Katadyn vs MSR which is best ???

So in looking online at different water filters etc.....i am seeing two different ones that seem pretty good....i was wondering if anyone here has an opinion as to which one is best in long term outdoor survival situation.

what if you don’t have over the counter water to clean it with and all you have is river water and or creek water etc? Are you able to clean it with that?

would it be best to boil the water and then use that or is that defeating the purpose of this?

what about the water purification tablets do you still need to use that for say double protection etc...?

here is a couple of you tube videos i was looking at to get some ideas.

I have a katadyne that I bought for emergencies. I still have it but never used it. But since, I heard the Berkeley water purifiers are one of the best. They are gravity fed and come in 3 sizes. I plan on buying one very soon. I live in California and I have a very uneasy feeling that our turn is right around the corner for a monster quake. Best to stock up on storable food and amenities.

Filter, filter, filter..... why not a purifier? A former girlfriend of mine is a microbiologist who did THE paper (with co--writers) on campylobacter jejunis in the backcountry which along with the much better known cryptosporidium and giardia, are the three main causes of illness from outdoor waters.... however, to forget about viruses seems silly to me. Yes, they are more common in tropical climates but still here and there in the U.S. MSR tried to hire her for filter design but she declined. She recommends a purifier. I use a General Ecology First Need Deluxe. Not ultra light but ultra safe! The only EPA approved non-chemical purifier. Or use a Steri-pen, which uses ultraviolet light to kill the cooties, along with a filter....iodine, etc, does not always kill cryptosporidiium spores, chlorine dioxide is better.... and so on. But none of them remove heavy metals as does the First Need. LOTS of info on filters and purifier designs in backpacking sites. If you are in an urban area and its not "clean" tap water, there may be chemicals or metals in the waters. Beware!

hi TmTrvlr and jaxnmarko thank you for your comment.....

however I have a few questions here.....I’m just now starting to look at stuff like this and I am not familiar with any of it.

I was looking at this to say take on the go and for survival purposes of being able to have clean drinking water while hiking it or roughing it with a back pack…..as in say no way of getting clean drinking water from a store or faucet etc.....

Are these purifiers you two speak about an on the go type of item? Is this something you can carry with you and use? Or is this something for say the kitchen at home?

Hope my questions don’t sound too stupid I am just now really trying to learn about all this stuff.

reply to post by Shar


I have both of those filters, as well as something very similar to this and all 3 options work okay for backpacking trips. However, cleaning and clogging can sometimes be a problem, depending on your water source, so it's always a good idea to have a bottle of tablets (like Potable Aqua) with you as well. I often get lazy and don't want to take the time to sit around filtering water (depending on the day) so the tablets are a great back up plan.

reply to post by LadySkadi



hi thank you i checked out the site you gave me seems pretty good as well. I have already picked up some tablets but i'm sure I need more.

out of the three you have, do you have a favorite?

Life Saver bottle.

Used in Afghanistan by UK SF and Royal marines amongst other units. Very light, very strong and has a filter limit of more water than a single person needs to keep themselves alive in an entire year.

After a year you should be semi settled and be able to boil up your drinking water

www.lifesaversystems.com...

I don't ever leave home without mine in a 'Go' bag.

reply to post by Astr0


hi thank you i just checked out the website and was reading it, this sounds pretty good however for the hand held ones it says 250 liters or 66 gallons. However the Katadyn pocket water filter says it will filter upto 13,000 gallons of water, before it needs replaced.

i wonder if i am missing something here, like does the katadyn need to be clean often and the lifesaver dont? idk

Jaxnmarko is right, and my best suggestion would be to invest in a great purifier, and use the filter for the water as it is collected, before purification. This is great advice for those with low white cell production, and can not risk it.

KBR screwed up big time in Iraq with some units, and claimed their shower water was sanitary, when in fact it was a fertile spawning ground for cryptosporidium. To say the least, check out Iraq for sale to hear first hand the stories of unclean water and the risks involved.

A filter will do if nothing else is available, especially in cases where the option to purify are at hand.

