nowhere it can filter urine...

it's a little bit salty ( i made a test:eek3:) but better than nothing... :thumbup1:

Filter Urine wow:thumbup1:

Thanks for all the advice - glad to see the subject sparked up quite a debate! We ended up settling for a First need Deluxe water purifier, hopefully it will do a good job.

Sofie

Go For Aquaguard.. The best i have seen so far..

http://tinytwitt.com/content/23/smile.gif

Steri Pen
 

I will be using a "Steri-Pen". It is standard issue for military. A simple device with AA batteries (in which you can find anywhere recharge). It won't filter, but it uses UV light to kill everything in the water. Great for when you have questions about the beverages you are being served. Just stick it in the glass for a minute or so. You just might have to drink some dissolved or suspended solids. Extra flavor. Comes with simple prefilter screan and bottle with adapter. It comes with a prefilter that adapts to a bottle. If the military trusts it?