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

Product Information

Hollow Fiber Advantage: Hundreds of tiny, hollow fibers enable the microfilter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. 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 loop by the lid makes it easy to fill without a fear of letting go and losing your reservoir downstream and it’s handy to use to hold it too. Over the last few years I’ve increased my amount of hiking and wild camping trips. In 2019, I tried out my first filter water bottle for my E2W Challenge, hiking 950-miles across Britain and it was a total game-changer!

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. We’ve tested this filter abroad and love it for international travel . It’s ideal for when you want to filter all tap water before drinking, and it works wonderfully as a constant companion to keep you hydrated on the go.Hollow Fiber Advantage: Hundreds of tiny hollow fibers enable the microfilter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. Group-ready: 8 liter (4.0L filtered + 4.0L unfiltered) total capacity easily supplies water for groups. The personal Peak Series filter worked extremely well and had a good flow rate. After 20+ years of LifeStraw being on market, it was nice to finally see a big upgrade in materials and design. 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.

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. They work great for larger groups or when you want to filter a lot of water all at once. They’re also quite light, given their speed and ease of use. 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. These filters use gravity to pull water from a dirty bag, through a filter, and into a clean bag or directly into your mouth. These are often the easiest filters to use as you simply hook it up to a tree branch or tent and wait. These are usually heavier and take some time to set up, so aren’t the best options for fast and light missions. They tend to work best for large groups or to keep around a base camp. 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?

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. 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. 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: 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*.

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. Pure Platy experience: The Platy 2.0L Bottle is taste-free, as well as BPA-free, BPS-free, and phthalate-free. 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*. 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. You can use this filter as a straw directly at the water source or attach it to a bottle of water to drink easily. The filter can be combined with a range of Platypus hydration options or other branded bottles with a 28mm screw top opening. It safely removes 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa, including Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Salmonella and Cholera.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. 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. 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**. If I’d have taken traditional water bottles, firstly, it would have been harder to fit them in due to their shape and secondly, they would have been heavier. For example, my 1-litre water bottle weighs 142 grams so three of those would have been 426 grams, with 40 grams for the soft flask my total weight with the same water would have been 3.9 kg.

Ultralight & Ultracompact: System can weigh as little as 6.3 oz. (180 g) and stows smaller than most 1L bottles (depends on configuration). There are a couple of versions of the Gravityworks now, the original had two hanging reservoirs, this one has one to hang somewhere with the clean side reservoir being a bottle - this format is easier to use once its full of clean water. Both the dirty resrvoir and the bottle receptacle are 2.0L. 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*. *This includes Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Salmonella and Cholera. 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! Group-ready: 8 or 12 liter (4.0L/6.0L filtered + 4.0L/6.0L unfiltered) total capacity easily supplies water for groups.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. 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. 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.