On the planet of purifying consuming water, there are numerous other ways of performing the bushwalker’s miracle of water into w… properly, water… and making it protected to drink. The hiker’s alchemy of having the ability to cut back your backpack weight by amassing water alongside the way in which and never find yourself with some type of gastro is a superb revelation – it’s additionally straightforward to do. I’ve been utilizing a Grayl UltraPress water purification filter for a few months earlier than penning this gear overview and right here’s what I discovered:
The commonest methods of treating consuming water for bushwalking and climbing are:
What to search for in water remedy
Not all strategies are equal OR do the identical job(s). There are 4 essential bug sorts that consuming water therapies can take care of:
- Micro organism
- Viruses
- Protozoa
- Microparticles
Doing all your analysis to work out what explicit bugs are extra of a difficulty the place you intend on adventuring, could assist you to make a smart selection. Some filters or strategies solely take care of micro organism and protozoa, while others could solely do viruses. The satan is within the element… and within the spits at 2 am in a tent… within the rain… and, properly, you get the thought.
What else?
The outdated triad of price vs. bulk vs. weight is at all times going to be a balancing act for us folks who like to hold all the pieces on our backs. Should you’re a car-camper, day-hiker or slush-fund-recipient, then a few of these selections received’t be as necessary.
The factor that basically struck me by the Grayl UltraPress air purifier will not be solely how straightforward it’s to make use of however that it offers with all 4 of the nasties that might be in water. Merely scoop up water, push the filter down (it takes a little bit of effort) and bingo – 500 ml of water that’s good to drink. No tricksy attaching hoses, rigging issues as much as grasp or ready half-hour for it to work.
It’s additionally the form of easy system that I’d need to take travelling wherever I didn’t belief the water from a faucet.
The Professionals
- Easy
- Instantaneous
- Slimline Design
- Offers with all 4 of the water gremlins + others = virus, micro organism, protozoa, microplastic, silt, sediment, chemical substances, heavy metals + odour
The Cons
The principle draw back for me is the load of the bottle at 354 g (additionally they do an Ultralight at 309 g).
The filters will final for 350 x 500 ml presses and you have to to get rid of the filter cartridge (80 g). Grayl are within the technique of establishing a trade-in service with TerraCycle (as at March 2022), so fingers crossed that doesn’t take too lengthy to occur – I wouldn’t need to see the filters having to go to landfill.
At round $140 AUD, you’ll need to take excellent care of your filter bottle to get probably the most out of it. There’s a wee little bit of stuff it’s essential know, just like the significance of drying out your filter and storing it (brief time period – on the observe and long run – at house)
Grayl UltraPress Specs
- 500 ml
- 354 grams
- 25 cm x 7.5 cm (suits properly in facet pockets)
- Lifespan: 300 presses (ie. 150 litres)
- Filter methodology: ion change, extremely powdered activated carbon
- Move fee: 3 litres per minute
- Removes: 99.99% of viruses, micro organism and protozoa, together with rotavirus, hepatitus A, norovirus, giardia, cryptosporidium, E.coli, cholera, salmonella, dysentery. Yech!
- Filters: particulates (sediment, microplastics) pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, flavour and odour
- Comprised of BPA-free polypropylene, TPA and ABS food-grade plastic
Purchase a Grayl UltraPress or different Grayl bottles now.
