The Katadyn Pocket filter is the mighty mouse of water filters. This filter is meant to be highly portable, and incredibly durable. This little guy, unlike the Katadyn Hiker Pro, is meant to be used for years and years and years. The filter itself is a good deal more expensive, but it is rated to last for upwards of 13,000 gallons of water on a single filter….. Thats a lot of water, jus’ sayin.

The pocket filter is about 20ozs which isn’t the lightest filter on the planet, but it makes up for it with its durable construction. The device is one of the only filters that come with a 20 year warranty (excluding the actual filter part itself). But even the internal ceramic filter can be used for quite some time. When it gets a bit grimy, all you need to do is pull it out of the device and wash it by hand. That will remove a lot of the problems and the filter will typically hold up through five-seven cleanings before you need to get a new one.

The water that this filter puts out tastes like bottled water, provided that you thoroughly clean the ceramic filter and then allow it to dry completely once you get it. This removes the slight plasticy taste that the water may have when you first get the pocket filter.

The system is highly modifiable as well. There are several accessories that you can get for it, including an Active Carbon filter which you can attach to the device. This allows you to filter out things like viruses and stuff you might run into when drinking from generally contaminated water. While I’m not an expert on the matter, I wouldn’t worry about this kind of an extension if your drinking from generally clean mountain streams. But if you’re going to be drinking from water sources in or near heavily populated areas, then it is good to include this addition with your pocket filter so that you can rest assured knowing that it filtered out EVERYTHING that could potentially harm you.

When comparing this solution to something like the Lifebottle, a similar product, there are a few pros and cons which you may want to look into.

The first being the active carbon filter. This device does come with one by default, although it is an easy addition. The life bottle comes with one built in by default making it a more compact solution.

Which leads me to the second thing that the life bottle has over this system. This filter is a collection of parts, unlike the life bottle which is just one piece. In order to use the pocket filter you need to put the hoses on the device and get it ready to pump while the life bottle is just dunk it in water and fill it up.

However, the hose system that the pocket filter employs has its benefits as well. For instance, you can get water out of sources which are as little as one inch deep. With the life bottle, you need to completely submerge it in water for it to be able to be filled up. Also, there are several reports that the water tends to taste better from this filter than it does from the life bottle.

Also, the pocket filter has longevity over the Life Bottle. This device lasts a good deal longer and can filter almost ten times as much water before it requires any new parts.

All in all, you really can’t go wrong with the Katadyn Pocket Filter. It is a fantastic buy. It is a bit more expensive than other options out there but it makes up for the added cost because it simply lasts so much longer than other options on the market.

The pocket filter is available for purchase from Amazon.com.