Buzzillions.com - MSR HyperFlow Microfilter Reviews www.buzzillions.com

Does the job in an ultra light package

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:01 GMT

Does the job in an ultra light package

Igor from San Francisco, CA

I picked this critical piece of gear up few days before the trip [...] I did no research and read no reviews and decided to just try it.I took the filter to Desolation Wilderness. It performed extremely well out of the box. We drank running water, standing water and eventually, near Ralston Peak, really swampy water. Water tasted better then what I get at home! Nether I or my friend got sick. So filter did its jobs well.Filter is very simple to use and feels really distilled to only the parts you need. I was able to stick it in the cargo pocket of my hiking pants and mostly forget about it. Try that with one of the old style filters.However not all things are rosy:For example, it took me several hours of messing with it to really understand it completely after I came back from the trip. Switching it back and forth from back wash to regular mode is less then trivial until you just get it.The pre-filter is a great idea as it floats on the top of the surface of the water avoiding kicking … Read more

I'll be buying this for friends!

Wed, 30 Sep 2009 00:00:01 GMT

I'll be buying this for friends!

dalylab from Portland, Ore

I researched many water filters and read many reviewers complaining about ceramic filters clogging - even after just 100 oz of water (my camelbak, basically). The need to pull apart a ceramic filter in the field and scrub on it after so little water was not a plus; then there's the weight. Then I came across this filter. It's so simple to use, lightweight - and can be cleaned merely by backflushing with clean water (& in my experience it lasts long enough between cleanings it can be done at home). While some worry about breaking or freezing, this is a tool - just like my GPS or camera; these things do need to be given care. My final PLUS: While a ceramic filter eliminates everything, including taste - this gets rid of the waterborne nasties without getting rid of taste. I swear there's nothing more appealing on a hike or camping trip, than tasting the water around you. Without meaning to perhaps, the MSR Hyperflow Microfilter has added another element to my outdoor e … Read more

Information for you before you buy

Wed, 07 May 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Information for you before you buy

Free Range Kevin from Japan

I thought that I had done all of my research on this product before I bought it, but upon it's arrival I found some information in the provided literature that was not anywhere else that I had looked. This filter uses a "hollow fiber" filter. This is exactly what it sounds like. When you look at the end on the filter, you see what looks like a bunch of the ends of tiny straws. The upside is that this filter filters well, pumps very easily, and pumps a lot of water fast. After reading the reviews, and doing my own research I was sold. When I got the filter, I noticed a little "warning" in the instructions that says you shouldn't let the filter freeze, or be stored below 0 deg Celsius. If this happens, The filter will be damaged, and may not filter out all the nasties that can make you so horribly ill. I can only deduce that as the filter is a bunch of tubes, that if it were to freeze, the resulting ice expansion would shatter the tubes. This seems like a major over site to me. I have … Read more

Works for about a day

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Works for about a day

jdavidse from Baltimore, MD

I just got done hiking the Appalachian Trail, and carried the Hyperflow from Troutdale, Virginia to Maine. (about 1700 miles) I hated every minute I had to use this awful pump. I was replacing an older MSR miniworks, which was twice the weight and moved a very low volume of water. Because of the way I had my water system set up with a camelbak inside my pack that is very difficult to remove on a regular basis, I needed some sort of pump to pump water in through the drink tube.The technology behind this filter is flawed. Simply stated, backflushing does almost nothing to clear this filter once it gets clogged. So you basically have a very effective, as-advertised 3LPM pump that is even exciting to use, until it clogs for the first time. That first time for me was about 8 Liters. After that, it was the biggest pain in the butt to use this thing. The pumping became so hard that I would need to brace one arm against my knee to get the needed leverage. It was like a daily workout, … Read more

Take Tablets this thing CLOGS FAST

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:00:01 GMT

Take Tablets this thing CLOGS FAST

Gaqua from Frisco, Colorado

On the 1st day of my backpacking trip I filtered clean running water with this filter and it worked great. The 2nd day of the trip I stopped to filter and the MSR Hyperflow was super hard to pump so I tried to backflush with the small amount of water I had left with no luck at all. We ended up boiling water for the rest of the trip and bad mouthing MSR for it. When I returned home I eventually got the filter to backflush which is a pain. The MSR Hyperflow does not pump as easy as it did when it was NEW. The documentation recamends taking a extra cartrige on longer trips, from my experience that means 2 days! I'm not sure about the freezing, shake it dry. Dropping it?? It's a little weak but it is LIGHT. I'll keep tring it and backflush the filter everytime, it takes time so that kills the super fast pumping time. I knew it was too good to be true! Read more