MSRTrailShot Ultralight Backpacking and Camping Squeeze Water Filter

Used this on a trip to Việt Nam where the tap water is not safe to drink. Would fill up my Camelbak daily from the sink of whichever homestay / hotel, and not worry about having to find bottled water while traveling.

Works as described. Tried it in a very dirty water, in a swamp. Worked great. Still need to boil water before drinking.

I'm a long-time owner of an MSR MiniWorks. I left it at a family's house and needed something for a backpacking trip. Saw this and gave it a shot.FILTRATION: It works well, I'm filtering at least a liter per minute with it. My hand got a bit tired after filling a 3L reservoir and a Nalgene 1L all in one go, but switching hands ameliorated that. You can filter some pretty nasty water and it comes out perfect. There's a small coarse filter at the inlet of the line, and then you pump the water through the microfiber filter. It gets >>99% of bacteria and protozoa, and it even deals with most viruses unlike the ceramic filters. Only downside is that it won't filter chemicals at all unlike the ceramics, so areas with a lot of pesticides or the like may be less suited. For the developing world with a lot of human waste, this is the way to go for the virus coverage. The taste is neutral; I didn't notice any plastic-y hints at all. It also allows you to use it like a LifeStraw which is a feature I enjoyed, and while a Sawyer Mini would allow you to pre-filter a reservoir, it would require multiple fills of the dirty water bag and this can be run continuously.STORAGE: I keep it in one of my hip belts on my pack which provides for easy access. It took seconds to pull out and put away. The only downside I identified: the soft rubber tube is a bit fragile as evidenced by a few small nicks after my first trip with it, nothing that compromised the inner lumen. I'll be getting a soft mesh bag to protect it since it doesn't come with one.CLEANING: There's almost nothing to do in the field. They recommend taking off the inlet hose and back-pumping once per six liters filtered to keep the pump reservoir clear of debris buildup; I did this every other time I used the filter. It's nice to not have to wipe off the filter periodically like you have to with the ceramic cartridge based filters.STORAGE: The device is easy to take apart. I run clean water through it, disassemble, and let everything dry out before storing. The manufacturer recommends running diluted bleach to sterilize everything between use and long-term storage.OVERALL: I'm impressed by this device and glad I made the purchase. As long as it lasts, it'll probably replace my old MiniWorks due to the smaller size/weight, ease of use, comparable filtration rate, and added virus coverage.

This filter was one of the most intriguing items from MSR's new releases for 2017. And amazingly enough, they actually overstated its weight. Its real weight is 4.90oz (139g), as seen in the picture.Its fast flow rate makes it a much better option than the Sawyer Mini in my opinion (I hate the Sawyer Mini, first time in the field it took me 10 min to fill a water bottle, no thanks!). I have not tried the Sawyer Squeeze, but I would imagine that the Squeeze is the most comparable in weight and function. The MSR eliminates the need for a "dirty bag" since it has a prefilter, and can be backflushed without a syringe (more on that later). I haven't personally used the squeeze but ive seen videos and its flow rate seems great, in my opinion this joins the Squeeze as the top tier of backpacking filters. The Squeeze has more adaptability, as you can turn it into a gravity filter, use on a water bottle, etc. The MSR is a more compact package if you plan to simply and put filtered water in a container quickly (and the weight of MSR is less than the total weight of Squeeze/dirty bag/syringe). Both seem to be excellent products. If you do get a Squeeze instead, there are ways to backflush using a specific sport bottle cap (Smart Water Bottle), find the thread from the good people over at backpackinglight.The cord is 15inch long, and can be detached from both the hand pump and the end-prefilter. The filter comes with a manual/diagram with instructions, using a nice water resistant durable paper that is easy to bring with you if you choose. As a comment below requested, I will upload a pic of this manual. The ripped edge is because I removed the other languages (hey every gram counts). To backflush, use the hand pump until the pump area is half full, cap the top, shake vigorously, remove bottom cord, squeeze water out the back. Then re-attach cord. Very easy and works like a charm.Not much more to say. It is effortless to use, easy to clean, and has a very fast flow. Very pleased.

I love the simplicity of the system. However it is not a water purifying system. Do not confuse this system with other systems that not only filter the water , they also make it safe to drink from almost any source of water. It is great to have water for cooking or collecting clean water for purifying. It will not protect you from viruses causing illness. Don't get me wrong , it is a great tool to have when you need to collect large amounts of water.