looking to up my game

[Aaron Zagrodnick]

I still really like my MSR Hyperflow filter. It may weight slightly more than some other options, but you can put a lot of water through it in a very short time and you do have the ability to check for filter failure. There wouldn't be any hesitation to buy it again. I like it way better than the Katadyn Hiker which we also have.

Hey grizzled, I noticed that MSR suggests backflushing the Hyperflow every 8 liters or everyday, have you found this to be a pretty easy process / have you noticed flow rate diminishing pretty quickly in the field?

The zip system is a little stiff at first but the good news is that once it's closed it holds all 4 liters even if you are shaking, swinging, etc. It's meant to be stout enough to carry four liters of dirty water on a hike (with the other 4 clean). The other perk I like is that you have a huge opening to fill it with. Got a nice little cascade? Takes about 2-5 seconds to fill it depending on how fast the water flows. No cascade? Just dunk it in the water or use a cup and pour it. No fiddling with tiny openings. So far I haven't found one thing I don't like about it and I'm a bit of a nitpicking gear geek.

Thanks AdventurMyk, the Gravity Works system does seem well thought out. Though it's a little heavier, I've considered replacing the dirty bag (Currently using a 3 liter Hoser) in my pieced together system with a Big Zip LP just for the convenience factor.

[AdventureMyk]

For what it's worth I back flush my Platy every time I use it. It only takes about 5-10 seconds.

[toejam]

Up-ing my game was mostly getting lighter on the 'big 3' - pack, tent, sleeping bag. It didn't cost a lot of money because I was patient and looked for deals.

The one piece of gear that makes the biggest impact every trip is my NeoAir XLite. I hated paying what it cost, but it's really comfy, light, and tough (almost 4 years old). I don't use some exotic or time-consuming method to inflate it - just blow it up, no worries.

My favorite water purification method is a Steripen for areas with clear water. I have a really old Pur (Katadyn) Hiker filter that's really reliable, but slow, cumbersome, and weighs a lot. I had a Hyper Flow I loved but filter elements plugged really quickly and were expensive & hard to find. After a couple of years I broke it backflushing. I bought a $20 Sawyer Mini at WalMart and hate it - you can't hardly get any water in that tiny bag so it needs a significant modification to be useful.

[ogg]

I'm pretty happy so far with my relatively new MSR Hyperflow. The ability to connect my MSR Dromelite water bag directly to it is a big plus. However, when I'm hiking in the Sierras in the summer, drinking from cold, clear alpine lakes in lightly used areas, I'm more inclined to simply use Aquamira drops, pre-treated with coarse-filter gizmo to trap floatables that screws onto a Nalgene bottle, made by Steripen.