Katadyn Explorer Water Filter | 2-Stage Filtration | 480 g

Katadyn · Explorer series · pump filter · 2-stage filtration

Katadyn Explorer Filter
ceramic and activated carbon, 480 g

Stream water that tastes like the stream? Ceramic against pathogens, carbon against taste – and you brush the cartridge clean instead of replacing it.

Buy the Katadyn Explorer water filter – ceramic that renews instead of clogging

The Katadyn Explorer Filter is a pump water filter with two-stage filtration for trekking, camping, bikepacking and travel. The first stage is a ceramic cartridge with a 0.2 µm pore size that retains bacteria, protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, and microplastics. The second stage of replaceable activated carbon handles what you can taste: chlorine, musty flavours, odours and turbidity. At 480 g and up to a litre per minute the filter suits one to four people – and can later be upgraded to the Explorer Pro with virus protection.

Two stages, two jobs

The ceramic handles safety, the activated carbon handles acceptance. That is not a gimmick: water that is microbiologically sound but tastes of chlorine, algae or mud simply does not get drunk enough – a real problem on tour, where dehydration becomes an issue faster than diarrhoea. The carbon stage reduces exactly those taste and odour compounds plus chlorine from treated tap water. It lasts around 500 litres and is then replaced while the ceramic carries on. If you do not need it, leave it out and save weight.

Built for mileage, not for one season

The pump piston is metal – precisely the component that transmits force on every stroke and is first to develop play or break on cheaper filters. The intake hose carries a prefilter with a float that keeps the opening just below the surface rather than in sediment. Together that means less wear, longer cleaning intervals and a filter that does not become a liability on a six-month trip.

Explorer today, Explorer Pro tomorrow

The Explorer and Explorer Pro share the same base. If you currently travel mainly in the Alps, Scandinavia or North America you need no virus protection – bacteria and protozoa are the relevant pathogens there. If a trip to South-East Asia, Africa or South America comes up later, you retrofit the virus stage with the Explorer Pro Upgrade Kit instead of buying a whole new device. The replacement elements are identical too, which simplifies spares.

What the filter cannot do

Viruses pass through 0.2 µm ceramic – that is what the Explorer Pro membrane is for. The filter likewise removes no dissolved heavy metals, nitrate, pesticides or salt. For clear to slightly turbid freshwater sources, tap water of unclear quality and household preparedness it is sized exactly right – covering what actually occurs on European and North American trips.

Key features – Katadyn Explorer Filter

• 🪨 Ceramic cartridge 0.2 µm · up to 20'000 L · brush-cleanable
• ⚫ Activated carbon cartridge · up to 500 L · replaceable
• 🦠 Removes bacteria, protozoa, microplastics and suspended solids
• 👅 Reduces chlorine, taste, odour and turbidity
• ⏱️ Flow rate up to 1 L/min
• 🔧 Metal pump piston for continuous use
• 🌊 Intake hose with prefilter and float
• 🌵 Ceramic storable dry · low maintenance
• 🔺 Upgradable to Explorer Pro (0.01 µm virus membrane)
• 🧩 Modular – carbon stage removable
• ⚖️ 480 g · 213 × 89 × 66 mm
• 🇨🇭 Katadyn · Swiss water treatment since 1928

Explorer, Explorer Pro or Drip Filter – which Katadyn fits?

Start by choosing the form factor. The Katadyn Explorer is the pump filter for the move: 480 g, one litre per minute, ideal for trekking, bikepacking and camping with one to four people. If virus protection is the priority – long-distance travel, densely populated catchments, flooding – the Explorer Pro is the consistent choice, or you retrofit the Explorer later with the upgrade kit. If instead you need large volumes for a hut, camp or emergency supplies, the Drip Filter Ceradyn works in the background without pumping. Buy the Katadyn Explorer water filter at Swiss-Sale.ch – your Swiss specialist shop for outdoor gear with fast shipping.

Who is the Katadyn Explorer Filter for?

The Explorer suits anyone drinking from natural sources on the move: trekkers and thru-hikers, bikepackers, canoeists, campers, hunting and fishing parties – and everyone looking for a rugged, cleanable filter for emergency kit.