The Grayl UltraPress Water Air purifier (16.9 fluid oz) is a handy bottle-based water remedy answer designed to take away viruses, micro organism, protozoa, chemical compounds, and heavy metals from backcountry or frontcountry water sources. Not like different water filters and remedy strategies, the Grayl UltraPress doesn’t require batteries, ultraviolet mild bulbs, hoses, straws, pumping, sucking, or ready for a chemical response to finish. It additionally doesn’t require carrying an additional reservoir or container to drink from and matches into bicycle bottle cages and car cup holders, extending its utility to different venues apart from mountaineering trails.
Specs at a Look
- Weight: 12.5 oz (357 g)
- Capability: 16.9 oz (500 ml)
- Circulate Charge: 10 seconds per 16.9 oz (3 liters/minute)
- UltraPress Air purifier Cartridge Lifespan: 300 makes use of (150 liters / 40 gallons)
- Lively Expertise: Electroadsorption, ultra-powdered activated carbon, and silver handled zeolites
- Antimicrobial: Sure
- Chemical-free: Sure
- BPA free supplies: Sure
- Removes 99.99% of viruses (e.g. Rotavirus, Hepatitis A)
- Removes 99.9999% of micro organism (e.g. E Coli, Salmonella)
- Removes 99.99% of protozoan cysts (e.g. Giardia, Cryptosporidium)
- Filters particulates (e.g. silt, microplastics), many chemical compounds (e.g. chlorine, benzene), and heavy metals (e.g. lead, arsenic)
The right way to Use the UltraPress
The Grayl UltraPress works like a French espresso press with an outer bottle and a plunger that matches inside it with a air purifier aspect on the finish. You fill the outer bottle with water from a stream or lake, insert the plunger/air purifier aspect into it and press down.
This forces the water within the outer bottle by way of the filter and into the plunger’s inside, which holds the purified water and doubles as a 16.9 oz. bottle which you can drink from immediately. It has a screw-on cap, so you may have the choice of carrying the clear water with you in case you don’t need to drink all of it up on the spot. An alternative choice is to pour the purified water out of the Ultrapress and into a bigger bottle or reservoir if you wish to carry extra without delay.
Purifying 16.9 ounces of water takes 10 seconds and easily requires pushing the “plunger” into the outer bottle containing the soiled water. One of the best ways to do that is to set the Grayl UltraPress on the bottom, unscrew the highest cap a 1/2 flip to vent displaced air, and push down on the plunger utilizing your physique weight. Should you neglect to unscrew the cap that half flip, it should develop into obvious as a result of it should take extra drive to push the “plunger” down. You possibly can reseal the cap when completed in case you don’t need to devour the water instantly.
To tug the plunger (inside bottle) out of the outer bottle, pull on the deal with on prime. That’s the best solution to get it out. If it sticks, on account of suction, simply persist. It’s not truly caught and can come out.
The way it Works
The UltraPress air purifier cartridge makes use of a expertise known as electro-adsorption, the place comparatively giant pores are overlaid with a positively-charged mesh that latches onto germs like little magnets. The bigger pore measurement is simpler to drive water by way of, not like different fashionable hollow-fiber filters (Sawyer Squeeze or Katadyn BeFree), the place it’s a must to squeeze like mad to attempt to drive water by way of the filter.
To purify water, you push the inside bottle (which has the air purifier cartridge hooked up to the underside) into the outer bottle containing soiled water. Clear water collects within the inside bottle, as soon as it’s been handed by way of the cartridge. As soon as the inside bottle and air purifier cartridge hit the underside of the outer bottle, merely unscrew the cap on the inside bottle and drink the water or pour it into one other container.
Purification vs Filtration
The Grayl UltraPress is named a “water air purifier” as a result of it removes extra substances than a “water filter”, together with chemical compounds similar to chlorine and iodine, and heavy metals together with lead and arsenic. Common water filters don’t take away these. The UltraPress additionally removes viruses, making it a superb answer for street journeys and worldwide journey, principally anyplace the place they’re sketchy water or water that you simply’re not sure of.
Nonetheless, the UltraPress is NOT designed to guard in opposition to industrial disasters, coal ash spills, very excessive lead ranges, mercury, nuclear disasters, excessive tannin concentrations, or water that accommodates poisonous blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). In these situations, it’s necessary to search out one other water supply.
Freezing Temperatures
Not like most water filters or purifiers, the Grayl UltraPress will be by accident frozen and stand up to as much as three (3) freeze/thaw cycles. Past three cycles, air purifier efficiency begins to decrease and the producer recommends that the air purifier cartridge get replaced. Nonetheless, that’s a useful function in case you occur to get caught out within the chilly unexpectedly, particularly in early spring or late autumn.
Air purifier Lifetime
The UltraPress purification aspect is rated for 300 makes use of (150 liters / 40 gallons), making it a greater answer for infrequent use on day hikes, mountain bike rides, and fishing journeys, somewhat than prolonged backpacking journeys and thru-hikes. The price of an UltraPress substitute air purifier cartridge is $24.95.
Over time, the pace of purification will sluggish because the purification cartridge fills with impurities. When it takes 25 seconds to course of 16.9 ozof water as an alternative of the unique 10 seconds, Grayl recommends changing the purification cartridge. The cartridge will nonetheless work past this level, however processing instances will improve.
Saved underneath correct situations, an unopened Air purifier Cartridge has a shelf lifetime of 10 years. After a cartridge has been used, it lasts at the very least 3 further years. in case you solely use the air purifier sometimes, it’s finest to let the cartridge dry out for 3-4 days earlier than placing it away. Grayl has full directions for this on their web site, but it surely’s fairly easy.
Suggestion
The Grayl UltraPress Water Air purifier is an progressive water remedy system that gives glorious safety in opposition to organic, chemical, and mineral contaminants, however is simply as helpful in additional civilized or worldwide settings to make your water safer to drink and style higher. I like the truth that it’s utterly self-contained and consists of an built-in cup and bottle which makes it tremendous simple to pack and carry, with out having to take care of further hoses, reservoirs, bottles, batteries, straws, and moist floppy issues on quick hikes when there’s loads of water round and also you don’t want to hold a lot further.
Whilst you might use the UltraPress for backpacking to purify greater than 16.9 oz (a half-liter) of water at a time to hold, the air purifier cartridge’s restricted lifespan of 150 liters, the price of substitute cartridges, and the time wanted to course of bigger portions of water make it a much less fascinating answer for long-distance backpacking or group journeys. Nonetheless, I’m impressed by the ingenuity and ease of use of the Grayl UltraPress and assume it’s a superb water remedy answer, particularly for hikers and open air folks within the backcountry, in addition to extra city environments, the place the necessity to purify your water in all probability is even better.
Evaluate 5 Costs
Final up to date: 2022-03-08 18:18:19
Disclosure: Grayl donated an UtraPress for this evaluation
Editor’s notice: Should you’re enthusiastic about shopping for gear that we’ve reviewed or advocate on SectionHiker, you’ll be able to assist help us within the course of. Simply click on on any of the vendor hyperlinks above, and in case you make a purchase order, we might (however not all the time) obtain a small share of the transaction. The price of the product is identical to you however this helps us proceed to check and write unsponsored and impartial gear evaluations, newbie FAQs, and free mountaineering guides. Thanks and we admire your help!
