Katadyn Exstream Purifier Bottle

[adkdremn]

Has anyone here had any experience with this product? What are your opinions on it, good or bad?

[protocoldroid]

I've been using a katadyn hiker for the last year instead of boiling (glad to be done with that!), and A. I haven't gotten sick, and B. I don't have to carry as much water.

Sounds like it'd be really fast (dip into water and drink! very nice), and definitely light... and the prices on it seem pretty fair to me (froogle says like $42-$50, I got the hiker at EMS for like $65 {I think}). The only concern I'd have with the water bottle as opposed to the traditional pump... If you don't necessarily have the clearest water: Think it might get clogged easily? Like for example, with the hiker... If say a stream is colored, I definitely tie a hankercheif on the intake nozzle so the filter doesn't take in any silt (even though the intake has some mesh to prevent it, it's not really fine enough).

I guess you could throw a hankercheif over the bottle, and secure it with a rubber band, then let water seep in. That'd probably do it.

Anyhow, if you're a water bottle carrying person, it'd probably rock. I like the pump so I can share the purified water, and I like to have my water in a hydration bladder, so that's more for me. But... I'm sure it'll filter water just as well as any other katadyn filters.

[sacco]

i've got a pur hiker (before katahdin bought out pur) and a squeeze bottle one.

i thought the bottle would be the way to go when i bought it, but quickly found out pumping was a lot easier than squeezing. I rarely use the bottle anymore.

[adkdremn]

Thanks guys! I read about the Hiker on the Katadyn website. It says it doesn't eliminate viruses. Is this a big deal? Do you then use the iodine tablets as well, or just pump the water and drink?

[protocoldroid]

funny.... that's one of the first questions I asked when I joined this forum.... If water borne viruses were worth worrying about...

The short answer is: Not in the adirondacks really. If you were going to be travelling overseas / less developed countries... you can get -really- nasty water borne viruses, not to mention polio, so maybe a different purification technique would be appropriate then.

Pump & drink is what I do. I think beaver fever is most of the water worries, and the hiker definitely gets that.

[sacco]

viruses aren't a problem in the adks.
could be wrong, but i don't think there's ever been a case in ny.

[llawhsoj]

yeah don't worry about viruses most places in the states really, it overseas that you run into issues. You do tend to get a better pump effeciency if I recall if you step up from the hiker to the guide though.
ANd just real quick...bottle bad.... though if you look on the cover they have this dude that is just spraying it into his mouth like its nothing.... I really want to see the forearms of that guy. I laugh at that picture all the time....

[Gray Ghost]

I give the water-bottle version my highest recommendation. I bought it because it was light, and a lot cheaper than any other purification technique I came across. You have to do a lot of squeezing, but it is worth it. Also, I don't drink directly from the bottle. We squeeze water from the bottle into our Nalgenes or dehydrated meals, etc.

[sacco]

hey GG,

one of the main reasons i thought the squeeze bottle would work well is b/c it works as a filter and a water bottle- but if you're squeezin it into a nalgene anyway...

have you tried a pump style filter?

they're much more efficient and way faster.

to each his own, and if you like your squeeze bottle than that's cool. i'm just asking you cause i think you'd be really happy with a pump-style filter if you tried one.

[wbwells]

When I got Back into Camping I decided I needed a water system and looked at the pumps.... I chose a Sweetwater and am glad I did...works great and it is the only reasonably priced one that filters down to 2 micron which is what you really need to get all the bad bugs out...anyways I have pumped gallons through it with little effort and no problems yet??

[redhawk]

When I got Back into Camping I decided I needed a water system and looked at the pumps.... I chose a Sweetwater and am glad I did...works great and it is the only reasonably priced one that filters down to 2 micron which is what you really need to get all the bad bugs out...anyways I have pumped gallons through it with little effort and no problems yet??

2 microns or 0.2 microns?

And others are just as effective at removing all the bad bugs as well.

General Ecology is to my knowledge, one of the best systems out there. In fact it's filters, including the microlite personal are used by the US Armed forces, including the SEAL's. The EC filters filter to 0.4 microns

[Boreal Chickadee]

I have a sweetwater but rarely bother to take it with me on day hikes. We just tend to carry waht we think we'll need. But... what i do have in my pack for day hikes is the insert for the squeeze bottle type. I keep it in a ziploc bag (in the freeezer for extended periods of non-use). That way if i do need to filter I can just squeeze that into our spare bottles.

I also gave up Nalgene bottles for day hikes about 5 years ago. Gatorade bottles are much lighter and come in so many convenient sizes. Easy to freeze water in the night before for those 90+ days. The first time my sister did that I thought there would be a riot amongst the three boys on the trip for who got the ice water.

[wbwells]

2 microns or 0.2 microns? 

Missed the .

What I have read is what ever filter you use it should be at least .2 "absolute"
not .2 nominal in order to get the realy small protozoan parasites???

I never did bother with this years ago then got The "Beaver Fever" back in the 70's it changed my mind about being careful of what and where I take a drink.....

Later

WB

[Gray Ghost]

Sacco - The pumps I have seen didn't seem to purify the water to the extent of the water, were more expensive, and didn't appear as convenient to carry. I may not have seen the filter you're talking about. I basically browsed for awhile. Which filter do you use and how much is it?

[redhawk]

Sacco - The pumps I have seen didn't seem to purify the water to the extent of the water, were more expensive, and didn't appear as convenient to carry. I may not have seen the filter you're talking about. I basically browsed for awhile. Which filter do you use and how much is it?

I carry the General Ecology Microlite. It's about $60.00 and very compact to carry. Pumps a pint of water a minute.

It will remove any bug you can find in the water out there.

I think most of the purifyers (note I didn't say filter: There is a difference!) go about the same procewise. the main differences being the type of pump and compactness.

Mine has a "plunger" type pump, which does the job. I have been with a couple of people who had lever-action pumps which were easier to use, I think one was the Katahdin (Lee?).