Katadyn Gravity Camp 6L Water Filter

This filter failed us one day into a five day canoe trip to the Boundary Waters.I had the pre-filter screen in place around the filter and only collected extremely clear water to run through our Basecamp 6.0L.The first two or three fills of lake water just drained through that filter and the resulting water tasted really good.I felt like a genius for ordering this product.However, the next day, things changed.When the flow of water slowed to a drip, I disassembled the filter and couldn't find anything fouling the pre-filter, so I flushed the screen with some of our precious drinking water and tried again. No improvement.After the second day, we ended up boiling lake water to use for our drinking water and giving up on the filter for the rest of the trip.After returning home, I did some research and found that others had run into the same issue, but some had commented that the manufacturer was standing behind the product and doing a one time filter replacement under warranty.I called Katadyn and spoke to a customer service rep who indicated that in some areas of the BWCA, where we were camping, have an transparent (invisible?!?) algae that can clog filters. I have been going there and pumping drinking water from those lakes for 17 years and hadn't ever heard of such a thing , but they are the experts on lake water filtering, so I gave them the benefit of the doubt.Also since they agreed to send a replacement filter, I felt better about their explanation.They indicated that the new filter would take 6 weeks to arrive.And so, I promptly forgot about it, figuring that it was all taken care of.It is now 7 months later and I haven't seen that replacement filter yet.The one up side is that this unit will also use the tried and true Hiker series of Katadyn/PUR hand pump filters, of which I have a spare from my hand pumped water filter.That little bit of thoughtfulness on their part earned them a second star on this review, which, I will admit that I gave to them grudgingly.Ok, Katadyn, that's my story. Now, it's your move.***Update***: 2 years later and still no word from Katadyn.I am very disappointed in what I had once considered a great company.***July 2019 Update***: After the update that I posted above, Katadyn reached out to me regarding the problem that I had with the original filter which came with my Gravity Camp 6L. I only saw it recently although they posted the reply 6 months ago.They got back to me when I emailed and are now sending a replacement filter.Also, they were extremely thoughtful in letting me know that to use the Hiker Pro filter, (which I had mentioned was my backup plan for continuing to use this product) I would need an adapter. I didn't know that the adapter wasn't included in the package or built in to the design.They volunteered to send that adapter to me as well. I did not ask them to do that. They offered it on their own.That was making me pretty impressed.I haven't' received those items yet, but I wanted to let anyone who is reading these reviews know that Katadyn is working to win back my business and my good opinion of them.If we get the filter in time for this years BWCA trip, I will get back to you with another update.Thanks for reading.

I loved this filter for its ease of use and fast flow on Day 1. I bought it early summer 2020 and took it on a weekend trip filtering clear streamwater. Then we took it a 3 day trip in the Sylvania Wilderness in Michigan. It still worked great! Then we took it on an 8-day trip into the Boundary Waters and it completely died on day 5. I don't just mean slowed down (that happened a couple of days earlier)--I mean completely died. Not a drop could be gotten. We were careful to get water that was clear and free of gunk. There is no way to backwash, clean or otherwise resuscitate this filter in the back country. This is not only inconvenient but potentially dangerous. The company says it will replace the filter if it clogs within a year. Some MBA must have figured out that the average buyer camps less than 10 days in a year. This is part of a disappointing trend toward disposable camping gear--buy it for a season or two and then buy more crap. I purchased the 6 L filter and was using it for myself and two children--not a lot of water usage. HIghly recommend against this product.

This filter is not for backcountry hiking or even camping. This may would be best for filtering hotel water in Mexico. I am currently hiking the PCT and got tired of squeezing my water through sawyer filter. At first the gravity camp 6L was awesome but it didn't take 30 liters before the filter came to a drip. I cleaned the film after EVERY use because I assumed the bad reviews left here on amazon were made by people who failed to maintain the filter. I was surprised to find that was not the case. The issue lies with poor engineering. The film is narrower than the casing and water flows around it. Each time I removed the film I found large debris behind it. I only used this filter in the Sierras from snow melt streams. There will never be a stream more clear on the PCT than springs at 10,000 feet. Thru-hikers should stick with the squeeze and deal with the labor. This was a frustrating lesson for me after waiting for an hour at each water source waiting for a 1L/30min drip. I don't care about the refund or replacement. I have used the bag and hose to make an inline sawyer.

Bought this two years ago. Took it to BWCA twice now for a total of 25 days. The first time we had to filter some pretty gnarly beaver water out in no man's land and it gummed up the filter. We could barely use it and found it couldn't really be back flushed. We didn't have an extra filter with so used tablets or saintly patience while it filtered a drip at a time the rest of the trip. Katadyn sent us a new filter free of charge when we returned and told us that algae mucked it up and this is a common issue in the Boundary Waters. The second trip was 15 days and we gave it a second chance. We used it the whole time without issue. We did gather water in separate containers then poured them into the filter at camp vs using the bag. Maybe a little extra work but fine by me because trying to haul 6L of water in one go over the side of a canoe is risky business anyways! Tippage is imminent.Overall the filter packs pretty small and provides clean water for a good size group. Easy set up, easy take down.

I purchased this item with the impression that katadyn was the best. We were on a 10 day backpacking trip and this filter was one of 3 that we brought with us. The water we were filtering clogged this filter in about 2 minutes. we tried to clean it as best we could but it would only flow as fast as an IV. MSR is a much better brand and could filter hundreds of liters of the same water before it needed to be cleaned. I don't even want a free filter that the warranty offers because I know it wont last. Hopefully people read this before purchasing.

I love how easy it is to filter water with this system when camping. And it packs away so small, takes up less space than my traditional hand pump and now I’m not pumping for 5 min every time I need water when camping. A must have for backcountry camping.

Brought this backcountry camping and the part you have to screw onto was not even attached to the bag. I'd give it -5 stars if I could as i had to go into town to buy a new water filter

Very quick filtration