Platypus GravityWorks Group Camping Water Filter System, 4-Liter : Sports & Outdoors

10 reviews for Platypus GravityWorks Group Camping Water Filter System, 4-Liter : Sports & Outdoors

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   J. Alderson – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   This thing is AMAZING and QUICK!

   This is AWESOME for groups. We do a family backpacking trip to a lake in Yosemite every year or two – and we can have more than 15 people there at a time. This means we have had to take turns pumping and sharing just 2 or 3 filters and it takes FOREVER. This sweet setup takes hardly any time… just scoop up some water and filter away. I think this would be helpful even with 2 people since it’s super quick and then you’d be able to fill your water bottles and have water for cooking. It’s also nice because you can store water in the clean water bag and refill as needed.LIMITATIONS: You definitely need something to hang them from (trees work great). You also need a source of water where you can scoop out a bucketful of non-nasty water. And be sure to read the directions about reversing flow just a little each time to un-jam it since particles build up more quickly than when you’re pumping.Super easy and user friendly. I just wish we had gotten one sooner!!!

   3 people found this helpful
2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Herk – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Where was this on my last trip!

   Used it for a 4 day backpacking trip in the High Sierras and it worked like a charm. Very easy to use and light weight. I wish the little pouch it came with was a little larger. Packing it back into the carrying pouch was a bit of a pain, but other than that it was a breeze to set up and use. We had 11 in our group and it took care of all our filtering needs. So simple to fill the dirty bag with water, hang it from a tree and let it filter water into the clean bag without having to pump and pump and pump. It is surprisingly quick as well. I think the system was the best camp gadget we had on the trip. Everyone loved it. Even the “proud” guys that were set up with techy filter systems of their own admired this setup. I have no need for any other filtration system after experiencing this.

   4 people found this helpful
3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   L. Jones – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Best water filter on the market!!

   I have had this filter for 7 years now and let me start by saying, it’s absolutely worth it. Backpacking is a lot of work and there is a lot of things to do, especially once you make camp. The only work this requires is to fill the bag and hang it on a tree. Water is filtering while you are completing other tasks, like setting up your sleep system. I bought this when I started taking my young children backpacking with me. I didn’t want to be tied up pumping or squeezing water through a filter. This was the perfect solution. Works great for my guys trips and when I guide trips as well. Perfect for a group. The only con I have is the dirty bag can be especially difficult to get closed in colder temperatures, however, the system still works even if the bag is not closed all the way. Don’t hesitate to purchase and enjoy the time you will get back by not having to pump or squeeze to filter water!

   3 people found this helpful
4. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   MikeMike – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   BEST Water filter! Period.

   Incredibly handy! Before buying this I did an exhaustive amount of research on water filters. What sold me on this is the fact that you can get a lot of water in one shot, it filters FAST, and most importantly… NO PUMPING! If you’re backpacking this is a no brainer. Water weighs 8.3lb per gallon and an adult needs about a gallon a day, so bringing water on a multi-day trip is not an option. This weighs less than a pound at 13.6oz! This can also save you money in the long run. The filter lasts for 1500 liters or 396 Gallons, If you’re buying gallons of water from the store that’ll cost you $350-$400. Even if you’re filling from the tap this will save space and save you from having to lug water around.The other “straw” filters are handy, but if you need to fill a Camelbak bladder or use water for cooking, then you’ll need a filter that is capable of filtering more water. The tubing and the storage bags are high quality and will not kink or deform. The hoses are long so you can hang the dirty bag from a branch and put the clean bag on the ground for maximum filtering speed, or you can just hang the clean bag from a lower branch. To dispense you can just detach the hose on the clean side of the filter and hang the clean bag as show in the picture.Want to get the most out of one trip to the water source? You can actually get 8 liters in one shot! Just fill the dirty bag and wait a short 3 minutes for it to filter. Then detach the clean water bag from the hose and screw on the provided screw cap to close the clean bag. Then will up the dirty bag and boom you’ve got 4 liters ready to go and another 4 that can be quickly filtered! That’s 2.1 Gallons in one trip!Cleaning:Every 8 liters or so (depending on water quality) when the dirty bag is nearly finished filtering, simply lift the clean bag higher and back-flush it for about 5 seconds and then clamp the hose and discard the water in the dirty bag. For long term cleaning add 2 liters of clean water to the dirty bag, add a couple drops of bleach, and filter it through. You can towel dry the dirty bag, but the clean bag you’ll need to just hang it for a few days in a dry place. The filter can be dried out by removing the bumpers and the plastic end pieces, and leaving it sit for a week.Cons:The filter is advanced but delicate, it cannot be dropped or used if the temperature may drop below 32F (0C) as it will damage the filter. You can easily test the integrity of the filter though by trying to blow air backwards through it. If there are bubbles on the other side, then the filter is broken, if not then you are good.I simply love this filter and couldn’t be happier with my purchase. I hope you found this review helpful!

