Isle Royale Forums

What is the difference between the Katadyn Hiker Pro and the Katadyn Hiker? I looked and the size was about the same but the only difference was the Pro had a carbon filter. Which would you recomend?

I think the chassis is identical. I have a Pur Hiker (now Katadyn) and my brother-in-law has the Hiker Pro. The hiker pro also adds quick-connect tubes, which is really slick. You no longer have to try to squeeze the rubber tubing onto the fitting, which always seems tough when your hands are cold.
You can't go wrong with either filter, both have seemd bullet proof and can handle some pretty nasty intake water. Personally, as long as money isn't a big issue, I'd opt for the Hiker Pro.

My buddy has the Pur Hiker (Katadyn) and we have used it on every hike we have been on. It is pretty fool-proof and works well every time. Like, Tom said, it is very reliable and has filtered some pretty nasty-looking water for us over the years as well. We've been happy with it.

We took Toms advice and opted for the Hiker Pro.

I use a hiker pro and had an unexpected issue when I used muddy water from a stream along the Buckeye trail in May. I plugged the filter up in just a few strokes even with a coffee filter on the end, I was aware that they plugged up but I was overconfident of their ability and I used it perhaps a couple dozen times along a few trails without problems.
I tried a Platypus with some success but it's more difficult to use in some cases. The Platypus requires that you hold the top water bag open in the water source which is not easy in cold weather or at a site where you can't stand close to the water IE on a steep bank or deep water drop off.
The Platypus bags are superior in construction to Camelback pouches with sturdy strap handles etc. The camelback hook that hangs to the backpack broke off on mine.
I have no experience or knowledge of ceramic filters myself.