On the "dual survival" show, one guy uses a clear plastic bag to use the sun on the water. To those people always saying a plastic bag, make sure it clear.

reply to post by Shar


Life bottle is just fill and go. No need to stay stationary for longer than it takes to fill the bottle up. Just thought you'd like an extra option

reply to post by Shar


No. I don't have a favorite. You can't go wrong with a purifier, the two filters you are looking at are similar, the lifesaver bottle is the quickest. Boiling water and tablets are another choice. It's really up to you and what situation you find yourself in.

reply to post by LadySkadi


I have both an MSR winiworks and a Msr hyperflow, the miniworks is my favorite due to the ease of use, element life, and field cleaning. It’s a little bulky compared to the hyper flow but make up for in the ease of use area. Don’t get me wrong I do like my hyper flow, it’s very compact and still has a good filter life and ability. It’s small and lite enough you could clip it on your belt a not have it be a bother. The miniworks filters to a smaller micro than the hyper due to different elements (ceramic vs. micro tubes) but the hyper dose remove most of the crap (dose not remove virus and some chemicals if I remember correctly). Both have there ups and downs, but they are very man portable and efficient and a must for pre sterilization in extreme situations. My advise would be to check out their site and investigate for your self and see witch is right for you, read more reviews and specs, take your time and decide based off your situation and what your going to use it for and what likely areas you’ll be in. also check out the other brands and types of filter and purifiers out there. They all have their pros and cons as well and it would be best to have a least 2 different systems for total clean ability and a redundancy factor.

I've been using the Katadyn Hiker (formerly PUR Hiker) since 1995. I upgraded the cartridge and it runs like a top. Bonus, the same cartridge works on the Base Camp model as well.

Katadyn makes great products. In addition to the Hiker I have also used one of their desalinators with great success.

I can't knock MSR because I have never used their filter products. Love their stoves though. MSR Whisperlite International will burn any commonly available fuels from white gas to jet fuel. Great all purpose stove.

ETA
you should always carry purification tablets like the Micropur packs as a back up or second line of defense if the water is highly suspect.

hey all i would like to say thank you to ADVISOR, AstrO, Ladyskadi, minesweeper, jibeho, jaxnmarko, and TmTrvir………for your comments and opinions all are great advice and gives me a lot more options to look at and study before purchasing one.....which I plan to do very soon.

reply to post by Shar


Of those 2 , either one will do just fine, they are the most popular ones around and for good reason. I have a Katadyn Hiker Pro and its great. The Ceramic on the MSR will clog alot more if you are cleaning really dirty water as the pores are small and clog easy. But its easy to clean , the ceramic is also more delicate if dropped.

The other thing that tipped me to the Katadyn when I was choosing between the same 2 units, was that I see the katadyn filters everywhere, stores that dont even carry much outdoor stuff will have those, I have never seen a MSR except at REI. So in a SHTF situation something you "might" want to consider.

But either one will be fine and be much better than nothing. Get some tabs or just plain bleach for the purifying. Right now , viruses are not a problem in USA in water, so the filters will clean out the crypto and the like just fine, couple drops of bleach and your as good as you can get if your still not 100% comfortable.

reply to post by Wiz4769



hi thank you Wiz that was some good info you gave there. i am seriously at this point really leaning towards the
katadyn..... i will be spending a pretty penny on them as i plan on getting one for each of my children as well. i am putting them a nice backpack together and will be giving each of them one.

Was in the shed all afternoon trying to find my Katadyn! If you want it for back packing, get the katadyn or one similar. The Berkeley is large, like one of those water cooler jugs. Search the emergency preparedness sites and food storage sites, they always have an array and great descriptions. Good luck. Water will be the most important thing in the future.

All this over-hyped crap over water purification and the high-technology methods and items that are 'best.'

UV is an oxidizer.

Chlorine is an oxidizer.

Oxygen is an oxidizer.

Titanium dioxide in the presence of natural light is a powerful oxidizer.

Copper kills damned near anything microbial.

Silver does kill anything microbial.

Keep it simple for a survival situation. It's going to be hard to replace all these fancy filters and UV lights and batteries after a few months.

Ever wonder why the ancients stored their water in brass and bronze containers? Why those who could made their eating utensils out of silver?

Simple.

Rarely breaks, fails, or gets miscommunicated.

I've been using a Katadyn for years backpacking. It has worked well for me and those I camp with. I also carry a bottle of tablets in my pack in case something happens to my water bottle. I am considering buying a Bekeley Light for home use, anyone have one and can give me their opinion. I am fortunate thatI have an abundance of water close to my home but I will need to purify it.

If one is living on the "Ring of Fire" and you want to be prepared with long term water storage, please consider should a massive tsunami hit the West Coast, most of the fresh water will become salt water from the ocean. Best to have one of those 250 or 500 gallon tanks of water stored in a safe place. I plan on purchasing one of these tanks or bigger just in case. Maybe extreme, but all one has to do is watch Japan slowly sinking to realize the severity and power of an earthquake/tsunami disaster.

And if the power goes down, there will be no way to pump the water out of the ground if you live in a city.