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The Katadyn Base Camp water filter conveniently filters up to 2.6 gallons of water in less than 20 minutes. If you're family camping, on an extended trip, or have set up a base camp, this hanging water filter is a must-have. Just fill it and hang it, gravity does the rest. The Base Camp removes bacteria, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium to EPA standards. The cleanable, replaceable Hiker Pro microfilter cartridge survives up to 200 gallons, depending on the initial water quality. An outlet hose and on/off valve conveniently fill containers without wasting your precious water.
Bottom Line: Why pump when you can let gravity do the work?
My filter stopped working after two uses filtering rain water. I loved it the first two times, it was great. Didn't get anywhere near 200 gallons of use..more like 4. Maybe my filter was flawed, but at 34 bucks to replace, I'm pretty bummed.
i took this filter on a 5 day canoe trip in algonquin park ont. worked great for the first two uses then slowed to a drip. used what looked to be clear lake water, is thier a way to clean the filter in the field?
It's interesting that you had this experience, because with fairly clear water you should be able to filter much more water without having to clean the filter. However, I have had a similar experience. When I first got this filter, I was able to filter probably 30-40 gallons of murky water with little problem. However, I eventually replaced the filter, and on my last trip I had to clean it after only about 20 gallons of relatively clean water.
Yes, it can be cleaned in the field (without fully dissembling it). Drain the water, turn it inside out, and then take the mesh off of the filter and clean it (there is a tubular netting that slips off of the filter and allows you to unwind the mesh). Then, I put the filter in the water and (underwater) scrub it with a sponge or clothe. This can improve the flow for a while.
One other trick I have found is that if the filter begins to slow down, with the bag still full of water I will pinch the bag and 'rub' the filter through the bag. This usually speeds up flow for a little while.
When this filter works, it works great. However, I am always sure to have another filter (or water purification method) just in case.
I bought this thinking how nice it would be to save time and trouble filtering water when backpacking. I used it and almost immediately the filter flow slowed to mere drops. At that rate, it would take about a day to fill up a 1 gallon water container. We're going to switch back to our regular water pump/filter. The water was clean, alpine, high elevation lakes in the California Sierras so we were starting with gin clear water. They need to re design their idea.
The replacement filter is the Hiker Pro replacement cartridge: http://www.backcountry.com/outdoorgear/Katadyn-Hiker-Pro-Replacement-Cartridge/EXT0047M.html
I see some have had not so good luck with this product, but I can say I have been 100% satisfied. I have had this on 7 or 8 trips into the BWCA and I know for a fact that I have ran 72.8 gallons through this filter. I have also filtered some extremely dirty water and it has work perfectly. I would just make sure that after my trip, I would remove the filter and carefully do a thorough cleaning of the bag, hose and the filter by just rinsing off the junk that the filter left behind. I today still use this filter and I know I can run more through it without worrying. Keep your tools clean and they will last!
I just recieved2 of these filters new in the box put a gallon water in them and am getting nothing but a dribble. It has been hanging for an hour and is still has more than the water in it. What am I doing wrong??? Thanks, Randy
You know the drill. Sit or squat by a stream or lake, and pump, pump, pump until your Nalgene is full, your arm is too tired, or the filter clogs. Chug water, then repeat. Man, I really hate that. With this filter, that is not necessary! I fill it up, then my biggest problem has been remembering to turn it off when my bottle is full (not uncommonly, I look to see clear water spilling out of my full bottle). This is a great filter for a base camp. My fellow backpackers are always happy to see that I have this filter along; it saves a tremendous amount of time and effort. I really don't know why everyone isn't using a filter like this.
16 day high-altitude trek. Our Outfitters used two Base-Camps to supplement boiled water for 12 people on this trip. Worked great-no intestinal problems.
I have used this for a few trips into the boundary waters now and it is the way to go for water purification. We used to pump our water through filters and that would take forever (with sore arms afterwards). Got to say this thing is a champ and filters enough water for our entire group of 6 people while we set up camp. We have filtered our at least 60 gallons so far without an issue.
I'm taking a Katadyn Base Camp into the BWCA for a week long trip. I was about to purchase a Dromedary or other similar product, when it occurred to me that I might just use the Base Camp as my water storage device. Does anybody see any reason why I wouldn't just fill the Base Camp with lake water, hang it from a tree, and leave the water in it until I want to fill a water bottle, cooking pot, etc.?
I have always hated having to pump water first thing after getting to camp. Well, with this gizmo, you can "pump" water and set up camp (or relax) at the same time. I recently did a 5-day trip, and the performance of the Base Camp was just outstanding. Hang it up (adjust it to the right height so the hose doesn't drag the ground - easy with a short rope and carabiner), fill it, and let gravity fill your Camelbaks, Platys and Nalgenes. We were blessed with relatively clean water, so no problems with clogging - this could be an issue on longer trips with sediment-loaded sources (there's no "backflush" procedure), so carry a backup filter cartridge if you expect these conditions (or wrap a coffee filter around the installed cartridge and secure it with a rubber band).
We are doing a 16 day 16 person Grand Canyon river rafting trip in May 2009. Anyone have any experiance with the Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter. Is the river silt a problem?
If I was using a water source where there was a large amount of silt I would purchase a collapsible sink fill it with water first and let it sit for a while to let the silt settle to the bottom before pouring it into the filter bag, this will cut down on constantly cleaning the filter. This method takes a bit longer for setup but evens out over time.
