TrailShot Microfilter

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.

As someone who got sick eating salad and taking a shower (not at the same time) while working at an orphanage in Albania, I do NOT relish the idea of a repeat experience but with the added joy of no bathroom. So many of the water purifiers you dip the bottle in the potentially microscopically inhabited water, then tip it upside-down to filter. That seems dangerous to me in that there will be dirty water on the outside which can drip into your purified water or get on your hands. With this purifier you don't have to touch the dirty water until you have finished and are packing the purifier up again. It has good flow rate, though granted took me longer to fill my bottle than my hiking partner with the type you fill the bottle and squeeze the clean water out. I was able to clean water quickly though. I can't really speak on the taste. My puppy (8 months...picture of him in the water I didn't get sick from) thought it was fine. It tasted a bit weird to me, but I don't like plain water anyway. When I added an electrolyte powder and used it in food it was totally fine. It is lightweight, very easy to use, and I didn't get sick...that's everything I could want in a backpacking water purifier.

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.

Works fantastic! I have larger filters for our base camp set-up but use this when hiking to fill water bottles. The size is great, fits in a cargo pocket or small pouch. It pumps fast and still no problems with about 4-5 gallons pumped out so far. You do need to shake it pretty well to clean the filter and keep it pumping well, but it’s a better design than the sawyer set up. I still keep a sawyer mini in my pack for a backup however, this is now my primary overnight/day pack filter. If your on the go this is great, just pull it out of a pocket, pump it and back on the trail in about a minute. No need to fill a bag, connect it and then slowly fill you bottle or bladder. Slight con would be the price but for the size, simplicity and speed of use when trekking its awesome.