Katadyn Vario filter from the backcountry series.

Very practical, easy to use and easy to clean. It weights a little more than the hicker one but it offers a lot more filtrated water. It comes in a handy bag where you can store all the parts.

I have used this filter several times out in the African bush. It has provided me with safe gardia free drinking water. Amazingly clear and sediment free. I always purify the water with a Puritab or boil before using though. It's a little bulky, great for carrying in a vehicle but would go for a smaller version for back packing.

This water filter is just what every back-packer should have, small and easy to carry. A fresh drink of water at a pump without the need to carry water supply. Recommend you take water from a fresh river or brook.

Buying Quality gives you peace of mind knowing you can get parts or repairs. Made in Switzerland not China. Register your Katadyn group products online (includes Optimus) for a chance to win a Katadyn product according to the manual. No serial number visible but not needed for registration.

Now this is a great product! Filters you water on hikes perfectly! Contains a small ceramic prefilter to take out most of the dirt before the mechanoc filter. Had this for 10 years and still works great

Must have for camping/hiking lightweight and saves you carrying water.

Badly designed product particularly the pump. Made of flimsy plastic. When I pumped it I could tell it was under strain. So it is questionable how long the thing would last. It is possible to get spare parts. But not easy and they are expensive. The flow rate was good when it worked. The ceramic filter is good for silt. I wrongly assumed the Vario would be good quality. So did not bother to test it before going camping. It was just by luck that it lasted until the end of the one camping trip. After I had flushed out the carbon I tasted the water. It tasted absolutely disgusting. It would have made me sick if I had drank it. I can say with confidence that absolutely no one would have drank it. The disgusting taste was coming from the filter element. The unfiltered water was good. I had to pump 20 litres of water through until the water was just about drinkable. That was my opinion. I am not fussy. Some people would have thought all the water was undrinkable. The pump stopped sucking water so had to change piston seals. Thought better not flush anymore water through. Otherwise the piston seals would probably not last the trip. A crack appeared around the axil pin it was growing each day. I managed to filter 30 litres of water that lasted the trip. When I got home I tested the Vario. I also noticed that the pins in the linkages that connect the pistons to the handle had worked lose. I managed to superglue the linkages back together. Then super glued the crack. Then tied thread round and covered it with superglue. Got the Vario working again and managed to pump 2 litres of water. Then it again stopped working due to worn piston seals. The o-rings must be the exact size. So can only use o-rings in the Katadyn Vario maintenance kit. There is only one set of piston o-rings in each kit. The maintenance kit is expensive for what it in it. The piston seals only lasted for about 20 to 30 litres. So even if all the other parts were to last for a reasonable time which is unlikely. Just the cost of replacing the piston seals make using the Vario far too expensive. I decided the thing was too unreliable and no good without a better pump and longer lasting piston seals. I am angry I wasted so much money. Decided best to try to find clear soft water and use a good gravity filter.

Maybe you can get smaller filter, but this one working really fast and it's much cheaper.