It’s not flawless, though. First, it isn’t as versatile as the Squeeze in that it won’t fit over standard water bottle mouths (this isn’t an issue if you plan to just use the included flask). Second, it tends to clog a little faster in filthy water than other filters, including the Squeeze.

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. 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. Group-ready: 8 or 12 liter (4.0L/6.0L filtered + 4.0L/6.0L unfiltered) total capacity easily supplies water for groups. You can buy the filter part separately so you’d be able to replace that and keep your reservoir. Do you still use filter water bottles or is this a better option?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. Another consideration here is location: if you are going to be traveling through a desert landscape, there may be few to no trees (a necessity to hang some gravity filters properly). For that type of setting, a different style of filter would be best.

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. As someone that hikes in the Peak District this is something I’ve got used to! But I appreciate it’s not for everyone. In the instance of being dehydrated or drinking peaty water I know which option I’d choose! 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*. Ultralight & Ultracompact: System can weigh as little as 6.3 oz. (180 g) and stows smaller than most 1L bottles (depends on configuration).

BRAND

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. The filter has a grey screw lid at both ends, one covering the filter (known as the dirty end) and one that you pour or drink the water from (the clean end). If you’re looking at lightweight, robust and non-plastic tasting water carriers then I’d certainly recommend Platypus. They design their products with a double layer film which means you don’t have that plasticy taste and they are also durable and they have a lifetime warranty on all their products.

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. 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. MSR’s setup is simple, even if you do need ample space to get the dirty reservoir at least 6 feet above the clean water receptacle (fairly common for gravity water filters). The speedy flow rate is ideal, and the bottle adapter fits a range of sizes to allow the filling of separate water bottles or a larger container with the entire 10 liters.

Who is The Platypus QuickDraw For?

Easy collecting & dispensing: Collecting water is easy—simply open the top, scoop water, and close; control delivery of filtered water with hose shutoff clamp. Hollow Fiber Advantage: Hundreds of tiny hollow fibers enable the microfilter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. 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.