Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

I was a long time fan of the First Need Deluxe because it was the only purifier with a gravity feed option. But that product is primarily designed as a pump system and it takes hours and hours to drip a gallon, and it's really bulky. This Platypus Gravityworks does not purify quite as finely, but it is so fast! Faster than you can possible pump. It absolutely blows away all the other backpacking pumps I've ever had. And like all things Platy, folds down to nothing and interfaces with everything. No more pumping, and no relying on batteries and small volumes at a time like with the Steripen, (which I admit is also great). I just fill the bag in a stream or lake or whatever and let gravity and pressure do the rest. This will also be great for travel to places where the water cant be trusted. Frankly, you can drip the filtered water into any container, like a gallon jug, so it's very versatile. I will keep my First Need and my Steripen for Eastern Europe, India and China travel because they get down to viruses level of purification. But for backpacking? This is it.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

This system is very quick and fairly effortless, and a serious blessing if you are going to need a lot of water and don't like burning time and calories pump filtering. If you have ever felt a drain on your morale from having to squat and pump water for 10 minutes when you're already worn out, you really want to give a gravity system a try. The flow rate on this thing is fantastic; numerous times I've went ahead and just held it up above my head because there wasn't something easily available to hang it from.

The bad thing is that this system gets a little heavy when you have to carry at least one dirty water bag and lots of tubing. However, the good news is that you can trim a lot of this fat. The rubber protective coating on the filter weighs about the same as the filter itself, and can easily be removed by carefully cutting it off with a razor blade. If you're willing to lose some flow performance, you can cut down on tubing length and forgo the dedicated clean water collection bag and use something lighter that you'd be carrying anyway. You can also just buy a stand alone replacement filter and customize your own setup, although the handles on the ziplock opening on the dirty water bag make buying the system worth considering.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

Very light, lighter than others or the one I was going to make with a Dromlite bag and Dromedary bag or two Dromlite bags and tubing (not counting the weight of the filter from the Sawyer water bottle which I take anyway).

The top bag with its wide opening is easy to fill in most situations. Since any of these bags are hard to fill all the way up the 4L size is nice. On the other hand the zipper is hard to shut, or to know if it is shut. I would not trust it in my pack if one wanted to carry water to camp with the rest of my gear. (Platypus says it was designed for one purpose only and I think this is where it saves some weight over a large screw on cap of the Dromlite or some other bags)

The bottom bag could be sealed if you get a cap for it. But that requires one to filter water before carrying it to a camp or if you just need more water on the trail. Not a huge problem, unless it is buggy or one is in a hurry.

One could use a different bag (extra money) on top instead if you expect to be hauling water with the rest of your gear, such as the Dromlite with tubing or maybe the Big Zip hydration bag (heavier bag), assuming it can be hung.

I often leave the bottom bag at home and filter directly into a bottle that I mix tang in. The bottom bag is nice if having the water overfill the bottle is a problem, like when you hauled water to camp, or water at camp is hard to collect etc.

The use of the hose clamp and the "quick" connect disconnect isn't all that intuitive for me yet.
The Platypus video is good, I wasn't aware of the need to purge air from the tube until I watch it, and it seems like a better method, than letting dirty water run out, and trying to connect the filter to it after that.

Sawyer squeeze bags might be an even better option for me, since I just need it for a liter of water to make tang, using the water bottle filter for plain water.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

My friend brough this along on our last trip. We had previously tried the Katadyne version and the problem with it was the dirty water seems to get all over the tubing and the bladder was VERY heavy when full. The Platypus version is great. We used this to filter all the water for 11 people (10 of them men) for 7 days in Kings Canyon. The last day or two it started to filter a slow, but still functioned fine. We would typically always filter a bag and then have the dirty bag full and ready for when we emptied the clean bag. It was really nice to always have a full water bag at camp without bring a seperate community bag. The entire group agreed that it was one of the best things would could bring on a trip.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

Group of 6 on a 3 night backpacking trip. The ability to have 4 liters of potable water in 3 minutes, without pumping, is wonderful. It is so quick and easy, you can filter 4 liters at the water source, and fill the "dirty" bag with 4 more liters to use as back up or for the following morning. You can back flow by switching the orientation of the bags and pumping clean water back through the filter, in reverse flow. The only down side I have found at this point, is that you must clear the air bubbles from the lines, prior to back flow, but this is a minor concern.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

I got the earlier version of this system, the Cleanstream, last summer. I did a practice run at home with clean tap water, and believe that helped "prime the pump" and also took the guesswork out of putting it together in camp (like setting up your tent in the backyard prior to hiking in). The system supported 10 people on a 7 night trip in the Sawtooth Wilderness. It was hot weather, and we went through a lot of water. Because we had a few neophytes, I made a rule that only a few of us were permitted to fill the dirty water reservoir - those with experience and common sense, and able to choose filling sites that minimized particulates. I gave it a back flush every so often,and had no problems. As other have said, it is SO great to fill it up and have 3+ liters of good tasting water in under ten minutes while attending to other activities.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

I took this out for the first time this weekend. The filter worked as advertised, filtering the water quickly. I filtered 3 liters in the time it took my friends to assemble their pumps. The bags are much stronger than you might imagine. I used my "clean" bag as a hydration bag for backpack. There are some limitations to this. The handles make it difficult to hang the bag in the pack and the volume of the bag means you need to pack it first and it is difficult to remove, unless empty, without removing items out of your pack. This means planning ahead. I was able to fill the bag while in my pack, 3 liters with a full pack. The first time you use the system there will be a plastic taste from the bags, but this goes away after the first use. After filtering all you have is crystal clear water with no particles, there is a "natural" water taste, but your in the backcountry, not the city! The last thing I will mention is that if you are filling the "dirty" bag from a stream or spring it will be difficult to fill a full 4 liters. The most I was able to capture without falling in a river was 3. If your near a waterfall and have gravity on your side you might have better luck. Easy to backflush, easy to clean. This is a no brainer.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

I have used this filter many times. I can't even count how many gallons I've filtered. No mater the water quality I put in it, I get clean water out.

It sets up easy if you can find a pace to hand the resivoirs. You will need some rope.

The only problem is the filter itself started to flow after only a couple of uses. I backflow the first time I bring it out and a couple of times during the trips. Its probably not the fastest way to filter but easy.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

I use this backpacking and motorcycle camping. Light and compact. You never have to worry about cross contamination as your dirty water goes in one bag that you remove from the filter before filling. Great for base camp and for filling hydration bladders. Fast, easy, and works.

Comments about Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter:

We've used 1 liter Platys for casual day hikes and I bought the larger hydration pack for a short camping trip. We've been pleased so far with their products. I convinced hubby to try the gravity filter instead of a Steri-Pen and he was absolutely hooked. We took this out for a canoe camping trip in the Boundary Waters and it was SO simple to use. Obviously the water was abundant so we just dunked the dirty bag in the lakes as we paddled about. The filtration is lightning fast and pretty much idiot-proof. I love it more than the MSR MiniWorks, but probably for big-water environments.