We sell a large number of Katadyn filters including that one, the Vario. I've used it several times, but that was a few years back. It's a great filter, as are all Katadyn filters. The Vario is unique because it has a variable flow option. There's a faster flow setting for filtering water with minimal turbidity, and a slower setting for filtering out really poor water. On the pro side, I would be quick to mention that feature and the overall quality of the filter. On the con side, the size is too big for most people wanting to use this filter for backcountry use, as in non-vehicle use.
The king of chi-chi filters is the Katadyn Pocket filter, but it's heavy and now retailing for $300+. The Vario is an excellent alternative to that filter.
Just as a suggestion, we'll sell probably 15 Pocket filters every year. We'll sell maybe 12 Vario filters. However, we'll easily sell 85-100 MSR Miniworks EX filters and an equal number of Miniworks filter cartridges which shows people are truly using them.
That's my vote for a filter. Or, for general camping and treating relatively good water, I like the MSR Autoflow gravity system. For ultra-light solo travel in areas with relatively good water I use a Steripen Opti.
By the way, that Katadyn MyFilter bottle works okay, but it's a terrible value. Because that filter element is so easily clogged, few get the full capacity out of it. This means your $45 bottle, quickly becomes a slow, low capacity $100 system pretty quickly. I'd say it's a good option for emergency use in a ditch bag, or something similar.
