Holy Grayl or Major Fail? Grayl Geopress Water Filter Review

Grayl wants to be the Holy Grail of water filters. Do they deserve that title? Grayl certainly can filter a lot of different contaminates including Bacteria, Protozoa, Chemicals, Heavy Metals, Taste, and even Viruses. But that alone does not make it the best. What about weight and size? Usability? Price? and more? I talk about all the things that make Grayl great and some of the things that make it not so great. I also see if Grayl can turn Coca-Cola (Coke) into pure clean drinking water? Be sure to watch till the end to find out.

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[MyLifeOutdoors]

Do you like Grayl? Please let me know why or why not.

[JoeMac]

I used my Grayl for the first time this summer in a stream in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the water was brown and orange from the iron ore. The Grayl made the water crystal clear and the taste was completely neutral. I was sold.

Edit: As pointed out by others, the orange color could have been tannins instead of the iron ore. Where I was drinking from were from streams that were just outside of towns that had iron ore mines in them and I grew up with well water that was full of iron and would stain everything orange.

[BravingTheOutDoors]

Found your channel a few hours ago and have been watching and agreeing with many videos until this one.
My first experience with Grayl has been rather bad as well.
On the very first day I filtered water three times and by the third time the time it took went up to 24 seconds and it became extremely difficult to press.
Like you said, since you can’t back flush it I thought I made a grave error.
Since then I learned quite a few things:
First, you just need to learn at what pace to press. You shouldn’t apply too much force expecting to brut through the speed and cut it short. Steady does the trick.
Second, yes, just place it on the ground and use your body weight.
Third, clearly you should pre-filter the water and/or use a better source.
I bought a spirulina fabric (which is kind of like a nut milk bag) that has one layer of .2m (point two micron) which I use as a pre-filter.
Fourth, once you dry the filter a lot of the particles will fall off and the time it takes to press will go back down.
Fifth, the funny thing is I had far worse problems with the Katadyn Hiker Pro clogging and other issues so all in all I consider the Grayl to be one of the safer options if only for having less moving parts. Plus, the Katadyn has been found to develop micro holes throughout the layers which effectively makes it impractical to the point of being dangerous.
Sixth, with all due respect to the “difficulty” of placing it on the ground and using your body weight to press for 14 seconds… please… compare that time to most filters and it’s literally the fastest filtration system in the world. By the time you filled up one of those silly Sawyer bags or got the Katadyn out of the bag I would have finished filtering and drinking already and continued on my way.
I also found that the Katadyn gets heavier with usage and takes ages to dry.
From my experience the Grayl is much better at everything but one thing (that the Katadyn is better for) which is when you need to filter through a crack and slipping a tube into an underground stream.
In twenty years of backpacking and over seven years of backpacking combined and living a whole year in a tent while backpacking through half the planet, I have not once “had” to do that and had no other choice but that. Still. It is a theoretical point.
As per pre-filtration, I’ve seen someone collecting water in a nylon bag, allowing it to sit so the particles will sink then carefully scooping from the top, pre-filtering again, into a filter.
Not saying it’s ideal but if you don’t want to get stuck with broken gear seven day off of civilization, that is what you do.
Again, in twenty years of backpacking I have not once needed to filter mud.

The bottom line is that there’s simply no competition and the comparison is erroneous at best.
No other filter filters what the Grayl does.
Where you see weight and bulk, I see very cheap life insurance.
I prefer cutting on a shirt and lighter weight sleeping mat but not risking screwing up my health for all eternity from some sinistre bacteria or worse, a virus.
Any portable filter will be gambiling but using any other filter will be gambling a lot more.
Obviously, if I was backpacking through places like northern England or the south of France where I know there is clean water shooting up straight from a spring, then the Sawyer or Katadyn would suffice (if at all necessary) but if I’m setting off on a year long backpacking trip and I have no idea where I’ll end up and/or I’m going to a third world country and/or I’m not sure about whether there’s pesticide spraying, etc, then the Grayl is the best option. In fact, it is the only option.

[ken-djkinetikmidlifeclarit]

My fiancé and I have had the Grayl (older) for two years now. We just bought the upgraded version. I will never go out on the trail hiking or camping without it. Down here in Florida, it’s quite polluted almost everywhere. If you’re on the Florida Trail it’s a must. Especially when you come up through miles of farmlands and groves. The runoff of pesticides/chemicals get into the majority of the water supply(canals/rivers). The coasts are just as bad with pollution that goes for miles offshore.
I understand it definitely has some added weight. Which can be a down fall for thru hikers. But, for safety and a piece of mind. It’s a definite winner! 🥾⛺️🌳💦

[someguy]

I bought a Grayl Ultralight for everyone (4 people) in my family. While it may not be perfect, I feel that the added piece of mind in that it will get rid of viruses was worth it.

[vtwheeler]

Because I travel extensively across the Americas I got the Geopress. Recently used it for a week in Lima, Perú. I used it 4-6 times a day using tap water. Was a great change from buying bottled water. The morning I fly back to USA I emptied it, pressed it 3-4 times while empty and had no problems with airport security.

