GRAYL Geopress Purifier
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Tester
Information
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| Name:
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David
Wilkes |
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E-Mail:
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amatbrewer@yahoo.com
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Age:
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52 |
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Location:
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Yakima
Washington USA |
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Gender:
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M |
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Height:
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5'11"
(1.80 m) |
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Weight:
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210
lb (90.7 kg) |
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Biography:
I started
backpacking
in 1995 when I moved to Washington State. Since then, I have
backpacked in all seasons and conditions the Northwest has to
offer. I prefer trips on
rugged trails with plenty of elevation gain. While I continuously
strive to lighten my load, comfort and safety are most important to me.
I have finally managed to get my basic cold weather pack weight, not
including consumables, to under 30 lb (14 kg).
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Product
Information
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Manufacturer:
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GRAYL |
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Year
of Manufacture:
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2019 |
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Manufacturer’s
Website:
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https://grayl.com/ |
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MSRP:
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$89.95
USD
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Listed
Dimensions:
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Height: 10.4" (26.5 cm)
Diameter (at base): 3.4" (8.6 cm)
[varified by tester]
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Weight:
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Listed: 15.9 oz (450 g)
Measured 16.65 oz (472 g)
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Capacity:
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24 oz (710 ml)
[see note in report] |
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Product Image
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Product
Description:
The
Geopress Purifier from Grayl is a rather ingenious combination of water
filter and bottle that operates very much like the French press style
of coffee makers. It filters out particulate material (dirt, sediment,
etc.), removes chemicals and waterborne pathogens (viruses, bacteria,
protozoan cysts). It can also improve the smell and taste of the water.
It is available in 4 colors: Alpine White, Camo Black, Coyote Amber,
and Visibility Orange (I received the Orange).
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Initial
Report
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August 6 2019
 The
Grayl Geopress Purifier looks similar to a large size water bottle. It
has a small drink opening with screw off cap (with retention strap),
and the entire top can be screwed off. The lid also has a loop that can
be
used to secure the bottle, such as to a pack strap or a carabiner. The
outer shell of the Geopress is textured and has a "TopoGrip” section to
improve grip. The outer shell is removed for water collection and then
the inner bottle/filter is inserted into the shell and pressed down to
force the collected water through the filter and into the inner bottle.
The inner bottle is a slightly opaque white plastic and the filter
connects to the bottom with a quarter turn bayonet style connection.
There are flexible seals around the filter and at the top of the bottle
to ensure a good seal and prevent leakage.
The filter cartridge
is removable and replaceable. It is rated for about 350 cycles (65 gal
/ 250L) and “Removes waterborne pathogens (99.99% of viruses, 99.9999%
of bacteria, 99.99% of protozoan cysts), including Rotavirus, Hepatitis
A, Norovirus, Giardiasis, Cryptosporidium, E. Coli, Cholera,
Salmonella, Dysentery and more”. Like all other filters I have used,
there are warnings that allowing the filter to freeze can damage it.
The
bottle is somewhat larger and heavier than I had anticipated, but being
an all in one filter and bottle this is to be expected. For reference
the bottle is about the same size as a 32oz (1L) water bottle and when
full about the same weight, but the Geopress holds 24oz (710ml) of
water (see note below). All of the exterior surfaces of the product
have a textured surface giving it a feel of quality construction. The
lid includes rubber like surfaces to assist in making pressing
down on the lid while filtering more comfortable and less likely for my
hands to slip. The drinking lid is easy to remove and large enough to
allow for guzzling water if desired. The entire lid can be screwed off
to allow full access to the drinking bottle (cleaning, adding ice,
etc.).
Upon
receiving the product I disassembled it and inspected it for flaws or
defects (found none) and reassembled, then filled the outer shell with
tap water and inserted the inner bottle/filter. I was expecting the
filtering to take some force but was still a bit surprised at how much.
But in seeing how quickly it filtered the water (<30seconds) I
believe the amount of force needed compared with the flow rate seems
reasonable. For reference I have other filters that take far less force
but also operate at a much lower rate. It seems the overall effort it
takes is about equal. (effort = force X time) As my tap water has a
slight but noticeable taste of chlorine I performed a taste test of
unfiltered tap water vs the water out of this filter and the chlorine
taste was noticeably absent from the filtered water.
NOTE: the
listed capacity of the filter is 24 oz (710 ml). I filled the outer
shell to the full line, filtered it, and measured what was in the inner
bottle and got 22oz (650 ml) and I found the inner bottle could hold
about 26 oz (769 ml).
One thing I immediately considered upon
receiving this product is that its simplicity and all-in-one design
seems like a good option for outings where carrying large volumes of
water are not necessary, and since I really don’t like carrying any
more water than I need this seems like a good design. For other outings
this would require filtering the water one batch at a time and then
transferring to a separate container(s). But since this is in essence
what most common water filters do anyway this may sound worse than it
really is in practice. I guess I will find out during the testing.
