Has anyone used this for larger quantities of water in camp?  I'm just wondering if it's worthwhile.

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Yes, works good for a group

look for an old post some pages down.

We used it for the first time last year on three trips and liked it a lot. Having large volume of water around camp beats having to pump the MSR every time you want a liter of water.

Anyone know if they make a ceramic filter for these??

I just purchased mine.  I am trying to figure out the best bag to put the hose into for catching a large amount after it runs through the base camp filter.  Is there a bag that has a hose insert just for this?

 You could probably stick the outlet hose over the spigot on this carrier, open the spigot valve and let gravity do it's thing. Check out the Dromedary line of water bags, they sell adapters to fit between water filter and wide-mouth type Naglene bottles/water bags that will adapt to the Camp Filters outlet hose.
 This is a nice item, easy to pour water out of, and folds small.

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Who sells that adapter you're speaking of?

MSR makes a universal adapter that hooks up to hydration bladders or wide mouth Naglene water bottles.

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 You could take your filter to a good outdoor store and in the water filter accessories dept, you could probably find the adapter and check it out before buying to make sure your filter will hook up with it.
  You need to decide how you want to use the filter? Do you want to fill individual water bottles, which means you'll have to keep a eye on them, or fill one Big container, like the spigot jug, and then go from there?  If your going to use filtered water to cook with, you might want the bottle adapter and figure a way to use a large jug container as well?
 The outlet hose on the Katadyn filter can be either inserted in a spigot nozzle, or get a piece of plastic house from the hardware and sleeve over the spigot and outlet hose.

S_T

Does that adapter have an insert for the hose?  I don't see one on the picture.  Thank you very much for helping me out.  [smiley=dankk2.gif]

I was thinking of running the filter hose from the filter bag down into a 6 liter dromedary with that adapter if the hose could fit into it.  Then from the dromedary we could cook or whatever.

By the way, yesterday I asked 4 different salesman at Bass pro if they sold any water containers like a "dromedary," and they had never heard of the word "dromedary."  :-?  I'm wondering if you have to get them on line.  I did find Mountain Equipment Co had them for $31, and maybe I'll just get it there.   :-/

Keep in mind that you don't want to have a completely sealed container for the filter's outflow.  If you don't some way for the air to escape as its being replaced by water, then you'll build up a positive air pressure in the container and that will ultimately curtail the water flow.  

One negative with using a "bag" container over a rigid one is that you'll likely fine the need to hang both the bag and the filter.  If I'm filling a nalgene-type bottle, I DO use the bottle adapter from my MSR water filter (which has an air-relief hole in the top).  However, more frequently, I'm just running water into one of my cooking pots.  Whether bottle or pot, they rest on the ground, braced with a piece of wood or rock to avoid slippage.  I adjust the bag up and down with a length of rope and a carbiner (which I unfortunately left on my last campsite on Batch last year).

dd

BTW:  My base camp filter got used for roughly 21 days of camping last year.

WSB,

I don't know for sure, but it think under that red dust cover, there are spigots to adapt your filter to the bottle?
I've dealt with Campmor for 30 years now. They have a money back policy. I'd call them, ask to speak to a product specialist and tell him what your trying to do. Worse case scenario, you send it back for full refund. I'd get the adapter and bag from same source. They ship real quick, same day normally and in all those years, they've NEVER been anything but helpful.
 I'm not surprised that the salespeople at Bass Pro didn't know what a "dromedary" is?? Many of the so called outdoor people at big retail outdoor stores are "catalog" outdoor people. I'm surprised they didn't tell you it was a CAMEL  ;D

It's obvious they hadn't done any desert expeditions!   ;)

Have used one for a long time.... and absolutely love it.  We bring in some collapseable 2-3 gallon containers and usually fill a few of these up per day with clean water from the filter.  Hang the collapseable jugs from a tree, open the valve, and it's just like having a spigot with running water.

This thing looks kinda neato.....Does it work?......Do you all like it? How much are the replacement filters and are they widely available? Is there anything that you all don't like about this thing?

marlin55388 wrote on Mar 27^th, 2009 at 1:09am:

This thing looks kinda neato.....Does it work?......Do you all like it? How much are the replacement filters and are they widely available? Is there anything that you all don't like about this thing?

1.  Does it work?  Yup
2.  Do you like it? Yup
3.  How much ...? About $40 (unless you find a sale)
4.  Widely available? You can find them online and at stores like Cabelas.
5.  ... don't like about it?  It doesn't have an auto-shutoff and it doesn't fill itself. ;)

dd

we use both the hiker and basecamp. we use the hiker on the move and fill everyones waterbottle in the lake, then use the basecamp in camp-it saves a lot of time and hassle. we found the filter lasts alot longer getting water out in the lake. nice thing both take the same filter.

rookie_in_03 wrote on Mar 28^th, 2009 at 3:00pm:

we use both the hiker and basecamp. we use the hiker on the move and fill everyones waterbottle in the lake, then use the basecamp in camp-it saves a lot of time and hassle. we found the filter lasts alot longer getting water out in the lake. nice thing both take the same filter.

DITTO - can find the filters for $30 when on sale

We use   (You need to Login or Register when we're on the go, and then use the base camp filter when we get to camp.

O.K., I'm confused.  The Katadyn Base Camp filter is between $55 to $65 everywhere I look.  I think it was DD said they could be had for about $40 on sale, but I don't see anything even close to $40, (unless you were referring to the replacement cartridge).

Second point of confusion:  On the Katadyn website under the heading 'Endurance Series', I find the Katadyn Camp filter.  It looks just like the Base Camp except it has a cleanable ceramic element.  That's a good thing...right?  Problem is I don't know who sells it and how much more $$$ it costs.  I need to do a little more surfing to see if I can find the ceramic element model.