I've used this filter with murky river water, but not water with a lot of silt. I would imagine that--with lots of silt--you'll just need to clean the filter more often (just like you would with other filters). There is a thin mesh filter before water gets to the actual filter, and this catches most of the larger debris. On a long trip like that (with that many people) I'd make sure that you have numerous filtration systems. For example, if I were going on a 4 person, 2 week trip, at a bare minimum I'd have the Katadyn Base Camp, an extra filter for it, and at least 1-2 hand-pump filters. On a raft, weight and size are less important than on a backpacking trip, so I would rather be over-prepared when it comes to ensuring that there's no chance that I would need to skimp on fresh water. Other than an injury, there's no other thing that can sabotage a trip like running out of fresh water can.
This is an excellent, EXCELLENT filter. I can't recommend it enough. I (a total backpacking newbie) went on a 4 day backpacking trip in the high Sierras with 5 very experienced backpackers. I like to hydrate, far more than the average person, and I have once tried to pump water from a normal Katydin filter, only to be totally disappointed at how hard/long it takes to get a little water. So when I discovered this filter on the Backcountry website, I thought it was too good to be true. It was perfect! In the end it made the trip so much easier: We all could fill our bottles as soon as we got down to set up camp, we had plenty of water for cooking and drinking, and nobody was stuck with the labor of pumping for 6 people. We had plenty of water again in the morning, and then could all pack out with full bottles of water for the long trek ahead. Every guy on the trip said he'd never drank so much water hiking, because it was too hard to pump, and that it had made a real difference in their trip.
Has anybody used this in freezing conditions? Does it work for that? I could just imagine water freezing in the tube or filter and having a problem. Anybody know? have any experience with that?
Well if it's outside in sub-freezing conditions, the water will obviously freeze. This isn't pressurized or forced at all, so it probably won't keep it from freezing. That said, it won't suffer any damage from freezing, it just won't run, so if it's out overnight and happens to freeze and thaw in the morning, you're fine.
Used on our annual Canadian fly-in fishing trip. Worked out great! Ease of set-up and use. We're able to refill our 3-gallon jug with "hands-off" ease. Fill and walk away. It beat the pumping alternative that has been our choice over the years. Never ran out of water for our scotch!
Your concerns are justified but the main compartment is designed to contain suspect water. If you're still concerned, run a 32 to 1, water to bleach solution through it followed by a liter or two of clean water. From Ray. I just returned from doing a 16 day trek in Nepal. Our outfitter used 2 Base Camps. They love them, but also supplement them with Katadyn Micropur tablets if they suspect their water is below human feces and thus possibly contaminated with dangerous viruses. First they filter,then add one Micropur tablet per liter of water. Since the filter has taken out hard to kill protozoa (plus all bacteria), the remaining viruses are killed in 15 minutes. No chlorine or iodine taste either. I'll admit that chlorine bleach would also work, but I don't like carrying bleach, measuring bleach, pouring bleach, or tasting bleach. thanks, Ray
The Base Camp is ideal if you need to quickly filter large amounts of water. My mistake was not to test it before field use. The unit leaked profusely around the filter housing, dripping into and contaminating filtered water.
After the first use the results were excellent. Could fill a Nalgene bottle within 2 minutes. A 2 liter Platypus bladder within 3-4 minutes no pumping. May be a bit bulky vs. a mini pump, but not very heavy. Worked great in a lake. May be a problem scooping up enough water from a small creek or trickle. I may carry it in place of a pump. I have a Miox for ultra light use. You will like it!
This filter worked great!! I used it to filter water that was trickling from a cave wall. The wide mouth of the bag collected the water much easier than the old taint bottle. I only gave it a 4 because the tube was difficult to attach to the filter at first, other than that, it is exactly what I expected. Also, I would never rank anything a 5, so consider a 4 to be A1.
This is a life saver for us lazy folk! Fill up with water hang and put cup under it. It is that simple. While canoeing on the PM river in Michigan I use it as a hydration bladder fill & drink. mmmm
So it is not my style to drink water from a lake, but the need for water in the wilderness dictated I use my Katadyn Base Camp Water Filter. With the exception of getting the water tube on to the down spout (below the filter) in cold conditions, the Katadyn hang em high contraption purified my water with ease. Gravity is your friend with this system as you dont have to pump anymore. Buy and use this with confidence that your water will be safe and refreshing.
We took this on a river trip as a back up to several 7 gallon jugs of water, we set it up to try it out and didn't used much of the other water after that. In fact we wound up dumping most of the jugs of water to lighten the load on the boats and because we knew we had this. I can't wait to take it on a backpacking trip. I may actually stay hydrated with this in my pack. It packs up really small and is super easy to use. If you are looking for a water filter i would highly suggest this one.
I haven't had this out in the field yet, but I have tried it because of previous posted experience. I had no problems with the filter or bag. The Base Camp has amazing output volume. I have tried other gravity filters and add-on kits and they just drip. This FLOWS!
I just used this water filter on three-day river backpacking trip. It worked great, I had no problems. Its lightweight and compact. I especially like the "no pump" feature. By the way, thanks for the great service!
2 Comments Last Comment: November 5, 2009 by: Steve Masters
By: Steve Masters
November 5, 2009
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