I
would note that I have used at least 5-6 different make/models water
filters over the years. While much of the water in the areas I frequent is probably perfectly safe to drink, Giardiasis &
Cryptosporidium
has been found in some of the local water and of course there is no way
to really know what is going on upstream so I prefer to not take
chances and filter or boil any water I plan to consume. Another factor
is much of the water I collect tends to be from streams and lakes where
the amount of grit, sediment, and general ‘floaties’ (e.g. bugs and
stuff) can be rather high and I have had filters clog on me. As such my
preference is for filters that can be serviced (back flushed) in the
field (this does not seem to be an option with the Geopress). I would
also like to mention that I have tried chemical and ultraviolet
treatments but
am not a fan of those, so I stick to filters.
A final note is that
depending on the outing I tend to switch back and forth between water
bottles and a hydration pack, but for any outing more than a couple
hours (and not in sub-freezing temperatures) I tend to favor a
hydration pack and have mine set up so that I can filter water directly
into my hydration pack without having to remove it from my backpack.
Obviously if I am going to fill a hydration bag using the Geopress I
will have to remove it from my pack first.
My first impression
is that this is a well-made product that is fast and easy to use. It
seems a bit bulky/heavy compared to what I normally prefer for
backpacking but seems like it might be well suited for day hikes,
general outings and travel.
Likes: Innovative product, all in one bottle/filter, easy to use and
fast, good for frequent/fast water collection
Dislikes: No field service (backflush) option, filtering volume per
filter rather low, can't directly fill my hydration bag
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Field
Report
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| November
17 2019 |
 Use:
- Day Hike x3 - Sand Lake – Washington Cascades ~5mi / ~8km
- Day Hike x2 – Pacific Crest trail maintenance scouting, Central Washington Cascades ~8mi / 13km
- Day Hike – White Pass Ski resort
With
the exemption of the last trip (White Pass Ski resort) I carried this
filter and a second water bottle. I started out each trip with a full
0.5L (16oz) water bottle. I would start out by drinking from my water bottle,
then use the Geopress to filter water which I would transfer to the
water bottle. Then I would fill the Geopress and carry it full,
drinking from both along the way. On the two Sand Lake trips I also
used it to filter water which I poured into my dog's trail bowl for her
to drink. The water sources were streams and lakes. On the last trip,
knowing the weather would be on the cold side (near freezing) I filled
the Geopress at home and refilled it once from a small stream (snow
melt) along the way.
So far all of my use of this filter has
been for day hiking. I have wanted to take it with me backpackign but
the size, weight and volume simply does not work with my equipment, so
I have not been able to bring myself to pack it for backpacking trips
(my backpacking water filter weighs 1/8 as much as the Geopress).
For
day hiking along trails I know will have water I really love the
Geopress. I hate to carry any more water than I need and so the
Geopress allows me to quickly refill at any and every water source I
pass. From the viewpoint of speed and convenience, I have to say I have
not used any system that is better. When I reach a water source I can
quickly pull out the Geopress, fill it, filter (takes seconds) and be
on my way. Filling another bottle is also quick and easy. I estimate I
can get a water bottle and the Geopress filled in less time than it
takes to even set up other filter systems I have used. The filter does
take considerable pressure to operate but the design makes that quite
easy, as I simply place the Geopress filled with source water on a hard
surface (log, ground, rock, etc) and push down. I have yet to find a
situation where this is a problem.
I would mention one possible
side effect to filling my water so often and that would be more
opportunities to view local wildlife. On one hike, as I reached the
edge of a lake to refill I saw a snake just off to my left and then
something shot past my right foot. Saying I was startled would be a
huge understatement (the language that escaped my mouth is not
printable here). I was then quite embarrassed to find it was only a
frog, and the snake just a harmless Garter. At the next lake I
encountered a number of salamanders.
 So
far I am really impressed at the speed and convenience of the Geopress,
and find it just about ideal for my water needs when on day hikes where
I am likely to encounter water sources along the way. I also like the
large drink opening, allowing me to guzzle or sip from it as I please.
I am less impressed with the overall size, weight and bulk, but only in the context of if I would want to carry it backpacking.
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Long
Term Report
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| January 14 2019 |
Since the Field Report I have only used the Geopress once and it
was for a 5 day trip to Los Cabos Mexico. I carried the bottle for use
in the airports and on the airplane, filling it twice (once in Seattle
and once in Los Angeles). I also used it 3-4 times while in the resort
to filter tap water in our room.
While traveling I was able to
avoid the cost and waste of purchasing bottled water, allowing me to
give no thought to the quality or taste of the airport drinking water
and I doubt I have to say how nice it was to be able to filter and
drink the tap water at the resort without any concern over the water
quality there.
While I found the product to be too bulky and
heavy for backpacking, it is a really quite convenient for day hikes
reducing the amount of water I need to carry and allowing me to hydrate
more often. But for me I think the real value of this product, and
where I expect to continue using it, is for traveling, especially when
going out of the country.
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This
concludes
my Report.
I would like to thank the folks at GRAYL and BackpackGearTest.org
for the opportunity to test this product.
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