GRAYLGeoPress 24 oz Water Purifier Bottle - Filter for Hiking, Camping, Survival, Travel (Black Camo)

We bought the Grayl 24 oz GeoPress specifically because we were traveling to Africa, and we were not certain we could trust the water supplies. Probably the best way to write a review is to do a pros and cons breakdown.PROs1) This filter really works! We encountered a wide variety of water sources, and every time the Grayl produced filtered water that smelled and tasted good. I say that because some of the water smelled a bit funky before filtration; but after using the Grayl, it smelled good.2) The filter is easy to use. You just fill the outer vessel about 3/4 full, place the filter/inner vessel inside it, and push down. The filtered water fills the inner vessel and is immediately ready to use.3) The filter is relatively compact. The entire system is no bigger than a large water bottle.4) The Grayl system seems very well made. We used it almost every day while in Africa, and it worked perfectly every time.5) It basically filters everything: bacteria, protozoa, viruses, and odors. During the entire month we were in Africa, we experienced no gastrointestinal issues due to "bad" water because we only drank filtered water from the Grayl.CONs1) The Grayl system is fairly heavy. When you are trying to pack light, the Grayl system uses up a bit of your weight budget.There have been some reviewers that complained of water leaking around the seal between the inner and outer vessels. I believe they simply were not using the system correctly. If you take a little care and line things up as they were intended, it works perfectly every time.Also, some reviewers have complained that it takes too much effort to plunge the inner vessel when filtering. There is definitely some resistance when you are plunging (filtering), but if you are patient, it really does not take a significant effort. My wife used it frequently, and she applies a lot less force than I do.Bottom line, the Grayl filter system is an easy, convenient, and effective method for purifying water when you are traveling. I highly recommend this product and believe it is one of the best filter systems available.

If you have young kids, this is your answer.I needed an easy purification system to use while hiking with my kids, and I needed something that would produce water "normal" enough for a young kid to drink abundantly. The Grayl was a home run.This filter works great, but it is especially perfect if you are traveling with kids. I took one of my kids (8 yrs old) on a short backpacking trip this summer and this was the ideal filter. She can't really work the slowish straw-type or pump-type filters; adding the purifying drops makes the water taste like medicine and sometimes you have to wait awhile; and the UV-light systems might kill the bugs but the water remains silty or murky. The Grayl solves all of those problems.My kid isn't a wimp; she would have reluctantly drunk murky or bad-tasting water, but she drank a lot more water (esp. important in July) since I could refill her water bottle with clear, great-tasting water as quickly and as often as she wanted.The second time I used the Grayl (long day-hike), I was able to continuously refill the water bottles for the entire family. Again, it was super convenient and not difficult to convince the younger kids to drink the clear and clean water that came out.Maybe it's not 100% perfect: it's a little hard to push the inner bottle down (but not that hard). I squirt myself in the face sometimes as excess water comes out the sides as I push down, but with young kids this thing was absolutely worth its weight in gold. The water looks and tastes like fresh clear tap water, and you can refill others' water bottles as much and as quickly as you want.Like I said (wrote) above: Home Run.

My first backpacking trip with this did not go so well because I used it wrong by twisting it as I pressed it, causing the filter to come off and dirty water to get all over the inside of the water bottle. Luckily I had a backup way to filter water. Since learning from my mistake, I have trusted the Grayl as my primary water filter on all of my backpacking trips. It is simple to use (when used properly, dont twist it), filters water fast, water tastes great and have never gotten sick.