Where We've Used It
The Katadyn Combi Water Filter has travelled through Mexico and Central America for 5 months. We used it nearly every day filtering almost all of the water we drank. After that trip we continued to use it periodically for both smaller 6-week trips and even the weekend warrior trips. We keep it in the camping box and it's ready to use every time. We have never been sick from the water, and I know that some of the water we've had would have made us ill without filtration.
Maintenance
One of the great features is the easy field serviceability of this unit. All of the pieces come apart with a few twists. The ceramic filter is cleaned with a standard "green scrubby". We've barely but a dent in our filter element. It comes with a built-in tool to measure when you've worn the element past it's life so you know when to buy a new one. That's going to be a long time from now.
You really need to keep the O-rings greased. As soon as they begin to dry out, it stops pumping and becomes useless. On occasion I've had a hard time getting it to prime, so I've had to submerge it to get the water flowing. That can defeat the purpose of filtering the water, as the contaminated water ends up on the discharge spout.
Construction
This filter is built really well. The plastic casing is thick and heavy duty. We throw ours around, it ends up in the bottom of the rubbermaid, tossed around as we travel bad roads, but it never shows any signs of real wear (other than cosmetic scratches).
Taste
We used the carbon particles for a while but to be honest, I really couldn't tell the difference. The carbon can't be older than a few months for it to actually work but really it was more of a hassle than a benefit. The carbon also made it harder to pump.
To be honest, if you want clean tasting water, go buy it. I'd like to know if there are some portable filter units that can actually change the taste - leave us a comment if you've had first-hand experience with one.
As far as getting silt out of the water - perfect. They claim a 0.2μm filter, but like most companies don't give out the confidence limits of that statement - the stated size is usually some statistical average which means that particles larger and smaller can pass through the filter. In any case, Katadyn has an excellent reputation, and it's worked well for us.
Flow Rate
Katadyn states 1 L/min in their product literature. One Litre per minute? Well, with clean water, a fresh filter, and a bunch of energy, no problem. But pass through a few litres and a few fine particles and it clogs up pretty well. At that point it takes a whole bunch of elbow grease - you actually have to work a bit, and it can take up to 90 seconds per litre. But you know, this is a good thing - it means the filter is doing what it is supposed to do.
Summary
All in all, a great filter. It cost a little more than others, but I think it makes up for it in durability and serviceability. It's probably a bit heavy for an extended backpacking trip, but we used it for vehicle travel so that wasn't an issue. Check out our video review to see the different pump parts and a flow rate test.
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