Watching some videos on YouTube from Dave Canterbury and some others I've seen a few videos about the Grayl water filters.

It looks like a large plastic water bottle, but it has an inner bottle with a filter at the bottom that works similarly to a coffee press.  Take the inner cup out and fill the outer with dirty water and insert the inner portion and push down and bingo bongo you got clean water.

It's probably too heavy for the oz counters out there since it weighs almost a pound vs the 2 oz or so that my sawyer weighs, but with work and family there's no way that I'm going to be able to go on a thru hike of the AT. For the 2 or 3 day hikes that I do i might be willing to trade the extra weight for the simplicity/convenience of this thing. It would also go great with kayaking with my wife and daughter.

Biggest downside is the price. It's almost 90 dollars.  
I'm willing to drop the coin on it, but thought I'd ask here first to see if anyone had used one to see if there were some horror stories so I don't waste the money.

Online reviews seem positive.






ETA: here's what I'm talking about:

I got one and its pretty bomb proof.  

Shawn Kelly did a good review on them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pME_EmUmoI4

That is pretty much what I have heard. I just thought I would ask since an endorsement from members here is worth alot more than a you tube video where you don't know if its a paid endorsement or not.

Thank you for sharing your experience.  

Looks like I'll try one.

One thing I have noticed is if you use it with tap water it greatly increases the taste!  it is also not as fragile in cold weather as the sawyer.

I used mine traveling back and forth overseas (to A'Stan).  It was just part of my travel kit both in and out of country.  Works well.  I would only recommend letting really turbid water settle before filtering, and try and track your water filtration amounts (just add a replacement filter when you purchase).

Good filter for what it is.

ROCK6

I received one for Christmas. I'm looking forward to using it when the salmon start running.