Head-to-head · Best Backpacking Water Filters

MSR TrailShot vs Platypus GravityWorks 4L

Which is the better buy? Side-by-side on rating, price, strengths, and watch-outs — with the published ratings we averaged to get there.

The short answer

Platypus GravityWorks 4L comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.4 vs 4.5). The gap is mostly about Couples, groups, and base campers who need to filter large volumes of water hands-free rather than the lightest solo setup. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Ranked #5 in Best Backpacking Water Filters

MSR TrailShot

4.4

$62.99as of May 29

The MSR TrailShot is the pocket pump for hikers who deal with shallow, hard-to-reach water. CleverHiker rated it 4.3 of 5 and OutdoorGearLab 77, both praising its ability to draw from puddles and trickles via a hose, ideal for drought-prone trails and trail running. It is compact, has a longer filter life than the BeFree, and cleans by shaking. Pumping is more work for large volumes, so it is a personal on-the-go tool, not a group filter.

Strengths

— Pump-and-hose design draws water from shallow streams and puddles other filters can't reach
— Compact and pocketable at 5.6 oz for fast, on-the-go drinking
— Decent 2,000-liter filter life, double the BeFree and QuickDraw

Watch-outs

— Manual pumping is more effort than gravity or scoop-and-go for large volumes
— Flow of about 1 L per minute is slower than the squeeze filters
— Not designed for filling for a group

$62.99 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Higher ratedRanked #4 in Best Backpacking Water Filters

Platypus GravityWorks 4L

4.5

$135as of May 25

The Platypus GravityWorks 4L is the group and base-camp filter. Both CleverHiker and OutdoorGearLab score it 75 and call hands-free gravity filtration tough to beat for pairs and groups: hang the dirty bag, walk away, and return to clean water. It filters large volumes quickly and has a longer filter life than the personal squeeze filters. It is heavy, bulky, and pricey, so it is the wrong tool solo, but unbeatable for filtering for several people.

Strengths

— Hands-free gravity filtration: hang the dirty bag and walk away while it fills the clean one
— Filters large volumes fast, ideal for groups, couples, and base camps
— Fast treatment time for a gravity system, scoring 9.0 in OutdoorGearLab's flow metric

Watch-outs

— Heaviest system here at 11.5 oz, overkill for solo ultralight trips
— Most expensive filter on this list
— Bulky 4-liter bags take up more pack space than a personal filter

$135 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

How they stack up

MSR TrailShot

Reaches shallow sources the squeeze-based Sawyer Squeeze, Katadyn BeFree, and Platypus QuickDraw struggle with via its hose and pump, and its 2,000-liter filter doubles the BeFree and QuickDraw; it is a personal pump rather than a hands-free group system like the Platypus GravityWorks 4L.

Platypus GravityWorks 4L

The only hands-free group system here, filtering far more volume at once than the personal Sawyer Squeeze, Katadyn BeFree, or Platypus QuickDraw, but it is the heaviest and priciest; its 1,500-liter filter outlasts the BeFree and QuickDraw while falling short of the Sawyer.

Specs side-by-side

Spec	MSR TrailShot	Platypus GravityWorks 4L
Type	Pump (squeeze-bulb) hollow-fiber	Gravity hollow-fiber
Filtration	0.2 micron	0.2 micron
Weight	5.6 oz	11.5 oz
Flow Rate	~1 L per 1 min 6 sec (tested)	—
Filter Lifespan	2,000 L	1,500 L / 396 gal
Removes	Bacteria, protozoa, sediment	Bacteria, protozoa, sediment
Cleaning	Shake-to-clean, no tools	—
Freeze Safe	No	No
Capacity	—	4 L reservoirs
Operation	—	Hands-free gravity feed

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