i want a water filter for obvious reasons. ill probably end up with 2. i want one large capacity / lots of capibilities to keep at home, im thinking of the katadyn ceramic pocket micro filter, its supposed to filter up to 13000 gallons of water, which should be plenty,  i did see a gravity drip type filter that uses 2 , 5 gallon type buckets, and is rated up to 30,000 gallons, for about the same price, ( better for home use ?, it uses the silver filtering method) i also wanted a less expensive model to keep in my bob, possibly a camelbak inline filter, or maybe a lightweight filter. i really do not know much about these filters, i need some advice.........what do you guys use?

home...





bob ?

"Just Water" ceramic drip-filter from Monolithic - Less than 25 bucks gets you everything except the buckets...

The Katadyn Mini is perfect for a Bug out Bag.  I've had mine for about a year and taken it on two weekend backpacking trips.  It worked great.  I'm thinking of buying a second one for the wife's BOB (which currently only has water purification tablets).  

I don't have any experience with the Katadyn Vario or Katadyn Pocket that you asked about.  However, all of the Katadyn products I have used have been excellent quality.

both of those seem like good filters. if i got the 5 gallon bucket filter, would it not be better to get the .02 micron filter, vs, the .05 micron? the ,02 should filter smaller particles correct?

**Edit:
-Anything with holes larger than .03 micron is not worth owning. .03 will work on the big nasties (cysts etc). .02 is preferred but not a necessity.
-The monolithic filters should be under 50 bucks no matter what.
-Pumps are great however in a fast paced setting grab and go is preferred you'll want a suck through for your BOB and a pump/drip for the house
-I forgot a third chemical option. MSR Makes a pen tube that produces its own natural chlorine from salt and electricity it belongs with katadyne pocket (would make the ultimate pair + maybe a couple 50 packs of tabs)

What are your intended uses?

As far as a filter that everyone should have I think every household in America should have one Katadyne pocket + a mono drip bucket setup end of story.

However...

there's more to it.

Do you want to just filter normal stream water that is from a fresh source (low virus chance)?

What happens if you want to drink dirtier water? what if there is livestock in the area or dead bodies etc?

You will also need some form of chemical treatment for viral threats. At home boiling would be the ideal however out and about boiling can be hard to come by so chemicals are your best bet.

There are generally two paths followed on chem treatments either chlorine based or iodine based. I myself prefer the chlorine tabs. You still need to drink the water through a filter but at least the viruses will be dead (gotta filter the bodies jk). The packable filters that have some kind of charcoal filter are nice they put a heavy dent in the chlorine taste.

The best packable (these are tiny) BOB filter I have found are the Aquamira frontier filters. They have a "Pro" and "Regular" model. I don't consider the katadyne pocket or the MSR Pump to be in the same league but they are also are not in the same weight class. These described are for extremely lightweight carry and all can be stuffed into a nalgene (which could still hold a few things i.e. firesteel, Mylar blanket, mirror, compass, 25ft hank 550 etc. with still even pry a bit more room for some other small things and that's all in a nalgene bottle.) a normal water filter is about the size of a nalgene bottle for reference. So these are truly BOB filters. The other larger filters (MSR / Katadyne) fall into more of an expedition class and that's a whole other bag idea than a bob.

Ill start with the pro. The Frontier Pro (military version) is a small filter it looks like an camelbak inline but is smaller around. It filters right at 50 gallons +- it is disposable (normal retail is 25.00). Here are the cool parts it clicks into pretty much any bladder there is whether it be camelbak, source, or platypus bladder. It fits all 28mm bottles (think ozarka bottle or 2liter coke bottle etc). It can also be used as a high capacity survival straw (its little brother the Frontier filter filters 10 gallons vs the 50 of the pro). It is also possible to use it as a drip filter to filter water while you are away or sleeping or busy.

The Frontier Filter (regular) filters right at 10 gallons +- its the size of a lipstick tube maybe a bit thinner and is disposable they retail normally for 12 bucks. I keep one of these and a pack of 10 chlorine tabs around no matter what, takes up the space of a pack of cards. These are great little filters in a pinch you can drink out of a source (without chem treatment) and at least know you wont get any cysts or other bacteria but there is still a chance for viruses better than nothing though especially in a high paced setting or on the run etc.

As far as getting tabs Aquamira and katadyne both make good ones. I like the Aquamira military tabs they are packaged better (more usable on the trail) and come in sets of 10 or 50 and treat 1 tab = 1 liter. The Aquamiras also fizz like an alkazeltor and spread around the chemical on its own. There are also a few liquid options offered (drops) Aquamira makes one I prefer that is in two solutions there is another company that I haven't seen in a while that made one that didn't need mixing cant remember who now though.

