GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier [+ Filter] Bottle

e GRAYL does a great job of filtering the water. It tastes great...no after taste or anything. However, I'm very disappointed with it because mine didn't come even close to the claimed filtering capacity (see link and FAQ statement below). I bought one for a four-day/three-night hike to King's Peak in Utah, so keep in mind that this review is based on filtering ONLY very clean, clear stream water. The filter was fine for the first 4-5 few liters. I could press the water through the filter easily with just a little body weight. After that, it became increasingly more difficult with each use. By the end of day two of the hike it was a full on workout. I had to use my full body weight (200+ lbs) to make any progress, and each use took 3-4 minutes. By time I was done filling my 2-liter water bladder, I was more tired and thirstier than when I started! Both of my trail-mates had the same experience. One of them even put a large flat rock on the top of the GRAYL and sat on it (he weighs about 170) and it still took 3-4 minutes to finish! My best estimate is that I've pumped less than 40 liters through the original filter...about 1/4 of what GRAYL claims it can do. Now it is virtually impossible to push water through it.I wouldn't recommend the GRAYL even for light use, not at that price. My initial investment in the GRAYL turned out to be about $2.00/liter. I don't plan on spending the $25.00 for a replacement filter. $1.00 for a liter of water is still way too expensive. I'd return it it back to Amazon for a refund, but the 90-day return period expired before the hike, and I haven't found out how to claim a refund directly from Grayl.

Amazing purifier! I took this to India for two weeks and used it on everything I drank - including bottled water on the plane! There was only one time I didn't use it, at a fancy restaurant where bottled water was served and that was the only time I experienced a bit of Montezuma's revenge! The friend traveling with me brought a Life Straw bottle and said she wished she had this instead! It worked great!!! Yes, it's not the easiest thing to push down but honestly I am not very strong at all yet I was still able to use it every time I needed to! I was a little concerned about mold as the purifier stayed wet for two weeks since I was using it all the time. I emailed the company and they emailed right back reassuring me it's made to not have problems with that while it's being used. I can't recommend this purifier highly enough!

As you can see in the picture we used our grayl to filter our water on my last trek. The container in the middle of the picture with the yellow water is the one we filtered. The black container on the left is the grayl of course. The clear container on the right contains the water after we filtered it with the grayl. Lets just say we didn't get sick after filtering. Some questionable water sources were used during our trek, and the grayl made life that much easier. We didn't have to haul our water with us saving weight, time, and energy. Thanks Grayl! You guys made my 5night, 6 day trek that much easier.

I was going to Cuba and thought about purchasing a water purifier in lieu of having to buy plastic bottles of water. I read a bunch of reviews and it seemed like the GRAYL was the best choice although it seemed expensive. Then a friend told me she had taken this to Africa and drank out of a river without getting sick! I immediately bought it. Another friend pointed out that the GRAYL would cost more than bottles of water for the whole trip which made sense but I have no regrets. I just feel good about not leaving behind a pile of plastic and at the same time drinking incredibly clean water that tastes great. I got the orange and I love it. Also, it fits perfectly in the side mesh pouches of a backpack.

Contrary to what some other reviewers say, this Grayl water filtering bottle is easy to use. If you've ever used an Aeropress coffee maker, the pressure required to filter water in this product is similar. Since you're forcing water through a micro-pore filter, it's reasonable for total filtering time to take about 30 seconds. Remember too to not: (a) palm the entire top of the bottle, not allowing the air to escape; and (b) filter the water with the top screwed on (duh!). Also, it helps considerably when you slightly twist the inner "bottle" when you filter or separate the two main parts.Things I like: the non-slip rubber o-ring at the bottom of the bottle, the tall "lip" of the inner bottle to minimize the chance that your mouth comes into contact with the potentially contaminated outer bottle, the clear rubber o-ring built into the top, which helps prevent leaks.Things I don't like: It would have been nice to have a flip top like many travel mugs have. An older model had this feature. Also, I wish there was a stainless steel version available which I could use with near boiling water (which is how many restaurants or vendors serve water in Asia). Again, an older version had this, but it's not available for sale now. Understandably, steel dents but you could surround it with a plastic outer layer.Overall: I'm very satisfied with this product. I will buy 1 or 2 more for my parents when they visit Southeast Asia later this year.

Got this for my trip to Nepal Because the water there is unsafe to drink and I don't trust the bottled water there. I have to say I was very impressed with the build quality. Nothing about it feels cheap. Me and my gf were there for over 15 days and every drop of water we drank was from this bottle. I mostly filled it with hotel tap water and neither of us got sick. The water even tasted good! Worked perfectly. And the best part is, Next time I need it, I will just buy another filter. I'm not sure what some other reviewers said about it being hard to press, I had no issues. Yes you have to lean on it, yes it takes some force. Put on your big boy pants!

This is the best filter I have used. Not the lightest (for that Sawyer wins) but in terms of the easiest and fastest this winds hands down. Just pour in water to the fill line, insert the inner part with filter on the bottom, push down and clean water is inside ready to drink. Much much faster than a pump. Love it.