Terp

Not an expert with all this stuff but have some experience.  We have done a week-long trip the last two summers.  The first year our group had my MSR ceramic pump filter and the other two filters in our group were the paper filter Katadyn pumps.  I wasn't too happy with my MSR at first because it is much slower than the Katadyn pumps.  And, because I didn't know what I was doing I didn't realize when it needed to be cleaned.  So, we mainly used the other two filters the first year.

This last year I bought one of the Basecamp filters and it was an instant hit with everyone (and we had 15 in our group- and no, not in the BW or Q).  I paddled out to fill it for the first few days but eventually as everyone was getting their water from it some folks filled it from shore a couple of times on about day 3.  That did it in.  It slowed to the point of not being usable.  We were back to pumping again.  

So, it was great while it worked.  I think if you were using it for a reasonable amount of people, and were careful to fill it away from shore, it would be fine.  I ended up having to use my MSR after the Basecamp plugged and once I got in the habit of cleaning it often I ended up really liking it.  In a side by side with the slowly- working day 3 or 4 Basecamp the water coming out of the MSR was clearer and better-tasting. I plan on packing a spare filter for the Basecamp the next time we go.

So, there is my limited experience.  Hope it helps at least a little.

If I was buying a gravity filter right now I'd consider the MSR.  I have no experience with them but they say it's field cleanable and it's rated for 1,500 liters per cartridge versus the 200 liters for the Basecamp.  There aren't many reviews on them so it's hard to say if it would be a better choice and worth the extra money.  But, it would be worth looking at:

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Originally the basecamp had a ceramic filter - now they come with the same pleated filter as the hiker pump model.  I'm sure that you can still find the ceramic replacements.  The ceramic one WILL plug easily if you get dirty water near shore.  You can clean it with the scour pad provided and it will help make it work again.  Personally I like the pleated filters because of the fact that we cary both the basecamp and the hiker pumps where filters are interchangeable if there's any problems and the fact that you can buy 2 pleated replacement filters to every one ceramic replacement filter.  Just my $.02

Pax, Since the basecamp is just gravity feed, did you ever try putting a clogged BC filter in your hiker after it quit? I'm thinking the pump pressure from the hiker might extend the mileage of a filter.

This may not be the best place for my question, but, have any of us had, or known first hand, someone who contracted giardia from the BW or Q?  I've been drinking unfiltered, usually un-boiled water taken from a distance off shore for a dozen or so years now and none in our groups has ever had a problem.  Additionally I have never heard a report of any of my tripping friends who also drink unfiltered water who had a problem.  Maybe I'm living in a dream world or have been very lucky.

I like the sounds of the Katadyn Base Camp filter but I don't have reason yet to buy one.

Terp

Terrapin,
I've picked up giardia twice, once in the Q once in BWCAW.  Near as I can tell, the first was from swimming in Shade Lake near a much used campsite and the second was probably cross contamination from an inexperienced friend not using a filter properly.  Not much fun either time.

Regarding the rest.  I used the Hiker for years until mine cracked last year (it cracked along the pump cylinder and created the best squirt gun I've ever used).  I bought a new one, thinking that my old one had lasted about 7 years of hard use.  My new one, with more fancy bells and whistles (mostly the hose connectors) actually cracked in almost the same place within about two weeks of use.  When I inspected it, I discovered that the new model is cast as two pieces and (presumably) epoxied together.  The seam actually runs along the pump cylinder and, apparently, the pressure forced a split in the seam.  I returned that one and picked up and MSR ceramic filter pump.  My friends have used them for years, but mine seemed to require filter maintenance after every liter and drove me nuts.  I picked up a Basecamp for a 12 day trip with a friend.  We liked it, but it did slow down by the end of the trip (it would take an hour or more to filter 92 oz).  I use collapsible Kanteens from REI (92 oz) to filter into and they work pretty well.  They stand up okay on their own, but I usually brace them with a rock or against a tree, etc.  I will use it again in the future, but I will always carry a hand pump, as well, to use during long days or for a quick liter or two.
GP

Terrapin wrote on Apr 4^th, 2009 at 2:40am:

This may not be the best place for my question, but, have any of us had, or known first hand, someone who contracted giardia from the BW or Q?   Terp

I have 3 friends I guided with who all had giardiasis, but all of them swore they treated water.  Best guess is that it most likely came from some unsanitary practices of not washing hands, dirty dishes, etc. or ingesting some lakewater.

Regardless, watching the 3 of them run to the restroom a dozen times in an hour has made me not want to take chances with the giardia bug.  I'll filter or polar pure my water.

I'm thinking giardia takes about 10 days to kick in. So usually you're home by then. There's other things that can loosen you up too. Just the change of water or greasy meals...
Giardia you'll have the little bugs doing laps in your intestine between the sudden urges. It's pretty definite you have something. But count back 10 days if you want to figure out what happened and where you were.

Talking to my local outfitter it seems the filter people are demostrating back flushing the basecamp filters to clean them.

Get a hose to hose coupler and attach the output of a pump style filter to the output of the basecamp. Pump clean water backwards into the basecamp and dump the contents of the basecamp bag.

This year we started hanging the base camp and letting it rest for 30 minutes to let whatever sediment settle, before opening the line.  This seemed to help.  The bag tends to sag down around the filter housing, creating a low spot for sediment to keep it away from the filter.  Usually there isn't much, as we usually fill it well away from shore.

Also, be careful to not let the water level get below the filter when filtering - you'll get air in the filter and this will slow down the gravity feed badly.  Not a problem with a hand pump, but definitely is for the bag.