Platypus GravityWorks Group Camping Water Filter System

Convert your GravityWorks into a Basecamp Spigot and Hydration Bag Refilling Station (see image)
A very simple and efficient way to create a basecamp spigot and hydration bag refilling station (see image for details). Just add a few inexpensive hydration tube quick-connect adapters to the clean filter line and to your backpack’s hydration bag line and you’re in good shape even for trekking/expeditions. But I would not bring this setup to a place where I did not know moderately clean water existed unless you a) want to clog your hallow-fiber filter and b) have a way of accessing very low or no-flow water sources (ultra-thin creeks or pooled water down below boulders/crags). For those applications, a hose and a pump are more reliable (I use Katadyn). But I always bring the GravityWorks when I know there’s a reasonable water source.Tips: at twice the cost you can get quick-connect adapters that auto shut-off when disconnected. I wish I had purchased those but have learned to live with raising the tube above the bag’s water height when necessary. I purchased two sets of the cheap one’s made by Katadyn: Quickfill Hydration Pack Adaptor. Camelbak has one with a shutoff valve (decent work-around) and also sells the more expensive auto-shutoff variety.Also, I always backflush both before I begin filtering (per the instructional video by letting a little water filter into the clean bag then backflushing into the dirty while simultaneously removing air bubbles), but more importantly, I stop filtering before the last few ounces have left the dirty bag (always the dirtiest water) and backflush briefly onto the ground before disconnecting tubes and transporting everything back to camp. This second backflush takes seconds (just push down on the clean back after you disconnect the line from the dirty bag) and it visibly removes material that will would otherwise clog the filter. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s very easy once you get a routine down.About the complaints:1) The first few liters are going to taste like plastic. To solve this, fill both bags with clean water at home when you first purchase them and let them hang for a day or two. Rinse them both, then filter at least one full bag through the system. Shake the remaining water out of the filter, dry everything, and store.2) complaints about drying the “clean” bag are valid — it takes a while, but I just blow up the bag, pull on it from the center of the flat part thereby forcing the bag into an open shape, and put it in a window for a few days.3) I too am not a fan of the dirty bag having no zip seal like the regular platypus hydration bags, but it’s a trade off (weight savings). You can buy another bag with a seal if you really need that functionality, but who wants to spend unnecessary money. I recommend Platypus add a zip seal to future versions. It’s just too often you don’t have a tree handy so you’re setting the dirty bag on top of a boulder, in which case an imperfect seal can cause water to start leaking (has happened to me many times). If you’re religious about zipping the dirty bag very well, it will generally hold, but weakly, and if it’s very cold outside (plus wet hands from filling the dirty bag), it can be hard to press that thick seal down along every inch of it (I play guitar and have strong hands, but freezing-cold water at 6:00am with wet fingers and wind-chill will weaken anyone’s grip). A year ago I bought and promptly returned their larger reservoir bag (unrelated item to this system) because it had no zip seal mechanism and was worthless when setting a full bag on a counter top or boulder (one touch and that big zip would open up and dump water); another reviewer reported that reservoir dumping on his car seat, so it’s clearly a valid concern. But overall these are minor complaints and I wouldn’t change my setup over it. Most of the time you are hanging the dirty bag, or hiking with it empty and stored in your backpack. With a full clean bag, and a full backpack hydration bag, I could theoretically hike with 7 liters of water if necessary, and I even have another lightweight bag from MSR that could bring that total up to 13 liters if absolutely needed, so not using the dirty bag while filled when hiking is a non-issue for me.

Excellent for your camping backpacking
I originally learned of the Platypus system from a friend whom I rode motorcycles with and camped of the bikes. This is the best filter system I’ve seen as it’s so easy to use and doesn’t plug up like the cheaper ones do. Just fill the bag with creek water and you’ll have clean, drinkable water in minutes. It’s VERY fast and efficient. It’s well made and all the hardware pieces are durable. This system kept us in clean water for a 3.5 week long trip through the Canadian Yukon/Northwest Territories. Just buy it. The cheap ones are worthless imitations of this great system.

Highly Recommended. I have used this product in the wilds of Canada during a two week hike with three friends. It was truly amazing and an excellent product providing us with fresh after wherever we were. So good that I have purchased another for my trip to Africa.

Bei meinem ersten Thru-Hike hatte ich den „Squeeze“-Filter eines bekannten, namhaften Herstellers – und er hat einen guten Job gemacht.Allerdings fand ich es schon hart anstrengend, täglich nach ~15 Meilen (Gebirgswanderung mit Zelt und Rucksack) das Lager zu errichten und dann noch mehrere Liter Wasser für abends und den nächsten Morgen – teils im Dunkeln und bei einstelligen Temperaturen – durch den Filter zu pressen. In der Zeit hätte ich lieber schon geschlafen oder einen Gute-Nacht-Tee getrunken ;)Da ist dieser Filter eine wahre Evolution – und meines Erachtens jeden Euro und jedes Gramm mehr wert! Man füllt ihn, hängt ihn (bspw. an einem Baum) auf – und während man sich anderen Sachen (z. B. dem Zeltaufbau oder der Körperpflege) widmet, erledigt die Schwerkraft alles andere. Funktioniert auch nach Jahren noch einwandfrei.Verpackung und Versand waren auch nicht zu beanstanden.Insgesamt klare Kaufempfehlung – auch für Minimalisten! 🙂