Nov 10, 2008 - But three models are by far the best sellers on the market: Katadyn Hiker, MSR MiniWorks EX, and the MSR SweetWater. Each of these filters. Thruhiked with a sweetwater and a pur hikerpro (different years) and been around alot of miniworks. My hikerpro could pump water so much faster than either of the MSR pumps (when i used the sweetwater, it wasn't owned by MSR yet) the sweetwater was always clogging, and the miniworks was slow. Many times around friends at water sources, i could filter 3-5 qts.
Posted by3 years ago
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Does anyone have much experience with any of these filter systems?
- MSR Miniworks EX Water Filter - $89.95 at REI
- MSR SweetWater Water Filter - $89.95 at REI
- Katadyn Hiker Pro Water Filter - $84.95 at REI
I have a big road trip coming up this summer and I'm going to be using the filter everywhere from canyonlands national park to Yosemite national park to Olympic national park to Glacier national park to Grand Tetons to the badlands (assuming I can always find water lol). Thats why I'm opting for a pump style, since it seems fairly versatile, able to take water from difficult to access sources (puddles, shallow streams/trickles, etc) as well as larger bodies of water.
The thing is, I can't figure out what the functional difference between the EX and Sweetwater is. I've read the specs, that the EX can screw onto a nalgene and has a 'ceramic with carbon core' filter while the Sweetwater is slightly smaller/lighter, has an outflow via a tube, and has a 'silica depth matrix w/carbon.' But I don't know what this means in terms of filtering ability - are they the same and thus is the decision just personal preference?
Then the Katadyn Filter seems pretty similar except requiring about 1/2 the pumps per liter compared to the MSRs, having a pre-filter, having the bike-pump style handle which some people seem to dislike, and using a glass-fiber based filter system.
Anyone have opinions, experience, advice, or any words of wisdom regarding this conundrum?
Thanks in advance!
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