Katadyn Hiker PRO Water Microfilter

This is why I got it.

1.) It's lightweight and small
2.) It purifies water reliably and easily
3.) It has different sized output devices, one being a water bottle nozzle
4.) It purifies up to 300 liters of water with one filter in optimum conditions

I took this filter on a trip to the boundary waters in MN and it worked great! It comes in a small zip up bag and fits easily into your backpack and you still will have plenty of room for your other items. We had one filter for a group of four and everyone was able to enjoy safe water. The water tasted great and had no bad chemical taste at all. It can fill 1 liter in about a minute of pumping. I like that it comes with an attachment to fit in a Nalgene bottle so you don't have to hold the hose. It also works great with a Camelbak backpack. You can attach the filter directly to the drinking hose and fill it up without having to take out the reservoir.

Katadyn has a history of making very good products. To say that this rises from hiker to hiker pro makes the buyer think they should spend the extra money and move up to the next level. That is not the case. The basic units are the same, you just get more junk with the pro. The extra screen on the pro is flimsy at best, removal is difficult, and I don,t expect it to last long. KISS, buy the hiker and avoid the junk. ;)

Flows nice. Fills a liter bottle in well under a minute with minimal effort. I pumped out of an active beaver pond and didn't get sick. In running water, a creek, the intake siphon isn't heavy enough to keep it in deeper water. The current keeps pushing it out to the edge. I might try a tent stake and a rubber band to keep it in the mid-water.

on my yearly fishing trips - fantastic! It saves so much weight on the float planes to not have to bring bottled water. I also use it on float trips in the lower 48 - really saves weight and space as well as putting out a great finished product.