Gear Review – Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter

Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter

I didn’t want to buy the Platypus GravityWorks water filter system. It’s too heavy – it weighs 12 ounces! That’s three-quarters of a pound. Just to filter water?! Previously I had used Aquamira chemical drops and the Sawyer Mini filter. Both of those water purification options weigh a fraction of the Platypus GravityWorks. But when Travis introduced me to the effortless luxury of the GravityWorks during our May 2017 Dolly Sods hike, I could never get it off my mind. Grab a bag of water from the creek, hang it on a branch, connect the filter, and drop the clean water bag on the ground. That’s it! You have four liters of perfectly clean, filtered water a few minutes later. I caved and bought the GravityWorks filter in 2018.

Overview and Specifications

The Platypus GravityWorks water filter kit has five components: (1) 4-liter dirty water bag, (2) 4-liter clean water bag, (3) microfilter with hoses, (4) cap for clean water bag, and (5) storage bag. The system can filter up to 1.75 liters of water per minute, though, in my experience, you will only get that flow rate when it’s new. Lifetime capacity for the microfilter is 1500 liters, but the microfilter can be replaced.  At REI a replacement filter cartridge costs $64.95. Weight is listed as 11.5 ounces on the Platypus website, but I think it will only weigh that little when it is brand new and completely dry. Once used, the system will always have some residual water. My GravityWorks weighed in at 13.75 ounces.

Using the Platypus GravityWorks filter

It is simple to use the Platypus GravityWorks filter system. I keep the filter kit in the pouch on the back of my Zpacks Arc Blast pack, so it’s readily available if I need to use it while hiking. First, find a place to collect water – a stream, seep, river, etc… I find a good spot to perform the filtering, an area with a suitable branch to hang the dirty water bag from. I typically leave everything at that spot except the dirty water bag. Then fill the dirty water bag with water from the source. Hang the dirty water bag and connect the microfilter connector to the clean water bag. The final step is to connect the dirty-side microfilter hose to the dirty water bag using the quick-release connector. It connects with a satisfying ‘click’ when it’s fully seated.

Other components of the GravityWorks kit

There isn’t much more to the Platypus GravityWorks than that. But I will mention a couple of other components. A separate cap is used to seal the clean water bag. It allows you to carry the full clean water bag separately from the rest of the system. When in camp, I typically leave the dirty water bag and microfilter hanging at my chosen filtering spot. I then take the capped, full clean water bag to wherever I’ve decided to store clean water in camp. Typically I’ll fill all the storage containers I have and then filter more water, so the clean water bag is also full. There is also a flow cutoff clip on the dirty water hose. This allows you to cut the water flow if the dirty water bag is still partially full when you wish to stop filtering. In the field, I rarely use the cutoff clip.

Conclusion – Platypus GravityWorks Water Filter

Admittedly, the Platypus GravityWorks water filter is much heavier than I prefer. I’ve gone back and forth between using it and trying lighter water filtering options. But the simplicity, ease of use, and massive filtering capacity have always led me back to using it. The Platypus website shows that you can go with either a 4-liter or a 6-liter version. But I’ve purchased a 2-liter version in the past, so there are many options. If you hike solo, the weight could be a show stopper, but for larger groups, it’s hard to beat the Platypus GravityWorks.