Platypus  GravityWorks Water Filter

Just got back from 5 Nights in the Porcupine Mountains, MI..5 adults and one teen..Everyone had filters but when I used this for the first time that was it..Everyone used this filter..First few nights we were on a Creek and the last nights at Mirror Lake..At the lake I put on the Carbon Element for taste..It did slow the flow down but still all you have to do is walk away and do something else.We used this for all of our water , drinking, hydration packs, cooking etc..And for the Dude that used this for Car Camping and gives a bad review, Really ,car camping..I also have a brand new Mini Works and never took it out..And what we really want from Platypus is, KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK..

This filter works exceedingly well for what it was designed for: providing large amounts of clean, germ-free water. Its like having a faucet available to do the dishes, fill water bottles, fill solar showers, etc. Its not for the ultralight or lone hiker because it would be overkill. It is ideal for base camping with a group. I found the plastic bags to be very heavy duty, the filter to be excellent and the enclosed tubing, surgical quality. I tied it to a rope and chucked it out about 10ft into the lake, dragged it back in and it was full. Only two minor complaints: 1) when I first drank from it, I did not clean it out using baking soda and it had a strong, chemical taste (probably from whatever the manufacturer cleaned it with). That taste subsided quickly after a few fillings and it was no longer a problem; and 2) the only thing that keeps this from 5 star rating is that you can't open the "clean" bag to air it out after use. I get that Platypus purposefully kept that bag sealed, but it makes it very difficult to dry all the water droplets out at the end of trip. Bottom line: this filter system is expensive, but well worth it for multi-person camping/hiking.

Just finished a 4 day self guided rafting trip on the lower Deschutes river in Oregon. Used is filter to provide all the potable water for the group of five. Easy to use. Filters clear water in less than a couple of minutes. If the water is a little turbid, I would let the particles settle in another container prior to filling the dirty reservoir. The only thing that seem to slow down the flow rate is bubbles in the tubing. You can get rid of those by back flushing until the bubbles are gone. Happy camper here and everyone stayed healthy with the Platypus gravity filter.

I'm going to keep this short and simple, this product works just as advertised. It is a very simple design, so there really isn't any hidden secret's here. Sure it can probably be smaller and lighter, but it really works very well and it's about as easy to use as it gets. If I had to say something negative I would say the zip-lock closure on the dirty bag is difficult to close when the bag gets even the slightest bit cold. But other then that it is a great product.

I used this product for 5 weeks while traveling in Tibet & China. It served me SO well. I also shared my water with 3 others who were with me. Some reviewers here complain that it was too large - but for my group, it was perfect and given this fact, I can overlook the bulk. I am a veteran of the ol' classic pump systems in far-flung places, but when I suggested a friend living in Kathmandu get this, I listened to her joy at being one of the few in her group that never got sick. In fact, I brought along my old pump system to gift to a friend but in no time it leaked, and so we all shared the gravity system. I loved how it is so quick to filter and to deal with air-locks is very easy. There were times my water supply was very dirty and in that case the system clogged up in the first use. However, doing the backflow cleaned it out in a jiffy, and so even that was no problem. I was in places that had NO hygiene and there was no way to "clean" it out so I had to rely on it 100%... and I live to tell the tale of its efficiency. It's great. I happily left it behind in Asia so my pals could continue to use it. It simply broke my heart to see them buy endless plastic bottles of water which you see flung all over the Tibetan landscape. Wimp that I am - whatever plastic I bought in, I took right back out with me! Except the actual plastic of the gravity filter - i thought leaving that behind would help the environment - but even more importantly - my pals' health.

Used twice; with 10 people and 4 people. This filter made water something that was readily available instead of something that you had to work for. I'd take this over a pump any day. We used water taken directly from lakes in the Adirondacks. After filtering, the water still had a slight tint (much lighter than unfiltered) but tasted great. The tint made me a bit nervous but nobody had any issue with water quality. One thing to mind is air bubbles (reason for not perfect rating). If there is any air between the dirty bag and the filter, filtering will slow to a drip. At first I thought it was a clogged filter but once the air was purged everything went great.

Took this system on an 8 week trip to the Mojave. Used most in the Grand Canyon. Did a 28 mile hike from the top to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and the end of my 8 week trip. Filtered water from 2 springs and the Colorado river. Filters fast. Easy to get water in to the dirty side bag with the wide opening. This is not a bulky system or heavy so I don't know what people are taking about by saying its to big. It fits in my 3 day pack with all my other gear just fine. There are better filters but they have a higher price and I would bet this one gets the water to your mouth faster. When your about to fall over your so tired, this one is the one you want to use.

I cannot say one bad thing about this system. Its lightweight super easy to use. The first time we used it we scooped water out of a random river. The water in the Dirty was a greenish brown with particles. The filtered water was clean, clear and tasted good. It holds 4 liters of water and you can purchase a Water Tank that holds 6 liters. Everything packs down really small into a little bag that it comes with. I tell everyone I meet about this system. You will not be unhappy with it.

Used this on an 8 day trek thru Kings canyon. There were six in my party and everyone was totally and completely impressed with this filter. Some had other filters that required pumping and they all used mine since it worked flawlessly and could filter up to 4 liters with no effort in about ten minutes. After about 60 liters of filtered water it finally slowed down a bit from being clogged. I backwashed it as recommended by the mfg. and it would speed it up for a while.

After reading the great reviews I decided to purchase this great water filter and I'm so happy with the results! So easy to use and convenient when time and energy are important. Before when using a hand pump filtering system (MSR, PUR) it was a chore to set up and expel energy to filter water when you were tired. Now it's just fill up the dirty water reservoir, hook up the tube and filter to the clean reservoir and let gravity do the rest! In less than 5 minutes you have 4 liters of fresh, clean drinking water. Just remember to purge the line to get rid of air and the flow will be quick. The only down side would be packing it up and cleaning the unit when you get home - very important to avoid mold growing. But that's just nitpicking, this is a must for backpackers and is one of my favorite new purchases!