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Posted 20 hours ago

Platypus QuickDraw Microfilter & Reservoir System

£9.9£99Clearance
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About this deal

THERMAREST & MSR: Sale! 30% Off all MSR Tents and Thermarest Sleeping Bags including the award-winning Parsec 0! There is really only one bad thing about the filter. For some reason, Platypus decided to use 2 protruding plastic pieces instead of a traditional thread on the filter bag. The filter bag uses a proprietary design instead of traditional threads. You can buy the filter part separately so you’d be able to replace that and keep your reservoir. Do you still use filter water bottles or is this a better option? The filter has a grey screw lid at both ends, one covering the filter (known as the dirty end) and one that you pour or drink the water from (the clean end). If I’d have taken traditional water bottles, firstly, it would have been harder to fit them in due to their shape and secondly, they would have been heavier. For example, my 1-litre water bottle weighs 142 grams so three of those would have been 426 grams, with 40 grams for the soft flask my total weight with the same water would have been 3.9 kg.

I’ve been using water filters since May 2019, when I did a 2-month hike using one, since then I’ve tried and tested a few different filter systems and bottles and I can 100% say I’ve not been ill from drinking filtered water. Effective: Each microfilter is individually tested to ensure it meets all EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa*. The loop by the lid makes it easy to fill without a fear of letting go and losing your reservoir downstream and it’s handy to use to hold it too. A cap for the bottom so you can store it without getting everything wet (like in your sleeping bag when it’s code) Effective: Each micro-filter is individually tested to ensure it meets all EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa*.

You can use this filter as a straw directly at the water source or attach it to a bottle of water to drink easily. The filter can be combined with a range of Platypus hydration options or other branded bottles with a 28mm screw top opening. It safely removes 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa, including Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Salmonella and Cholera. As someone that hikes in the Peak District this is something I’ve got used to! But I appreciate it’s not for everyone. In the instance of being dehydrated or drinking peaty water I know which option I’d choose!

The reservoir also comes with a cap so you can store and carry water in it, and also use the filter attached to a secondary source or bottle at the same time. It has a shake-to-clean mechanism that allows it to keep working throughout its lifetime with no need to take it to pieces or wash it out. The fill and squeeze method considerably reduces the weight and complexity of the filter. In testing, I filtered from several clear and fast-running alpine streams, and then one not-so-ideal creek source. This dirtier source made for the best (most brutal) time flow rate test. A note on flow rate: Platypus claims it can filter up to 3 L per minute. I don’t have a 3L reservoir (I have several 1L reservoirs and a 2L version). So I performed the flow rate test based on 1 L of water. Platypus has developed a solution to this conundrum. A few simple steps are all it takes to do a filter integrity test. Remove the clean-side cap. Put half a liter of water in the reservoir and squeeze some through to wet out the fibers. Next, flip the filter up and squeeze air through. A steady stream of bubbles indicates a compromised filter, in which case it should be trashed.

Performance Comparison

The filter system is so easy to use and I loved how it was versatile so you could switch to how you wanted/needed to use it at a particular time. If you’ve drank filtered peaty water depending on the colour of the water you can notice a slight soil taste, but it’s not something I’ve ever been bothered about, the darker the colour the stronger the taste of peat you’ll notice. Hollow Fiber Advantage: Hundreds of tiny hollow fibers enable the microfilter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. The wide-mouth bag has a handle which made it easy to scoop up water from lakes and streams. The bad Yes, there’s not really much you need to do other than fill the reservoir, screw the filter on and turn upside-down, gravity does the rest for you!

Hollow Fibre Advantage: Hundreds of tiny hollow fibres enable the micro-filter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. Hollow Fibre Advantage: Hundreds of tiny hollow fibres enable the microfilter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. Then depending on where the next water source was I’d fill the 1-litre reservoir and maybe my 500 ml one too, if it was a distance to hike. That little filter chugged along for four months, keeping me hydrated and safe from microscopic boogymen. However, at hike’s conclusion, I hid my Squeeze away, vowing, “never again.” I was fed up with the leaking pouches, slow flow rate, and Herculean grip required to produce each drop. At the cost of half a pound, I moved to a gravity filter system and looked forward to living the good life.Multi-cleaning: There are two ways to clean the filter — no accessories needed — which is required to maintain anything close to an acceptable flow rate. The easiest, yet least effective is the slosh method. Put a quarter-liter of water in the dirty reservoir and shake it all up for 30 seconds. This splashing dislodges some of the grit built up on the exposed filter fibers. In practice, I found this easy enough to do regularly, but not useful in noticeably restoring flow rate. Hollow Fibre Advantage: Hundreds of tiny hollow fibres enable the micro-filter to filter water faster than traditional filter media. By using the Platypus reservoirs and soft flask by total weight for the water containers was about 200 grams, then with 3.5 litres of water (3.5 kg) the total weight was 3.7 kg. Each day I would find the nearest water sources on the map, maybe a stream, spring or brook and few treat stops (pubs and cafes) where I could get tap water!

During those 20 seconds, look for a steady stream of bubbles in the spout emerging from the hollow fibers on the clean side. Each end of the filter — the threaded “dirty” end and the drinking end — are labeled clearly. Each comes with a cap, so you can keep the clean end truly clean and protected when filling up. But either way, it’s fast enough for what I want! Does the water taste funny or is it just off colour because of the peat? Does it make peaty water clean? The dirty water reservoir is made of the same taste free and durable film as other Platypus’ products. The filter is also compatible with multiple bottle types. Additionally, users can drink directly from its spout.

COLLECTIONS

Effective: Each micro-filter is individually tested to ensure it meets all EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa*. If you’re looking at lightweight, robust and non-plastic tasting water carriers then I’d certainly recommend Platypus. They design their products with a double layer film which means you don’t have that plasticy taste and they are also durable and they have a lifetime warranty on all their products. For thru-hikers, especially solo hikers, the gold standard seems to be the Sawyer Squeeze. But possibly not for long.

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