MSR Trailshot
When you are out hunting, camping, or hiking, water is one of the most important things you can have as a necessity. What if you can’t carry enough water, or an emergency happens, and you don’t have the water supply for it? That’s where having a travel-along water filter system can truly come in handy.
There are a few of them out there, but the MSR Trailshot deserved extra attention and we knew you would like to be informed on this product. What exactly can or does it do? Well, we went into research mode to find out and bring you the best and worst aspects we could find so that when you consider your purchase you have all the information you need to make the best decision.
Storage area for water
Drink from the source
Easy to use
Cleaner/no contamination to self
Cleans on the trail
No setup
Great flow rate
Lightweight
No carbon filter
Features
You don’t need to get right up into the water because the filter actually has a tube you run out away from the spout and into the water. This means you, including your hands, and the spout remains free of contamination from the source of the water you are collecting. It also means you can actually collect the water into something like a bottle or water bag to take with you as you move away from the source.
This feature alone makes this water filter a great way and one of the safest ways to collect water while out in the wild. You are ready for everything, and it cleans easily to as we will point out later in the article.
Accessories
Having extra supplies to replace or clean your filtration system or Camelbak is always a good plan. If you are already trying to be prepared for running out of the water or being able to simply get your water from natural sources, taking the extra step to keep that system going may make an even bigger difference should an emergency arise. Having a water bladder or bottle to fill up as well is never a bad thing either, just in case staying near your water source is not an option.
Design
This system keeps you out of the wands you are trying to get clean so you can drink it so that neither you nor the nozzle ends up simply getting the dirty water on you. This means your hands won’t contaminate what you are drinking, nor will the nozzle of your drinking filter. It’s also extremely easy to use.
Ease of Use
The filters are inside the main hand pump, so you do not have to do anything beyond pump it to get it working. There is no need for electricity of any source, not even batteries. It can’t really get much easier to run a water filtering system, especially when it comes to getting it while on the go. It’s also easy to clean up or fix.
The supplies for replacing anything that gets broken or too dirty to clean are easily purchased and taking it apart to get it all fixed up is as simple as spin and click parts, so you can even work with that aspect without a lot of effort. Reading the manual as well as looking up videos will easily have you prepared for working with every part of this filter.
Durability
The filters are both easy to replace and easy to clean which means you won’t have to worry about not being able to take care of everything. Since it can be as easily cleaned on the go as it can be used, this makes for a much longer-lasting and much more reliable water filter to take with you. Plus, it can be used to store water as well which means you won’t need to put it through as much either!
Capacity
The filter itself can pump safely at 1 liter a minute, which is actually a truly decent amount of water to be filtering so quickly. It can be drunk from directly and therefore allows you quick and easy hydration on the trail. The only downside is that we could not find how or if it can store water within itself.
The fact is, however, that it can easily be paired with other water storage devices and can easily fill a water hydration pack. This means you may have to buy a separate storage container, but you don’t have to be picky about what container you purchase.
Use
Since the pump itself, as well as the user, never has to touch the water source it is safe to drink directly from as the water comes out the spigot. It’s like having your very own pocket water fountain and it can be used wherever there is a clean enough water source. Of course, it only has certain types of filters.
This should not be used in any source that is discolored or contaminants such as chemicals, harsher bacteria or viruses that are known to be in the area. It’s filters mainly seem to stop sediment and larger contaminants. It does stop some water-born bacteria but like most water filter systems, it has limits.
Another thing that should be noted is that it is meant to be used in freshwater only. This particular water filter cannot remove the salt from saltwater resources, and therefore should not be used in such a water source to try and attain clean drinking water.
Cleaning
Of course, the filter needs a thorough cleaning when it can be accomplished, either between trips or if you can find a clean water source. The instruction manual actually tells the user to make sure they clean the filter cartridge every 8 liters of water it is used to pump. You pump it till it is half full, shake for 20 seconds, remove the hose, squeeze till all of the water is out and reconnect the hose.
The pre-filter is as simple as swirling water until you dislodge whatever is clogging it and dump. Most of this can be done on the trail, but sterilizing the filters is a bit harder to do and requires that you actually have a sterilization kit, or at least the proper cleaning tools and chemicals. The biggest no-no for this particular model is to never put it in a dishwasher to attempt to clean it.
Not only is it not safe to clean the bottle in a dishwasher, but you could actually cause parts of it to melt since the whole thing is made of softer plastics and rubbers.
Pay close attention to the instructions on how to replace filters and when as well. Cleaning anything that has a filter can only keep the water you get from it clean enough to drink for so long, then it will need to be replaced. This is a good reason to bring along those extra parts we mentioned earlier.
Performance
It is very easy to use, and it even has instructions to test on the filter to assure it will work as can be expected right in the user’s manual. It also warns you where this filter will not be useful in attaining safe drinking water right off the bat. It can clean natural resource water but won’t stop problems in chemically treated/contaminated water nor stop microorganisms which can cause more harmful side effects to the body.
When used properly this tool can and does get you clean water on the go, and all of its users have been happy with the ease f the hand pump as well as the water they have gotten from it.
Key Features
-Easy to clean
-Easy to use
-Lightweight
-Easy to replace parts/filters
-Reliability