This filter is best when you need an in-camp-for-two-days-with-a-group answer with all of Katadyn's best features and no weight. Have one member of the group bring this, another bring two collapseable containers, and you're set for water while you're out on a day-hike. Flow rate is fine if you put cloudy water in a container to settle first, or if you rubber-band a t-shirt around it first. Wet the element with pure water first for maximum flow, and it's great.

There is no water filter that can compare to this model Katadyn. I have used the predecessor model of this one since 1969, just replaced filters a few times. It is the only truly field-serviceable model available, and tests better versus the specs than anything else in actual field conditions. Don't waste money on other filters that break, lose their power over time, or go out of style. The engineering changes on this one are great...mushroom handle, clip, better spout and bottom, scotchBrite versus brush, etc. Otherwise, the guts are the same for decades, and for good reason...nothing comes close. I've used it on trips of 22 days in Bangladesh 42 days in the LaConde Jungle, 65 days in the Peten, and 120 days in Hondouras, plus over a thousand nights in the Rockies with no trouble. Mud puddles come clean. I use the Katadyn everywhere but the rare times when I need a true purifier, such as when in the polluted Khlongs (read: sewers) of Southern Thailand, where Hep A,B,and C are present, necessitating a true purifier. Then I am forced to go to General Ecology's First Need (don't know why BC does not carry these!).

One review cited problems with it retaining water...if you pump it four times in the air after you're finished filtering, it clears fully. It maintains its flow rate if you clean it better than any other. A backpacking essential, a world-travel essential, well worth the money.

Snowshoeing in -30 degree weather, your tube will freeze even if you blow back the water, unless you have this kit. With the kit, and blowing the water back each time, you're fine all day long. I keep it on year 'round, since the bite-valve cover keeps it clean in the summer, and it does add a bit of cooling effect versus the uninsulated tube, preventing that first gulp of warm water in warmer weather. For anyone using a real backpack, there is no problem threading it through any opening you'll encounter. All-in-all, fine equipment: essential for winter, a nicety for summer

As a man who sweats at the drop of a hat, I have long searched for a rain jacket that breathes and adds minimally to my temperature. Three days ago, I had occasion to hike in my new Oracle for seven hours of constant rain ranging from drizzle to downpours. The temperature began at a pleasant 68, and quickly moved to 84. The Oracle never gave me that clammy feeling at the neck and chest that even the best of its predecessors did. The vents and pockets proved useful and just where they needed to be. My only concern is that the sizing is a bit small in the chest, and Marmot seems to think our arms are about an inch longer than reality. In all, this is my best rain gear by far!

While TNF remains the king of bombproof tents, this one's not in that great tradition. It is as flimsy as its impossibly-light weight would suggest. It is susceptible to side winds, requires full guying in the lightest breezes to feel secure, and for all the weight-saving mesh in its sides, it is not at all well-ventilated. Its top-tier price makes it all the more disappointing. Good wall verticality and large size for the "two-man" (one with elbows) category are the lone positives.

The North Face says the Gear Loft One works with the Tadpole, but it is too wide, thus hanging in your face. With four gear pockets, the Tadpole doesn't need this or any loft; put up some cord instead!