   296 people found this helpful

   

5. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   M. GladdenM. Gladden – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Convert your GravityWorks into a Basecamp Spigot and Hydration Bag Refilling Station (see image)

   A very simple and efficient way to create a basecamp spigot and hydration bag refilling station (see image for details). Just add a few inexpensive hydration tube quick-connect adapters to the clean filter line and to your backpack’s hydration bag line and you’re in good shape even for trekking/expeditions. But I would not bring this setup to a place where I did not know moderately clean water existed unless you a) want to clog your hallow-fiber filter and b) have a way of accessing very low or no-flow water sources (ultra-thin creeks or pooled water down below boulders/crags). For those applications, a hose and a pump are more reliable (I use Katadyn). But I always bring the GravityWorks when I know there’s a reasonable water source.Tips: at twice the cost you can get quick-connect adapters that auto shut-off when disconnected. I wish I had purchased those but have learned to live with raising the tube above the bag’s water height when necessary. I purchased two sets of the cheap one’s made by Katadyn:

   Quickfill Hydration Pack Adaptor

   . Camelbak has one with a shutoff valve (decent work-around) and also sells the more expensive auto-shutoff variety.Also, I always backflush both before I begin filtering (per the instructional video by letting a little water filter into the clean bag then backflushing into the dirty while simultaneously removing air bubbles), but more importantly, I stop filtering before the last few ounces have left the dirty bag (always the dirtiest water) and backflush briefly onto the ground before disconnecting tubes and transporting everything back to camp. This second backflush takes seconds (just push down on the clean back after you disconnect the line from the dirty bag) and it visibly removes material that will would otherwise clog the filter. It sounds like a lot of work, but it’s very easy once you get a routine down.About the complaints:1) The first few liters are going to taste like plastic. To solve this, fill both bags with clean water at home when you first purchase them and let them hang for a day or two. Rinse them both, then filter at least one full bag through the system. Shake the remaining water out of the filter, dry everything, and store.2) complaints about drying the “clean” bag are valid — it takes a while, but I just blow up the bag, pull on it from the center of the flat part thereby forcing the bag into an open shape, and put it in a window for a few days.3) I too am not a fan of the dirty bag having no zip seal like the regular platypus hydration bags, but it’s a trade off (weight savings). You can buy another bag with a seal if you really need that functionality, but who wants to spend unnecessary money. I recommend Platypus add a zip seal to future versions. It’s just too often you don’t have a tree handy so you’re setting the dirty bag on top of a boulder, in which case an imperfect seal can cause water to start leaking (has happened to me many times). If you’re religious about zipping the dirty bag very well, it will generally hold, but weakly, and if it’s very cold outside (plus wet hands from filling the dirty bag), it can be hard to press that thick seal down along every inch of it (I play guitar and have strong hands, but freezing-cold water at 6:00am with wet fingers and wind-chill will weaken anyone’s grip). A year ago I bought and promptly returned their larger reservoir bag (unrelated item to this system) because it had no zip seal mechanism and was worthless when setting a full bag on a counter top or boulder (one touch and that big zip would open up and dump water); another reviewer reported that reservoir dumping on his car seat, so it’s clearly a valid concern. But overall these are minor complaints and I wouldn’t change my setup over it. Most of the time you are hanging the dirty bag, or hiking with it empty and stored in your backpack. With a full clean bag, and a full backpack hydration bag, I could theoretically hike with 7 liters of water if necessary, and I even have another lightweight bag from MSR that could bring that total up to 13 liters if absolutely needed, so not using the dirty bag while filled when hiking is a non-issue for me.

   93 people found this helpful

   

6. 

   Rated 4 out of 5

   Dave T – August 16, 2025

   4.0 out of 5 stars

   Worked well, but has poor grommets.

   Just got back from a week in the Wind River Mountains, The platypus did a great job. When we got to camp one person could fill the dirty water reservoir while the other two started working on setting up the rest of camp. In no time at all we had camp set up and had 4 liters of water for dinner preparations. It was very convenient. During the day if we needed to make a quick stop to refill water bottles, the platypus worked ok but did not seam to have any real advantage over a pump. Over all It worked great, the main reason I rated it as 4 star and not 5, was because the grommets pulled out on the second day. They are only a one sided grommet and are kind of flimsy. We will need to try to replace the grommets before our next trip.