As a shameless plug my company does sell Frontier filters and Treatment Tabs and you are welcome to pm me for more info and a discount if you would like.

I feel that you should the smallest absolute filter. Some are rated as nominal. The reason is that creatures in nature can change shape to get into hole or passage. Rodents such as rats, mice, rabbits etc can squeeze into a itty-bitty tiny hole. The same with bacteria, they can change their shape to get into small holes.

BTW: I would get a coffee filters and pre-filters to filter out larger particulates to save the main filtering element

I keep this in my pack.....works well....motivated and a clean filter.....you can do 2.5 + liters of water a minute.

can be configured into drip system.....which is nice for camping....

for home use I don't.....but I do know how to make a rock, sand, charcoal water filter.....I have done it 3 times for demonstration.....and it works well.

+1,000,000 on pre run through coffee filter.....light and cheap......home system too.

ETA:...I have rinsed the coffee filters and used them over and over.

I'll add,  if you are stationary (bug in) a pre-pre-filter through rocks / sand / newspaper / charcoal  would also go a long way to getting out a lot of dirt and larger particles.  Then run through a coffee filter,  then lastly a sub 1 micron filter.    At this point,  the sub 1 micron filters would last a lot longer.

For bug-out,  you aren't going to beat the hiking filters for compactness and performance.  The coffee pre-filter method extends their life when using dirty cloudy water.

For bug-in,  if all water sources are that highly suspect,  filter/bleach/boil.    
Long term make yourself a distiller.

I have a PF and I hate it. 3 reasons:
1) It is alleged to be easy to break.  Probally true, I have broken a Katadyn Syphon filter that did a 4' drop onto concrete in the box.
2) No output hose (for sanitary reasons) makes it dificult to use
3)Heavy though probally indestructable.

Now I'm a fan of the katadyn filter candle, and I have 2 TRKs with spare sets of filters for each, but they stay at the house.  For portable use I use a 15 year old sweetwater guardian (I bought a half dozen spare filters when it was purchased.

For home use, the Katadyn Drip filter is best. I have been using these filters since the 80s.

You just need to keep the filter clean. It comes with a brush for doing this.

I have had no problems with this filter system.

Amazon has them at a good price right now.

The Pocket Filter is a very good, expensive system.

You'll pay out of the nose if you use it for just home use.

+1 I love mine

A suggestion. Go to: http://www.rei.com/category/4500030, go to the reviews on each filter, then sort the reviews by "Lowest rating". You can then see what the issues are with each filter.

i like that ^^^filter for home use.  its priced right.  problem is, its shelf life is a year or two.

thats why i have a sawyer point zero two but its around $130  but i am so glad that i have it.

Here is the longest write up in the world on modern mobile filtration systems. It covers nearly every filter as well as all bugs and viruses and all chemicals.

Zen backpacking guides simply have everything there.

http://zenbackpacking.net/WaterFilterPurifierTreatment.htm

I personally don't want the risk of a ceramic filter in my bob(cold weather prone, not shock proof). I also don't want to have to pump anything. Which is why I recommend filters that are draw through (suck through) for bobs. The more versatile the better. Also I push having chem tabs pretty hard as you probably wont have time to sit around and boil water. Aquamira make a couple good ones. After looking over that MSR from above I think I may check one of those out as well.

Edit:
+1 on the coffee pre-filter.
echo2 Ive never seen that little msr drip filter I like it thanks for the link
Damn after checking out the little msr it has one hell of a price tag on it. I think ill stick with my pocket for expedition type packing and keep a few of the f pro's in the bob

Yeah.....I got it on sale for about $70.00.....I bought one replacement cartridge for it.....haven't had to use it yet....those little puppies are  about $30.00.

It's light and works really well though.....so I didn't think it was a bad investment.

I have, and use, the following filters.....

* Katadyn Pocket Filter - BOB
* Katadyn Hiker - Wife's BOB
* AquaMira Frontier - PSK
* Berkey Light with Black Elements and PF-2 Post Filters - Bug In

All of the filters work great.  The Pocket's ceramic filter could be damaged if dropped, but I like its 13k capacity.  The Hiker is a great light weight pump.  The Frontier "straw" works well for small Personal Survival Kits, but at 20 gallons its only really an "E&E" type filter.  ALL of our drinking and cooking water goes through the Berkey Light.

For 70 I think It would not be a bad deal. at 1000 liters it would take 5 frontier pro's to equal it.