First Need XL Water Purifier

OK, comming from a msr filter, this pumps nice, doesn't seem to awkward to hold and has a great flow rate. The plastic part of it is a wait and see thing I guess. The thing that really chaps my butt is that there are two adapters for this thing for wide mouth and narrow bottles... and you have to pay extra for it. No one carries it, so you have to order it and pay a very large amount of money for shipping it, and considering it weighs next to nothing, it should cost next to nothing to ship it... coincidence? I don't think so. So other that that... will wait and see. Would have bought the Katadyn pocket filter but money is tight right now.... yeah right who's isn't.... so will see how this goes.

The technology for lighter and smaller purifiers is pretty widespread, but for easy of mind, reliability, durability, this thing is hard to beat.

Treats everything! Not as fast and light as some but the quality of the water is best in class. The gravity feed option is a joke other than that it is a five star filter.

You can't put a price on peace of mind when it comes to pure drinking water, especially when traveling in a third world country. This is not only waterborne bacteria, common protozoan parasites, such as giardia, and cryptosporidia country but also deadly viruses. The First Need is a compact, back flushable water purifying system that works great in any suspect water source. This was not only my first water purifier but still is after twenty + years. The cartridge is easy to back flush when in the field. I still use the color dye test to make sure the matrix hasn't been compromised in any way. Don't leave home without the First Need when traveling in areas where water is suspect. It's only drawback is weight. It is slightly heavy especially when backpacking.

Other pumps might be smaller or faster, but the peace of mind this reliable pump provides is why I haven't replaced it. The fact that it purifies the water is why I bought it. Five years later it still is pumping like new. Back flushing is easy, and is your water is debris-free, you won't experience any hiccups while pumping.

My friend's pump had a malfunction with the white hosing that takes the water to the filter(flaw in the material). He notified the manufacturer and was sent a replacement part with not further questions.

This purifier is a bit larger and more expensive than other compact purifiers but is without a doubt the best one I have ever owned! Unless something new has recently hit the market, it's "the only non-chemical water purifier certified to EPA Guide Standard for microbiological purifiers against bacteria, cysts and viruses." (REI). I have used this in Thailand, Korea, Iraq, and all over the US in some pretty nasty water. It's done a great job every time in giving me clean, healthy, and good tasting water. Make sure you pick up a Nalgene bottle as it screws directly into the base of the purifier making the whole process much easier. I wouldn't trust my health and safety to any other purifier and never leave home without it!

Also, note that this has been updated to the First Need Deluxe XL (not sold here.) Both are almost the same except that the XL now filters around 150 gallons and has an improved flow rate of 2 quarts per minute. The new XL replacement cartridge is backwards compatible with the Deluxe.

This is the best water purifier on the marker. I bit heavy, but well worth the extra OZ's. You will get a lot more life out of your cartridge if you backwash it now and then. But if your winter backpacking make sure it's not below freezing temp, or it will ice up in the filter and not work. I'll keep it inside my coat for an hour before using to keep this from happening.

This is a very well designed and reliable filter/purifier, even if it is a bit bulkier and heavier then some other popular models. To help shave off some of that weight, I bought this filter on the hunch that I could use it as a gravity filter _without using the pump_. I was told by an customer support person that the pump is needed to prime the filter before the gravity feed would work. I've discovered that isn't true; it is easy to attach a hose to the output nozzle on the filter and suck a little bit to get the gravity feed going. I also was able to dremel and file the pre-filter enough so it would fit in side a platypus's screw-on-hose-attachment area. It took some work, but now I have an "invisible" pre-filter in my 4L platypus to clean the gunk out before it goes into the main filter. It also can work as an inline filter, but I'm a bit worried about the hose pulling off the output nozzle of the filter when it's inside the pack. After your done filtering, though, a lot of water (ie. weight) is still inside the filter, which can slowly leak out into your pack. Luckily, I've found that shaking for 15 secs removes most of the water. If weight isn't a big issue, I'll bring the whole pump, since it allows for much faster filtering (and purging water from the filter). Hope this helps someone...-Tim

