MSR Guardian Water Filtration System
This is my favorite purchase this year!
I always backpack with a full 3L water bladder and carry a Lifestraw with me for "just in case" circumstances, but I've been wanting to purchase a filtration system for quite some time. I finally decided on this one. After reading about this filter and watching the video on the MSR site about how they developed and tested it, I knew this was the one. At $350, this was quite an investment, but I knew it would be a filter I could use for years to come since the cartridge life is 10,000 liters! I wanted a filter that I could rely on to filter anything and everything from the water. This one filters Bacteria AND viruses.
Here's a funny story...
My son and I were getting ready to go backpacking into Desolation Wilderness. He was telling me there was no way he would drink water out of a creek, filtered or not. I had him watch the MSR video where they tested this in totally contaminated water in PERU. He still was not convinced. So, I challenged him. If I was willing to drop this right into the toilet, filter and drink the water, would he feel better? He said, of course. Challenge accepted. I didn't hesitate. I dropped the filter into the toilet, filtered out directly from the bowl, opened the bottle and drank it without blinking an eye. He was shocked!! I later noticed a lovely brown spot on the inside of the bowl. Total ewww factor, but I was still confident that the water was ok to drink. I ended up being totally fine and he ended up drinking about 2 liters of water right out of this tiny stream! That's a win in my book, he's not an easy one to win over.
It's super simple to use. Even my 12 year old likes pumping water. It pumps 2.5 liters per minute, so we were able to fill up 6 liters of water in our Osprey hydration bladders quickly!
The filter can get super dirty, but the water is still clean. It's easy to clean this off and keep on filtering water.
This one is built to last and the cartridge is set to last for 10,000 liters!!
It weighs 1 lbs 1.3 ounces.
- Meets NSF protocol P248, testing standard used by U.S. military, for removal of viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and sediment from “worst-case” water conditions.
- A good water filter is a must have if you're planning on spending more than a couple of days in the backcountry. This is one that I think is worth the investment.
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