Unleash the horses and pop along to my site for the full podcast about the product which is now live!

A remarably impressive and useful piece of kit! 

Bob C

I'm really in 2 minds now.  That filter bottle looks great but what puts me off it is the flow rate - 100 - 300 ml per minute with an average rate of something like 150ml  / minute.  Quite slow.

Why not Aquira Mira drops?  These do look like the lightest purification solution. Also, surely the great thing about good puritabs etc is that you don't have to be squeezing a plastic bottle for the magic to work - haul the water out of the stream in a Platy bottle, bung in tabs and wait.

I think you'll find that both systems mentioned above are made by the same company, so the same safe technology with two different delivery options and two different price points.

Jake I suppose it depends on your needs and expectations about flow rate. I was drinking out of the bottle last night and you can 'suck' as well as squeeze you know! Comparing it to a normal sports bottle, it is certainly slightly slower, but it is instant.

As good as Aquira Miro drops maybe, they don't remove sediment and filter the water, it will still taste brackish and some of the cysts will still be in the water, as I understand it. 

Katadyn hiker is all I use in the UK. 

I had the newer red msr mini works and it was cool but hard work to pump water through and I dropped it on a rock from and the filter smashed....There are lots of parts to loose too...

The katadyn hiker is much cheaper and seems more robust.  The filters are unbreakable as far as droping them is concirned an can be replaced at sensible cost.  The filter also filters far quicker than the MSR.

you can 'suck' as well as squeeze you know!

Bob - I love it when you talk dirty but back to water purification...

Thanks for the information on the filter bottle, helps me me make a decision. 

I have just bought one of the Aqua Gear bottles from Bob ( Thanks Bob - from order to me in 36 hours; and ta for the jelly babies. They'll come in handy for my Sunday long run).

Having just got it out of the box today and 'flushed it through' 3 times the flow rate seems OK to me. What do you really expect for the size and weight.

My early thoughts are that it will be great for me and will suit my needs.

 The only trouble I have at the moment is making sure the lid is tight enough; you do have to put it on firmly as the soft bottle comes away from the lid when you squeeze.

Another naff point - the silly blue writing on the bottle comes off making a mess of everything it touches.

BTW - I was sold on the thing from listening to Bobs podcast; I ordered it straight after listening. I am not normally an impulse buyer.

Glad you are pleased with the product guys. I'll pass on the tip about the writing to the manufacturers.

I haven't found the cap to be a problem, although it could be tighter, as the drinking outlet is the same as other sports bottles and clips shut, sealing it well.

 I'll also see about availability of the spare scrim fliters in the base, as mine has fallen out a few times when I take the base off to refill and I'm sure some people might lose it. It is important not to, as it forms the leakproof seal.

I don't know about you, but I'm suddenly finding little streams I wouldn't consider in the past, cropping up all over where I walk, making the need to carry water all day, a thing of the past!

 Bob

I wrote; 

The only trouble I have at the moment is making sure the lid is tight enough; you do have to put it on firmly as the soft bottle comes away from the lid when you squeeze.

What I meant here was that as the lid is made from a harder plastic than the bottle, when I squeeze the bottle hard the softer plastic of the bottle flexes away from the lid and either air or water are released. It is OK when the bottle is not squeezed so hard. Perhaps that is a good measure of how much pressure to apply when squeezing. Perhaps I could test it against the suggested flow rate.

It really is a great piece of kit

I wish I'd had one when I was living in Sidney, the water there was rank and everyday it was different. one day iit was full of a chlorine aftertaste somedays it it tasted of other horrid chemicals.

Occasionally I would fill my water bottle and pop it in the freezer overnight so I would have really cold water to sip all day at work and I swear it would sometimes appear to make the chlorine taste worse.

I couldnt believe how much I took for granted nice tasting water from hme here in scotland.