PUR water purifier filter

I have a PUR Voyager Purifier which is some years old but used only twice for small amounts of water both times. I tested it, I get the chlorine flow on the first few pumps, and it pumps easily and water runs quickly. Seems ok, but since it has been sitting for years, it occurs to me that there could be some degradation of the filter itself.

There was a thread some time ago in which someone indicated that there is a new owner of this brand, and that filters are still available under a different name. Can't seem to find that thread and "search" is just giving me every post in the year. Can't make it actually search for my keyword.

Does anyone remember the thread (or the information)? Sorry to ask for what I know is here, but search doesn't want to cooperate,

Thanks, jcp

Katadyn. I think.

There is a "Pur" company but they only make the kind for faucets.

The PUR backpacking filters were acquired by Katadyn. I can't remember exactly what the Voyageur looked like; the PUR that is still in the line is now called the Hiker (two varieties: Hiker and Hiker Pro) - can't remember if it's the old Voyageur or not.

REI carries them.

IIRC the Voyager was a Hiker with an added iodine stage, so they could call it a purifier and not just a filter. I also seem to recall there was some controversy as to whether this actually worked against viruses.

From what I can find on the intertrons, a Hiker cartridge will fit a Voyager (buried somewhere in the Katadyn FAQs). Whether this would be worth it or even necessary is anybody's guess. If the filter in question was stored dry, then it's just fine. If stored wet it could be mildewed.

Cheers,

I agree about it being fine if stored dry, with one caveat: does the filter element appear damaged in any way - tears, holes, cracks in any plastic housings, significant discoloration(?), etc. (As I recall it was a "paper" fabric element, not a ceramic element.) If there's visible damage, it's probably no good.

Many thanks all. I found a number for Katadyn-Canada (in Toronto -- nearby) and talked to a fellow there a little while ago. He confirmed what's been said here; if the filter was stored dry and is undamaged "it's good for the next twenty years". Also told me the "iodinized" purifier cartridge is no longer available in North America (health regs), but as noted above, the widely available "Hiker" microfilter fits the case. As noted in first post, it was indeed stored dry (barely used -- just a test when I first got it), and it certainly is working very nicely now. It will go with me and a friend canoeing for three days in Frontenac Park this weekend. Best, and thanks, jcp

Glass fiber, not paper.

Glass fiber - that's it! I couldn't remember the words (thus the "" around paper.)

Our scout troop used half a dozen of these filters, and never had any problem with an element tearing. We finally threw them all away because the filter element would clog easily (high sand and debris content in the water); of course, we rarely clogged an element, because the pump handles broke off before the first element could be used up. We finally trash-canned all 8, and switched to the MSR Miniworks - and I have yet to ever have a problem with that filter. Of course, the problem with the PUR handles may have been as much a function of 12-year-old boys as any manufacturing defect.

My other filter is a Platypus Cleanstream grafted into a ULA Amigo Pro's hose. I can drop my backpack on granite with the filter on the bottom and it won't crack, break or otherwise become unusable.

I don't trust MSR filters not to crack or clog either - have watched too many people have to field strip them.

The Hiker Pro I have is suffering its age, there's a crack around the outlet hose housing. It's plastic. You just anticipate the end and buy them at REI....

I think any filter can clog; my Miniworks certainly has. But, to my 10 little thumbs, it has been easier to clean in the field than any other filter I've used. (I'm currently trying to get used to a Hyperflow; the backflush procedure, which involves removing and reversing some little rubber valves, seems like a real good way to render it inoperable as one of those disappears in the process. My solution so far is to carry an extra element - the ultimate solution may be to revert to the Miniworks.)

Most filters can also crack, if dropped hard or frozen; kept inside my pack, I can also drop my pack on granite and not damage my filter. But, drop the filter hard directly on the granite, and it probably wouldn't survive.

But, tent poles can break, stoves can clog, pads can leak - we all accept that as a normal risk, and plan how to deal with it. That's why I've always carried some purification tablets, just in case (and I'll bet you do, too.)

I can also light a fire and boil water, and would definitely just drink the water in a situation where the choice was risking infection vs. dehydration - it's all risk assessment.

I can also determine north with a stick in case the compass breaks. Still working on navigation with watch hands tho.


I'm actually not paranoid... just very much aware of how easy it can be to not know what to do, panic, and make the situation worse. The more I know, the less I panic.

"The more I know, the less I panic." I'm with you 100% there.

I remember my second-ever backpack trip. (The first was a poorly led trip with a Scout troop - and I got hooked anyhow.)

I went to a local backpacking trail in a state park, solo. I can't even remember for sure whether I'd read Colin Fletcher's original Complete Walker then; I think I had. The first couple of hours went fine. Then, about 4 miles into the hike, the trail left the forest and disappeared into a meadow before going into the woods again (according to the map.) The map showed it ran straight, so I picked a distinctive tree on the other side of the meadow and started walking.

Halfway across, I glanced down for a second. When I looked back up, my "distinctive tree" wasn't nearly so distinctive as I'd first thought. I kept walking what I thought was a straight line, and reached the treeline.

No trail.

Walked more and more rapidly along the treeline, searching for the blaze that had to be there somewhere. HAD to be!

No trail.

By now, I was in the early stages of panic. (I hadn't yet started running in circles, hands in the air, "Woe is me! Woe is me." Yet.) The wolves hadn't started slinking out of the woods to surround me yet, but I could swear I saw yellow eyes in the gathering dusk. (Remember, this is around 1pm in southern Ohio.)

I had enough presence of mind to tell myself to take off my pack, sit down, eat a snack and take a drink, and study my map to figure things out. So, about 10 minutes later, I had a plan. I stood up, picked up my pack - and noticed that the blaze I had been looking for was on the tree I'd been leaning against.

I've never thought you came across paranoid - merely sensible and well-reasoned, like me.

Luckily, that bit is part of the cartridge so gets swapped out with the new one. All in all I've had good luck with the Hiker, going back to PUR days and the "T" handle. Never had a field failure.

I've been playing with the Sawyer gravity system and am a near-convert. I think between it and UV I have enough options, depending on where I'm headed and how many in the party.

cheers,

Sad that it took your comment for me to realize that I misspoke. It is the "in" quick connect housing that is cracked, not the out. If it had been the out it would have been fixed last year when the cartridge was changed.

Oooh, that's not a good spot. I'm guessing it pulls air in, as well as the threat to snap off. Were it to break in the field I suppose you could keep going simply immersing the works in water, but who'd want that hanging over their heads.

Maybe post a parts-wanted ad and somebody with a retired Hiker might sell you the needed bit? There must be a zillion rattling around, unused.

Cheers,

Mine snapped off on the second outing as I was removing the hose. I called Katadyn, they sent a replacement housing at no charge and it arrived pretty quickly.