anyone have experience with the MSR Trailshot filter?

[mtwarden]

I just got back from a 3 day romp across the Bob Marshall Wilderness and got to thinking I could easily dump 2 lbs of weight from my water system w/ a light and reliable filter. Currently I carry a 20 oz bottle on my shoulder strap- it's ready to drink and easily accessible. I also carry a 1 liter Platypus in a side pocket, when the 20 oz bottle is gone, I refill w/ the Platypus. Fill the Platypus up and drop in a Aquatab, when I'm ready to refill the 20 oz bottle again, the Platy is ready to go. I've used this system for 10-ish years and it's definitely reliable, BUT in a water rich environ- seems like I could dump an easy 2-ish lbs (minus weight of a filter).

I was looking at the Trailshot and appears it could be just the ticket, certainly light- not sure how reliable though.

Thanks in advance

 

[sweetroll]

Not sure about the trail shot. But check out the sawyer mini filters. They’re half the cost, half the weight and work great.


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[krausejmk]

I used one for a week in Colorado last year and loved it. It worked so well that the other two guys I was with used it as well

 

[mtwarden]

^^ I read a bunch of mixed reviews on the various Sawyers- not sure if it’s the type of water folks are filtering or not doing the required maintenance???? some love them, some hate them

^ good to hear

 

[NYSKIER]

I've got one and don't use it to much but I am a fan. I will say you better have your forearms ready to pump that thing

 

[Desk Jockey]

I've got one and don't use it to much but I am a fan. I will say you better have your forearms ready to pump that thing

Echo this. I have used mine for 1 very light overnight and use it to replenish water on day hikes. It works fine but the effort to pump a liter of water would not make it my first choice for a long trip. They have come out with an attachment that lets it work as a gravity filter also and that might expand the function range IMO.

 

[GShaw]

I used one on my 7 day Montana hunt last year. After my SteriPen failed, it was my main filter method for the day. A little time consuming, but nice to hit the smaller stream when hiking and fill up the Nalgene with ice cold mountain goodness. Used AquaTabs for Camp Water.

 

[mtwarden]

Thanks guys. I think if it handled filling up my 20 oz bottle relatively quickly and reliably- I’d be happy- I can pack an empty 1 or 2 liter Platy bottle for camp and just throw a tab in it.

Day hike or hunt, wouldn’t even have to do that.

 

[veganhunter]

I have one and recommend it. I use it as my sole water treatment device when on solo trips. A plus is that you can easily drink directly from the nozzle so I always carry it in my mountain bike fanny and just get a drink from a stream when I need to - saves having to carry a day's worth of water.

Its not a good option for filtering large quantities of water but other than that I'd say its great.

 

[JeffRaines]

It took me about 10 minutes to filter 6 liters of water.

I like it better than the Sawyer. The Sawyer is nice but the advantage the trailshot has to me is being able to pick water up. Using the Sawyer with a soft container sucks. It also sucks using any container in small shallow streams.

It’s like having the lightweight of a Sawyer with the convenience of the older pump style(katadyn hiker) filters.

 

[cmahoney]

I used it last year on all my scouting trips. It’s a chore but perfect when you are on the move and there is an abundance of water. I prefer gravity for my hunts when I will be in one spot.


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[krausejmk]

Echo this. I have used mine for 1 very light overnight and use it to replenish water on day hikes. It works fine but the effort to pump a liter of water would not make it my first choice for a long trip. They have come out with an attachment that lets it work as a gravity filter also and that might expand the function range IMO.

I had this attachment and would use it in the evenings. Very helpful and easy to use

 

[Lawnboi]

I used one on a few trips last year in water rich environments. Mostly clear running water. Worked great. It’s fast, I had a liter pumped by the time others were getting their katadyn Hoses hooked up. Can be a lot for pumping 4 liters but for just a nalgene every couple hours it’s great.

I have no complaints from it. I’m sure it can fail like any filter but that’s why I carry a backup. My trailshot worked fine last year and I have no plans to change it.

 

[NYSKIER]

I had this attachment and would use it in the evenings. Very helpful and easy to use

Didn't know about the attachment I'll have to check this out because I am a fan of mine just not for filtering large quantities as you guys are saying you would do at night

 

[cardiac5]

I had one and loved it the first day. When we went to fill up the next morning it was very slow and tried to clean it out but it was pretty much useless from then on. Took 10-15min to get enough water for the jetboil.


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[mtwarden]

well I’m going to give one a whirl; had a $10 off coupon so not giant gamble if doesn’t work out

 

[willfrye027]

Pretty sure the mini will screw onto your platypus (unless they’ve changed since I bought mine), and you can squirt the water straight into your bottle. In camp you can hang it from the platypus and let gravity do the work. In a pinch you could probably suck from the one end like a life straw. It’s versatile and cheap. But I’m also curious about these so let us know how you like it.

 

[colobow]

I just got back from a 3 day romp across the Bob Marshall Wilderness and got to thinking I could easily dump 2 lbs of weight from my water system w/ a light and reliable filter. Currently I carry a 20 oz bottle on my shoulder strap- it's ready to drink and easily accessible. I also carry a 1 liter Platypus in a side pocket, when the 20 oz bottle is gone, I refill w/ the Platypus. Fill the Platypus up and drop in a Aquatab, when I'm ready to refill the 20 oz bottle again, the Platy is ready to go. I've used this system for 10-ish years and it's definitely reliable, BUT in a water rich environ- seems like I could dump an easy 2-ish lbs (minus weight of a filter).

I was looking at the Trailshot and appears it could be just the ticket, certainly light- not sure how reliable though.

Thanks in advance

Last year two friends of mine had the trailshot and both clogged up with minimal use. We were in Colorado high country filtering small mtn streams.

I use a sawyer and back flush after every trip. I’ve only had problems with silty mtn lake. Another friend has the sawyer, doesn’t backflush and has clogging issues.

I made my own gravity filter with the big mouth platypuses I have and the sawyer as the sawyer bags are a complete waste of plastic.

I also carry a small, forget size, platypus bag for mixing sugary “supplement” mixes in.

This year I’ll either carry another sawyer or bring a plunger to backflush in the field

 

[mkollman74]

Trailshot is great for low volume needs.

 

[mtwarden]

well I’m going to give one a whirl; had a $10 off coupon so not giant gamble if doesn’t work out

I've used the Trailshot pretty extensively this summer. I agree if you're not filtering large quantities of water- it's the filter I'm packing from now on. I can fill a 20 oz bottle in under a minute; in water rich environs (most of the places I hang out) I save an easy couple of pounds of water I used to pack- pretty good trade off for 5 oz