Platypus GravityWorks High-Capacity Water Filter System for Group Camping and Emergency Preparedness

Product Information

I’ve been using water filters since May 2019, when I did a 2-month hike using one, since then I’ve tried and tested a few different filter systems and bottles and I can 100% say I’ve not been ill from drinking filtered water.

As a solo hiker it was great that I could hike with less water and then filter on the go.But I was also able to help a few fellow hikers who were low on water during the hike, especially when the weather was insanely hot. By using the Platypus reservoirs and soft flask by total weight for the water containers was about 200 grams, then with 3.5 litres of water (3.5 kg) the total weight was 3.7 kg. Delivering four liters of filtered water is just 2.5 minutes with no pumping, there’s simply no easier or faster way to get safe water away from home. Ideal for bigger groups, the system’s eight-liter capacity eliminates both the worry and hassle of keeping plenty of water around for anything you need. Its 0.1-micron microfilter allows you to confidently gulp down any water you encounter on a long trail (though the murky cow troughs in New Mexico on the CDT did have our tester filtering twice), and the high flow rate means you’re not wasting a bunch of energy just to get a sip in. The wide mouth of the flexible flask allows it to fill up in just a couple of scoops, and you can clean the filter by simply swishing water around in the flask.The filter system is so easy to use and I loved how it was versatile so you could switch to how you wanted/needed to use it at a particular time. The Katadyn BeFree system can filter smaller particles down to 0.1 microns. The majority of reviewers love that it’s both easy to use and clean. If you’ve drank filtered peaty water depending on the colour of the water you can notice a slight soil taste, but it’s not something I’ve ever been bothered about, the darker the colour the stronger the taste of peat you’ll notice. The LifeStraw Squeeze Filter also performed well in testing, though not as much as others on our list. It’s modular, so while it has the filter incorporated inside the squeeze pouch, you can also move it to the outside (and swap out the cap) if filling bottles or not drinking directly from the filter. Both are a great price. No pumping: Just fill the dirty reservoir, hang it, and let gravity do the hard work—yep, filtering water can be as easy as fill, hang, relax.

Effective: Every microfilter is individually tested to ensure it meets EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa**.

Conclusion

Sleek, lightweight, and thoughtfully designed, the newly minted LifeStraw Go Series filter bottle is ready for a rowdy road trip across Mexico, or a casual day on the river. Its streamlined, stylish design joins forces with a 0.2-micron filter and 4,000 L lifespan to deliver a hard-working portable filter that’s equally at home on trail, or around town. The kit also includes a universal bottle adaptor. If you prefer to use a rigid bottle for your drinking water then the adaptor allows you to filter straight into it rather than the platy bottle that comes with the kit. Effective: Every microfilter is individually tested to ensure it meets all EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa*. *This includes Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Salmonella and Cholera. Effective: Each microfilter is individually tested to ensure it meets all EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa*. Filters like the Sawyer Squeezeand Katadyn BeFreeare popular because the actual filter unit is so small, and the weight is close to nothing. The Sawyer Squeeze weighs just a couple of ounces, while the Katadyn weighs 6.8 ounces (but remember, it can filter up to 3 L of water at a time).

To justify taking anything on an extended thru-hike it needs to be dependable, lightweight, and durable enough to last for months of torture. Today, you usually see one of two popular filters being used by long-distance hikers going the length of trails like the PCT and AT: the Sawyer Squeeze or the Katadyn BeFree.Then depending on where the next water source was I’d fill the 1-litre reservoir and maybe my 500 ml one too, if it was a distance to hike. Yes, there’s not really much you need to do other than fill the reservoir, screw the filter on and turn upside-down, gravity does the rest for you!