I have this filter works great above 32 degrees. started the AT this year until I got snowed out in the smokeys. Even with the filter in my bag at night and wrapped in layers in my pack during the day I still managed to let it freeze. Did the dye test and failed right away.

works simply amazing, tested on crapy tasting tap water at home to see if there is a difference, and sure enough better tasting that "spring water" out of bottles, saving for the event of a hurricane, or my next camping trip

I think the First Need XL is the best filtration unit, period. Filter clogging is the most common drawback issue I hear about. I picked this advice up when buying my First Need XL and I tried it. It works. I inserted an MSR Siltstopper in the intake hose line between the plastic intake end and the long line (cut the line about two inches from the plastic end and insert the Siltstopper in between. The Siltstopper filter takes the punnishment and the First Need filter goes for the long run and remains an easy pump. I clean the MSR when available water is really horrible and the MSR turns an ugly shade. BTW, I use the First Need XL as an Emergency Responder in large event first aid and disaster response teams.

The design of this product is simple and effective, there is no unnecessary parts floating around when hiking. It's very easy to take apart and use which gives me peace of mind. This comes with a carry pouch that fits the purifier comfortably, as well as a thick plastic bladder that allows you use it as a gravity purifier if you need to multi-task. Two different size Nalgene bottles can screw right on to this unit, so you don't have to worry about fumbling around to get your water in a bottle. From what I saw, First Need sells different accessories that will let you do the same with whatever bottle you use. Overall, the First Need Deluxe Purifier is a great piece of equipment that is highly recommended

This is the best filter on the market. I have been using the same one for over 15 years and only replaced the filter element once. It has never clogged. It’s a bit heavy but well worth the weight. It finally started to show signs of wear this year so I bought a new one. The new one has a better handle and pumps easier. And now has a pre-filter.

This purifier is obviously not the smallest and lightest weight available. But why do you take a water filter on a backpack trip anyways? To be able to freely drink water like you can at home! This allows you to do just that. Reliable, fits directly onto 32oz Nalgenes, and purifies the nastiest/smelliest water into clean and clear refreshment!

I have tested many of the other brands and they all have some goods and bads, but this filter to me is the
best out there. It is fast, easy to use, and just peace of mind.

I have taken it on 3 backpacking trips with me and it is far quicker then any of my friends filters. The ability to hook onto a nalgene is great, it frees up your hands to get a good grip on the pump!

It was August in New England and my son and I were setting a portable tree stand for deer hunting deep in the woods. The weather was hot and humid. We didn’t bring any water and soon developed a terrific thirst. The only water to be found was in a depression left in the roots of a blow down. Problem was, it was infested with mosquito larvae. We had no choice so out came the First Need. The water filtered out just fine. We drank to satisfaction with no ill effects. There’s no other water purification system made in my book. -Paul

After doing much research for a purifier suitable for our cycling world tour (see http://wainwrightschool.com/worldtour for more info) we decided on the First Need since it is the only water treatment that can filter out viruses without chemicals. A ceramic filter would be longer lasting. Alas, there are trade-offs with everything. You will be able to find out if we get sick or the purifier breaks on our world tour pages above.

The First Need water purifier was an easy choice for me to make. After two consecutive years of backpacking and elk hunting with a "seasoned" backpacker friend (into wilderness areas) who carried his everywhere, I saw first hand the value of a dependable water filter. Not only is it a true purifier (we drank purified lake water), but it also is durable and Nalgene bottles screw right on it. I was fortunate to see the First Need purifier operate in the field and I anticipate years of service from mine. Thanks for carrying this high quality product at a great price.

Although my camping trip was one of the worst ever, one thing that worked great was the First Need water *purifier*. One of the things that I really liked about it before buying it was the fact that it also took care of viruses, not just crud and bacteria. You can also hang it from a tree or something, and you don't have to pump. That could have worked better, seems to be lacking a gasket or something, leaked a little bit for that part but I'm not sure the bag I was filling was made to fit either. The water tasted just great. It came out crystal clear and clean, but it really didn't show up until I saw just what I was pumping into it, nice and brown. And it really wasn't a lot of work, I used the siphon feature as much as I could, but when I did use the pump, it was not a lot of work. I just wish my camping trip worked out as well as this thing.

