My Life Outdoors

The last time I backpacked in Texas I had to carry 24 pounds of water on my back. This is in addition to the other necessities I needed for the weekend, bringing my pack to a back breaking 50+ pounds. This is due to the astonishing lack of natural water sources on my favorite Texas trails. So when I get an opportunity to backpack along a trail with natural water sources…I usually get a little excited about how light my pack will be.

Natural water isn’t without its dangers. There are dozens of waterborne pathogens that can ruin a trip if water isn’t purified before ingesting. There are many options that will help provide clean drinking water including things like purification tablets and UV pens. One of the best, in my mind, is filtering. In fact I have used a water filter for years. So when a new company, called Purificup, offered to send me one to test I was a little excited.

Purificup in its compact state

Purificup is a Texas based company specializing in compact water filters. The purificup is a stackable gravity fed water filter utilizing a three stage filter. Water passes through an Ion Exchange Resin to soften the water followed by an activated carbon filter and finished out with a Nano-silver membrane. The Nano-silver membrane uses the natural properties of silver to kill 99.99% of pathogens found in natural water sources. There is also a 1 micron filter for an added layer of protection.

Purificup Replaceable Filter

Now, testing the effectiveness of such filters is a difficult thing for your average blogger. For one, there is no certain way for me to tell if my water sources are contaminated with water borne pathogens or not. So all I can say is I have filtered water and I haven’t gotten sick. On the other hand I have tested the filter in other ways. In taste for one. You see Midland county tap water is particularly nasty tasting. Almost everyone here filters water through reverse osmosis before drinking. It is one of the only things that seems to lessen the awful taste. So I thought I would see how the Purificup did with our awful tasting water. I was pleasantly surprised to find the taste improved with just one pass through the Purificup.

As I said before the Purificup is gravity fed, which means no pumping. You simply assemble the cup, poor some water in the top, and let it do its thing. The negative to this is its need for relatively flat surfaces. Because the Purificup is so tall when it is fully assembled It needs some pretty level surfaces to keep it from toppling over. This works great if you are filtering your water on a table at an overseas restaurant, but in the backcountry it is difficult to find a place to keep it upright.

Purificup fully assembled and filtering water.

The output of the Purificup will crew onto a standard disposable water bottle. I found this useful as I will often carry extra water in disposable plastic bottles. This also means you can change the amount of filtered water you collect all the way up to a two liter bottle. The source cup, however, seems to be limited to 11-12 ounces of water.

Purificup attached to a standard waterbottle

Purificup attached to a standard waterbottle

If I had my wish Purificup would sell a tree hanging kit that utilized a two liter source bladder similar to a camelbak. This kit could come with an adapter that screwed the bottom of the Purificup into your standard camelback (or similar hydration bladder) allowing for two litters of gravity fed filtering in the backcountry. Such a kit would remedy all the current limitations I find with the Purifucup. I have forwarded these ideas to Purificup who seems to like my thoughts. Who knows, maybe they will come out with a Tree Hanging Kit in the near future.

When not in use the Purificup packs down inside itself to about the size of a coke can, using up a fraction my pack space when compared to my other water filter. It weighs in at a mere 12 oz, a full 3 oz lighter than my Katadyn Hiker Pro. The collection cup can be used as a regular drinking cup for any beverage you might have with you in the backcountry, although I wouldn’t use hot beverages. The filter casing features a hand counter that helps you keep track of how may cups of water you have filtered. Each filter can clean about 100-150 cups (or 11 gallons) of water before needing replacement.

Purificup alongside a Katadyn Hiker Pro

All in all the Purificup is a wonderful little filter that has found a home among my gear. With a little modification it could become my go-to filter for backcountry use. If you are interested in your very own Purificup you are in luck as we are giving one away in this weeks Spring into Adventure Gear Giveaway. Check out Backcountry week for your chance to win a Purificup and many other prizes.

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