If you regularly travel to places where you need to consider your water source, you know that it’s not always easy. Sure, you can buy plenty of plastic bottles of spring or filtered water, but doing so means you end up with single-use plastic bottles that likely end up in a dump or waterway somewhere. Also, it’s hard to know how much water you might want overnight or on an outing, and what happens when that known source in the plastic bottle runs out?
Another option is traveling with a water filter, which is far easier.
The MSR Thru-Link Inline Water Filter is a great solution, especially because it doesn’t take up much room in your bag. Just 7.5 inches by 1.6 inches (and 2.5 ounces), it can be tucked in a corner of your bag or in a packed shoe.
Even better: You can click it into your hydration reservoir, making it easy to stay hydrated on day hikes and other adventures. It’s compatible with any hydration reservoir system on the market, so you don’t have to buy something special once you have the filter.
Once you connect it, a two-step filtration process treats water before you drink it. Fast-flow hollow fiber removes pathogens, particulate, and microplastics (yes, this is something we have to care about now). Then, activated carbon reduces chemicals, tastes, and odors. The combination of the two processes make the filter effective against bacteria (99.9999 percent), protozoa (99.9 percent), and particulate (dirt and plastics).
The filter’s performance meets U.S. EPA drinking water standards (U.S. EPA Guide Standard and Protocol for Testing Microbiological Purifiers) and NSF protocol P231 testing standard for removal of bacteria and protozoa. And the U.S. military has been using this system for more than a decade.
No need to sit around and boil your water or pump it through a filter. The Thru-Link Inline Water Filter lets you use your reservoir as a gravity system, so you can just scoop up water and go.
The MSR Thru-Link Inline Water Filter is currently available through an exclusive with REI and lists for $39.95. It will also be available on the MSR site beginning February 1, 2020.