I bought the First Need Deluxe Water Purifier and an extra filter cartridge
last month because I gave my originals away three years ago to a priest
friend who was headed to Uganda for several years. He has used it ever since
in weekly trips into the bush. The best testament to the quality of the
First Need Deluxe system is that he's still quite healthy and his system
continues to work perfectly even under conditions of heavy use and poor
water quality. It'd be hard to do any better than that, especially given how
compact and easy-to-use it is.

I have used this water filter twice since I bought it. The first time was for an overnighter in the Mt. Charleston Range of southern Nevada. The second time was for a six day trip to the Ruby mountain range in Northern Nevada. I will be writing about my observations on the second trip since this gave me the best chance to evaluate the product.
The filter worked great, no one was sick the whole trip. They also give you some dye to test your filter to make sure it is working. I tested it before I went and after I got back and it was clear, proving that it was working.
I used the filter extensively since I was the only one filtering water for our group of three. The water filter didn't clog even once, but then most of our water was from snow fed streams and lakes. At 9 to 11,000 feet most of the water was going through solid rock with little chance of small particles to get into the water. The water filter was nice since you could pump water both on the up and down stroke. It was a little hard to hang onto though, since the body isn’t very big, but by putting one of my fingers between the filter and the housing it was manageable. I wouldn’t want a heavier or bigger filter but one that was easier to hang onto would be nice.
Conclusion: Overall this was a great filter. It had its drawbacks due to its size and filtering water but it wasn’t annoying enough not to keep or buy the filter again. People always tell me that they would rather have the lever than the up and down motion of this pump. Personally I would rather have a purifier than a filter, especially when they are close to the same price. I can recommend this filter and would buy it again.

I purchased my first need filter eleven years ago to use as my primary source for drinking water while packing throughout the Blueridge Mountains . And needless to say, in that amount of time I have used the filter in an endless number of situations, and it has never left me wanting for a better product. I've also used this same filter for domestic uses when traveling from town to town to clean up the local water that was supplied in different locations . Again it worked for me flawlessly. In my opinion there's no better product then one that has always worked in the clutches and in others that were not so demanding. These are the aspects that you would expect of a dear friend. And so it remains with me as such. THANK YOU

This is a top product. I've had a similar positive experience to other users whose comments have been pasted here. What really made me appreciate the purifier was trekking in Nepal's Khumbu region where food was of limited merit!! It was a blessing to be able to wash those unavoidably drab, but vital meals down with the freshest tasting water.

This is the best invention since shoes. It saves carrying 10 lbs of water. I have used this with a whole scout troop. It's very fast and efficient.
One thing to watch, when in the cold be sure the pump handle is facing in, over the top of the filter, the glue above the screw in area for the bottle may break away.
That said, I would recommend this to any backpacker or off the beaten path flyfisher.

My wife and I just returned from Bhutan. Previously she was most resistant to use of purifiers because of their difficulty. The new first need was easy, fast and I trust helpful for preventing water borne disease.

Fast and clean, really works. And the pump helps me pump water where my bottle won't fit 90% of the time. You’re looking at about 50-75 gallons before the filter gets clogging and the pumping gets harder and I'm going to need just the filter.

I have been using the First Need Purifier for years. Never been sick when using it. From Mt.Whitney to Northern Canada to Belarus, no problems. Have taken it to Belarus 3 times. The water there is not recommended to drink for foreigners, as you might imagine. You can use this purifier with complete confidence. It is a little challenging at times to handle, but worth the results. The filter is pricy, but cheaper than a dr. visit. Have filtered from some not so appealing sources and still trouble free. This filter is the only one I own.

This thing is so much better than the MSR Sweet Water Im still laughing years later.