[venugopalmuthyala]

Hello Steven, I believe you have been quite thorough in your review and explained everything as it stands! A well researched and presented video! Thank you. As a sales professional who travels to various developing countries (and of course even within India!), I am in tandem with your viewpoint that this could benefit travellers such as I. I will be actively considering buying the Grayl soon. Cheers…..

[nkoptev]

For anyone watching, the smaller and lighter version of the geopress is called grayl ultrapress

[RoyceKitts]

Can I just admit I got the grayl because it looks cool. As always, I carry a hydra blue filter as a backup. Always carry a backup. The lightest, smartest decision you can make. No clean water and your trip is a bad one.

[MichelleCTorresGrant]

I have both the Grayl Geopress and the Platypus Quickdraw. I pretty much agree with your assessment with a slight twist. If I have the space and I have the weight allowance I prefer the Grayl for its ease of use and purification abilities. Usually this would mean while traveling, on a short backpacking trip, or on a day hike. I don't mind overkill when it comes to purifying my drinking water. If I'm using the Geopress indoors, e.g. a hotel room, I find it's easiest to set it in a sink, place both bent elbows on the pressing points, and lean my body weight on it. If space is a concern, I want something lighter weight, *and* I'm fairly certain a simple filter will suffice I would take the Platypus Quickdraw with some extra Platypus 1 liter pouches and/or a bladder. I like having both filters and having the choice as to which one to bring depending on the situation!

[SheepdogPreparedness]

I've owned Sawyer products for many years, and they are always my top recommendation. I just recently bought a Grayl, and it is now my top recommended filter. I'll soon be doing a video review on it.

[Cam____]

I know I’ve seen others say this, but your overall production quality is nuts. Really enjoy your videos.

[benbrown]

A GRAYL Ultrapress filter replacement costs about $25. Assuming a user is filtering reasonably clear water with low turbidity, it will provide up to 250 clean and safe half-liters of drinking water. That’s 10 cents per press. A great value by any measure, and safer than all of the other filters that don’t remove chemicals or viruses. I got the new Titanium Ultrapress, and have Amazon auto-ship me a new filter every 3 months, just so I’ll have spares when I need them. I’d suggest a 2-3 liter water bladder or a big Nalgene bottle to pour filtered water into for extra storage if you need it. GRAYL is awesome, and cheaper than getting sick even once. Happy trails..

[rodneyr]

Great video.I have noticed, most reviewers are not much more than glorified salespeople for the product.They tend to give good reviews for the good things of the product but fail to give a complete and honest review. I understand that's how most of y'all make a living. Nice to see someone like you being honest and letting us make a decision based on your results.

[arielfredrickson]

Absolutely love my Grayl the fact that it filters out viruses and heavy metals is everything 🙏🏼

[frankdoejeniksaan]

Thank you! I needed this list of cons!

[terrybritton]

Okay, I am thinking of this as a great household item when the city water goes down, contaminated or drinking from well or other sources that may have contamination or virus issues. In this case, depending one the situation, I think it would be wise to pre-filter the water with something like a Sawyer squeeze.

During certain weather events, the city water plant may be shutdown, have chemical contamination, or in droughts taste like chicken poop in this part of Oklahoma. In the west, no telling what may be leftover from old oil wells. Even a well that has good clean water except for salmonella, their may be chemicals from agriculture or energy production that leached in. This would be a good supplement to make sure the water is safe.

In the old well when hunting, we typically let it run till the red sand clears up then drink from it. Supposedly the water filters in a sand layer for 1000 years, but doesn’t mean something hasn’t contaminated it or the pipes.

[TheTexasTrailhead]

That has been by far the best filter water bottle I’ve used. I love mine. Great video

[asht.]

I really just like the piece of mind. My husband has a thing for going to Mexico and South America and this is a great way to ensure that the water is safe to drink in areas where you can't be certain whether the tap water is safe to drink. It saves a lot of money on bottled water.

While the seemingly low overall capacity can be seen as a drawback, it is much better than some of the other systems out there as far as shareability goes. You can press and fill many containers. I've had a couple instances with user error as far as having some water shoot up at me, but once I figure it out what I was doing wrong I haven't had any problems since. Mostly it was me not making sure that the filter was lined up properly.

Yup, can't deny that it is a little on the heavy side, but I like it a lot. I bought this to replace an older much heavier system that I could no longer find filters for. If they come out with one that has a longer lifespan as far as the amount of water that can be filtered. I would jump on it in a heartbeat.

[danielcook]

Found your video very interesting, and admit all the cons you've said are cons for me as well.
I live in Australia, and use my geopress when doing kayaking, bikepacking and hiking, and combining all three. I live near the Murray River, which is one of Australia's longest rivers, and used for agricultural irrigation - as well as drinking water etc for towns. This is extremely common across the board for Australia. The issue with using your rivers for irrigation and drinking water is that there's plenty of agricultural chemicals and waste end up in it, not to mention the European carp issue. When it ends up in people's taps and houses, it's been purified and is completely safe. That said more often than not, you're completely fine using the river water if you're only out for a night or too and just use a standard filter (love my katadyn), but week long trips out in the Aussie bush, no reception, no one around is another thing. This is where I think the Grayll excels.
In regards to the particulates issue, I generally always use a milbank bag going directly into the grayll, never had an issue with this method.