Rambling Review – Katadyn MyBottle Purifier
Why:
Staying hydrated is arguably the most important aspect of backcountry fly fishing in Arizona. Carrying enough water to stay hydrated for 12 hours on the stream can be borderline backbreaking, and if you are solely relying on carrying purified water, you run the risk of running out of drinkable water on the hike out, this, if you don’t have a premium bottled water supplier. My good buddy Antonio turned me on to the Katadyn MyBottle Purifier and I have found it to be one of the most essential pieces of gear that I carry while fly fishing.
First impressions:
Dimensions – The Katadyn MyBottle is 10 inches tall and fits in most backpack/fanny-pack water bottle holders. Empty, the bottle weighs about 8 ounces
Capacity – After cartridge displacement, the MyBottle holds 24 ounces of water.
Field Use:
I have exclusively used the Katadyn MyBottle Purifier for the past year for all of my small stream fly fishing. The concept behind it is pretty simple. Unscrew the cap. Dip and fill the bottle. Put the cap back on and drink. What I really like about the bottle is that I can leave it empty right up until I want a drink. This leaves me carrying much less weight in my pack. When I am ready to head out of wherever I am at, I fill up and have plenty of water for the hike back to the truck.
The model that I have has the full ViruStat Filter. I have drank many gallons through the Katadyn MyBottle and been completely fine. But here is what the Katadayn website says:
“Katadyn MyBottle personal water purification systems utilize a multi-stage, modular system. At the heart
of the system is the ViruStat® microbial purification cartridge. The ViruStat® uses iodide resin to kill
99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, including Klebsiella terrigena, and 99.99% of viruses, such as
Poliovirus type 1 and Rotavirus Strain SA-11…”
At the end of every trip, I completely disassemble the water bottle and filter to let them air-dry. This is recommended by the manufacturer to extend the life of the filter and bottle as well as keeping the whole system from getting a funky smell.
The only negative thing that I can say about the Katadyn MyBottle Purifier is how tough it was in the beginning to get water out of it. At the beginning I could get water out but not without a ton of squeezing, but once the bottle and filter were broken in, it flowed much easier.
Pros:
Lightweight (it’s glorious not having to pack in all the water you’re going to drink)
Ice-cold clean water
Convenience
Cons:
Bottle took some time to “break in”/difficult to squeeze and get water
Prognosis: The Katadyn MyBottle is one of my necessities that I take into the backcountry and well worth the investment.
* Disclaimer:
The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.
Dude, just drink the water without a filter, it wont hurt. I have always drank from back country steams and lakes without any filtering/water treatment and I have been fine. Originally I did this because I couldn’t afford a water filter and I didn’t want to carry it either. Now that I have been going without for so many years ( a couple trips a year for the last 20+ years), with no ill effects, I really believe that for the most part that almost all back country water is fine. There may be the occasional case of “beaver fever” but I am sure that it is pretty rare.
With that being said though, if I was going to purchase a filtration system, that thing would be at the top of my list. It does seem pretty cool.
Thanks for the review.
I’ve had a couple friends do that and it just weirds me out. This thing is light enough to do the trick though. Thanks John.
Ben
By drinking unfiltered water you are gambling with your health. Salmonella, Gardia and e-coli are present in untreated water in Europe and America. They can bring about an abrupt and er, messy end to a trip. There is also Polio and Hepatitus in water to a lesser extent, even in the developed world. Don’t be a simpleton – filter it.
http://www.overstock.com/Emergency-Preparedness/Katadyn-Base-Camp-Gravity-fed-Water-Filter-Reservoir/5473358/product.html?cid=202290&kid=9553000357392&track=pspla&kw={keyword}&adtype=pla …. This filter still packs in light, dip it in water source, hang it, and then go to other camp task and come back to 2.6 gallons of ready to drink H20. On the other hand, there is the long way of boiling water in your jet boil but boiled water lacks O2 and has a flat taste. Bring some powdered Gatorade to flavor.
I have the Platypus version of that and you are right, it is awesome. Nothing like letting gravity do all the work. Good stuff Eric. Thanks for the link.
Ben
Nice review! I have considered purchasing one of these for a while. Out of curiosity, how long is the filter life?
Thanks David. Katadyn says that the filter will last for 26 gallons. It’s tough to say with any accuracy, but I have been using mine heavily for a year and half and it’s still good. It is a great option for those backcountry trips.
Ben