   One person found this helpful
7. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   glos – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Filtering Water Was Never So Easy

   This filter system works pretty darn good. I took it on a 3 night backpack trip on the Escalante River in Southern Utah with 6 people. We filtered between 30 and 40 liters for the trip.The filter started getting real slow by the last night and I was worried it was about done, for its useful life, which seemed pretty abysmal. Southern Utah typically has silty water, but the early spring runoff water we gathered appeared very clear, so I was quite surprised that it was going so slow with such little use. It even seemed to have stopped flowing. Tried back flushing while squeezing the clean water bag to increase the pressure going back through the filter. It helped, but not as much as I’d hoped. I always back flushed a little water as the instructions say to do, which I guess is mostly to get the air out of the filter so it will flow quicker. This is also supposed to clean the filter, but seems pretty pointless when you’re running the same water back through the filter again into the clean bag. When I got home I did a proper back flush, running a few liters of clean water back through the filter and discarding. This is really what is needed out on the trail as well. The first bit of water from the back flush was a little dirty, so even though the river water looked clear, there obviously was some bad stuff in it. After that back flush, the filter performed stellar again, taking 3 minutes to run 4 liters of clean tap water through it. Next time I’ll do a proper back flush on the trail when it starts slowing down, or back flushing a little onto the ground each time when filtering. It’s easy to do.The conclusion: I love this filter system. I always hated pumping while trying to keep the intake hose out of the muck and sand, and getting very bored and worn in the process. There’s no waiting for dinner any more, and filtering while hiking is a quick process. I used to carry a ton of water, but we all only carried a one liter bottle, and stopped to refill if needed, which we did once during the day and called it a rest stop. The temperatures were cool, so in hotter weather it might be necessary to stop more than once, or carry a second bottle. In any case, I’ll never carry a gallon of water again, unless there is no water along the way, which does happen sometimes. We always check the maps for sources of water before heading out.Other reviewers have suggested or warned that you should carry a second filter system in case this one plugs up. I took a second filter cartridge, which is a lot lighter than a whole second filter system, but that shouldn’t even be needed with proper back flushing. I didn’t need to use that second filter.Filtering water is now a non-issue. The hardest part is walking from camp to the water and back again. It’s hard to complain much about that.

   8 people found this helpful
8. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Trina – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Excellent for your camping backpacking

   I originally learned of the Platypus system from a friend whom I rode motorcycles with and camped of the bikes. This is the best filter system I’ve seen as it’s so easy to use and doesn’t plug up like the cheaper ones do. Just fill the bag with creek water and you’ll have clean, drinkable water in minutes. It’s VERY fast and efficient. It’s well made and all the hardware pieces are durable. This system kept us in clean water for a 3.5 week long trip through the Canadian Yukon/Northwest Territories. Just buy it. The cheap ones are worthless imitations of this great system.

   2 people found this helpful
9. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Jesse Stenz – August 16, 2025

   5.0 out of 5 stars

   Fantastic Backcountry filter

   I’ve been using this product for a couple years and came back to review it because it is truly excellent. It filters a large quantity of water in a relatively short amount of time. The bags have held up well to use and every time I use it, it is obvious to me that it is a very well designed product. I love the quick pinch clip to stop the flow and the open top of the dirty bag makes filling it a breeze. I greatly prefer using it over my Sawyer filter despite the extra volume and weight.

   One person found this helpful
10. 

    Rated 5 out of 5

    Happy Husband, Happy Wife – August 16, 2025

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great for Backpacking Groups

    This is a great product for backpacking in a group.I’m a dad getting back into backpacking with little kids. Also, I’ve been taking along another family each time. The first time I took my good old MSR pump filter. It worked OK, but filtering water for three adults and three kids was a pain. At first we took turns filtering while squatting by a stream waiving off mosquitoes. Then we were smart and filled a dry bag and filtered back at camp. But the bag got me thinking–hadn’t I heard about gravity filters?I read all the reviews I could find: The Platypus and the MSR are basically tied for quality (AutoFlow™ XL Gravity Filter 10 L). I liked that this came with both bags, whereas I would need to buy a separate bag for the MSR.PROS- 7 Liters holds a lot of water. If you’re able, you can filter 7 liters at the water source, then carry 7 more liters dirty water back to camp to filter at your leisure, for a total of 14 liters carrying capacity. Bring all your water bottles in a backpack and you can get even more filtered.- Light weight. I think it weighs as much as my MSR pump. I’m not sure what I’ll do with my old pump now. Sell it?- Water tastes great…after I pre-cleaned it. Before going out the first time, I rinsed both bladders with warm water and vinegar. My friend with his didn’t and his water tasted plastic-y.- Much less work than pumping.CONS- I was kind of annoyed how much I needed to backflush in order to get it to filter right. So much backflushing.- Unlike the MSR, the sediment accumulates at the bottom of the dirty bag and the hose comes right out of the bottom of the sediment, instead of from above the sediment line. So if the water is especially sediment-y, you might want a water sack to carry and hold water to let the sediment drop.- Drying out the clean water bladder was a royal pain. There’s no wide mouth, so you basically hang it to dry with some paper towels shoved inside. Really not cool.- Only people with strong fingers could seal the ziplock closure on the dirty water bag.That sounds like a lot of CONS, but I really like this filter set up. I hope you do too.

    16 people found this helpful