Guide Water Filter

I've had mine for about three years now and it has worked very well. I did have to replace a broken plunger handle, but when I called PUR about it they mailed me a new one free of charge. Beyond that it has worked flawlessly. It is also easy to tell when the filter needs replacing because it will become harder to pump. The water always tastes clean even when I've pumped water from a mosquito ridden mud puddle.

I've used this filter in the backcountry for two years and think it's great because of two reasons; ease of use and flow rate. This is perhaps the easiest purification system I've seen. Pur wisely made the attachment fit both large and small mouth nalgene bottles securely and easily. Just drop one end in the water and shove the other on your bottle and start pumping.



The real beauty of this thing is that it can fill a nalgene quicker than you can say "I'm thirsty." 35 pumps will transform a liter of water from a stagnant pool into a bottle of clear, safe drinking water.



Drawbacks:

1. It is bulkier and heavier than some others

2. Everyone in your climbing party will be using your filter to fill up.

While I don't actually own this, I have used several of them extensively on boy scout 50 milers. We usually have 3 of them for 12-15 people for a week. By the end of the trip, the filters get pretty clogged up which makes pumping difficult but possible. This can usually be avoided by putting a coffee filter over the intake of the hose with a rubber band, and avoiding silt.

If you are really serious about keeping the water clean, you should keep the intake and outake hoses in separate zip-lock bags.

Overall a good pump, a little heavy, but it beats the taste of iodine.

Of the five water treatment methods I have personally used this one is my first choice. I've used the Pur (now Katadyn) Hiker, the MSR Miniworks, iodine tabs, and some old-school pump my dad had (no clue...). The Guide is faster than any of the pumps mentioned above, and always makes delicious water, although I've yet to use it from a crappy water source... always a running water source. The Hiker is comperable (slower but lighter and more compact), the Miniworks has had serious maintainence issues, iodine tastes like crap, and the old-school filter was... well... really OLD. I love this fliter... ease field maintainence too.