Posted by: Blast
Review of Grayl GeoPress Water Purifier - 01/25/22 08:19 PM
Last week a buddy and I did a three-day, 30 mile, unsupported hike out in Big Bend backcountry. This involved carrying 6 liters of water (each, per day) to make the 6-7 hour hike from one spring to the next. The trail included multiple 1000-3000' inclines. It was brutal but beautiful country.
The original plan was to purify the spring water by boiling, but once we realized the amount of fuel and time required, that process became a no-go. We both carry Life Straws but they are a cumbersome way to drink while on the move. Another backpacker buddy suggested a Grayl GeoPress, which works kind of like a coffee French press, but with a super filter system. One fills the outer bottle with raw water, inserts the inner bottle with filter on the bottom, and slowly presses the inner bottle into the outer bottle. In about 30 seconds you have turned scum-covered water filled with bird poop into 750mL of clean, clear, tasty, cool water! It took us 20 minutes to fill twelve one-liter bottles, and that included drinking a lot of the water we were producing.
The Grayl was a gamechanger, especially when we reached the last spring and discovered it was dry. We had to hike to a band of cottonwoods (sign of water in the Southwestern deserts) and dig a hole under them to get water. By then we were partially dehydrated. Once the Grayl purified this water we could drink it without having to wait for it to cool down from boiling. Truly a lifesaver!
According to the Grayl specifications, the filter system removes bacteria, spores, viruses, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and other common, North American contaminants from up to 250 gallons of raw water. It can NOT make brackish or salt water drinkable. Using a bandana to pre-filter sediment and debris from the water helps prolong the life of the filter. The inner bottle has a tight seal so you can carry it filled with the filtered water without worry of it leaking.
Amazon Affiliate* link to Grayl GeoPress: https://amzn.to/347HIrk
-Blast
The original plan was to purify the spring water by boiling, but once we realized the amount of fuel and time required, that process became a no-go. We both carry Life Straws but they are a cumbersome way to drink while on the move. Another backpacker buddy suggested a Grayl GeoPress, which works kind of like a coffee French press, but with a super filter system. One fills the outer bottle with raw water, inserts the inner bottle with filter on the bottom, and slowly presses the inner bottle into the outer bottle. In about 30 seconds you have turned scum-covered water filled with bird poop into 750mL of clean, clear, tasty, cool water! It took us 20 minutes to fill twelve one-liter bottles, and that included drinking a lot of the water we were producing.
The Grayl was a gamechanger, especially when we reached the last spring and discovered it was dry. We had to hike to a band of cottonwoods (sign of water in the Southwestern deserts) and dig a hole under them to get water. By then we were partially dehydrated. Once the Grayl purified this water we could drink it without having to wait for it to cool down from boiling. Truly a lifesaver!
According to the Grayl specifications, the filter system removes bacteria, spores, viruses, pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, and other common, North American contaminants from up to 250 gallons of raw water. It can NOT make brackish or salt water drinkable. Using a bandana to pre-filter sediment and debris from the water helps prolong the life of the filter. The inner bottle has a tight seal so you can carry it filled with the filtered water without worry of it leaking.
Amazon Affiliate* link to Grayl GeoPress: https://amzn.to/347HIrk
-Blast
