I recently went to the Ecuadorian Amazon and spent a week living in the rain forest with indigenous people. I went on long treks and relied on the Vario to deliver drinking water from streams I passed on the way. The fact that I never got sick is a testament to the effectiveness of the Vario.
It was easy to hook up directly to my CamelBak, so there was no chance of contamination. Whenever I used it, I had it in the "longer life" setting where you pump a little less water per minute, but it passes through both filters inside. I've used several other filters and the speed and ease which I was able to fill up my 100oz Camelbak is far superior to any of them. The pumping motion is easy to use and it pumps a lot more water even on the "Longer life" (slow) setting than other filters.
Overall I think it is a fantastic product that I would recommend to anyone traveling to locations where you don't know if you can trust the water. Katadyn Vario Multi Flow Water Microfilter
The inlet connector broke after the first day of our 7 day canoe trip. We are not rough with our filters as we have had our other filter for several years with no issues like this. We just wanted something that wouldn't clog so quickly.
We spent the rest of the trip either floating in the water next to or leaning over the side of the canoe with the filter submerged to enable us to pump clean water. Also, there is a little plug under the ceramic filter that will stop all water flow if it gets pushed in. This seemed to happen if the pressure in the filter built up by pumping too quickly. We had to disassemble and reassemble the filter several times to correct this issue.
When the filter was working, it was fast and filtered very well. The ceramic pre-filter was great. The water was clean, clear and tasted great. If this filter was more durable I would give it 4 or 5 stars.
Hope this helps anyone in the market for a water filter.
I've had mine out multiple times and so far it's worked flawlessly. One item to note is that the intake connection sticks out from the side of the unit and is plastic. I would prefer to have had it covered or protected but I just make certain I pack it so that part won't get stressed.
As others have said, this thing filters water extremely fast. I've not had to use it in situations where the water has been highly contaminated or loaded with sediment so I can't say whether it has issues in those situations. The bottom is sized to screw right onto many water bottles and hydration bladders which saves having to use the outlet tube (included). Since I don't camp every week, I follow the long-term storage instructions on the unit before packing it away. This involves running 1L of water with either Katadyn's water purifier tablets or a small amount of bleach through the unit. Next comes removal of the ceramic disc filter to be scrubbed off, and finally removal of the paper/carbon filter to allow it to air dry. After about 24 hours I put some included silicone lubricant on the O-rings and put it back together. I haven't replaced the activated charcoal yet but it's not difficult to find and not overly expensive. If the unit is dried properly the charcoal should last quite a while.
The filter parts have tabs which are designed to make certain the unit goes back together properly, but I have to wonder if some of the problems reported are the result of improper re-assembly after cleaning.
I will agree with others that it is a bit bulky (it doesn't present any problems for my pack) but it's also pretty light, and compared to some of the more compact units, this one produces a lot more filtered water a lot faster. As with most camping products, the buyer should consider the tradeoffs of ultra-small and lightweight vs. lower expense and more usability.
When I purchased this filter (about 6 months ago) I was torn between this item and MSR HyperFlow Microfilter... so I bought this one and my hiking buddy bought the MSR. We took them on two overnights on the AT and then one week long trip camping on a lake in Maine near Mt. Katadyn. They are both great products and each has their own pros and cons.
For the Vario Multi Flow:
Pros:
Fast. Water goes through the pump on both the up and down strokes. Easy to pump, but you can easily over pump it, which is bad because you'll have more pressure than water that is able to pass through the ceramic filter. I've only used this filter in the "longer life" setting, as it's the one that has the water pass through the ceramic filter first.
No field maintenance needed for a week long trip, pumping 5 liters a day in questionable lake water.
Prefilter at collection side of the hose is very effective at keeping garbage out and has a good weight to keep the water flowing in.
Cons:
Big, Bulky (compared to MSR) but not too heavy.
Small leaks around the top sometimes.
MSR Hyperflow:
Pros:
Great size, portability.Easy to keep in side pocket of pack for fill-ups at the stream, I'd be rummaging in my pack for 3 minutes while my buddy was already filling up his canteen.
Decent flow rate.
Comes with it's own canteen top that fits nalgeen and camelback bottles, making fill up to the bottle hassel free. (the Vario connects too, but you need to take the bottle top off first)
Cons:
Filter gets clogged pretty quickly, needs to be "back flushed" to clear it out. During the week long trip it needed to be unclogged several times.
Collection filter is designed to float, and collect water from one side, but it seems to always flip over to the other side while you are pumping, and needs to be constantly reset.
If you are pumping a lot of water (like cooking for 4 people) you need to put your muscles to work.
All in all I am very happy with the Vario and it's perfect for me. - Backpacking - Water Filters - Trekking - Hiking'
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