Question:
I am in the market for a new water filter. I am perplexed by the choices. I am tending to lean toward a lever action pump such as the MSR and also one that does not use iodine. My use will be almost exclusively in the US in areas such as the Boundary Waters. Do I really need virus protection. What are your filter choices and why

Answer: All filters available for sale should be adequate for purifying US / Canadian waters as we don't have any nasty viruses to worry about. Pick one you find easy to work, that has enough capacity for you My only real recommendation is to definitely buy the prefilter. IMO it's not optional equipment. This is usually an 'extra cost' item. It's not the strainer often supplied with the stock water filters. The prefilter prevents clogging of the filter, which can happen distressingly early on a trip. Another trick is to rubber band attach drip coffee filters over the inlet to strain out the big stuff.

I just bought a Pur Hiker but haven't had a chance to take it out yet. I pumped water through it at the shop and through the new low end MSR. Both were around the same price. Both had the same micron rating. Both were field service able. But the hiker pumbed alot smoother. And at 10 dollers it edged out the MSR. Also the the sales person notified me that the Sweetwater atachment that kills viruses will fit on the hiker if I ever want to upgrade the protection level