I purchased this filter when it first came out & have never been disappointed. Field cleanable cartridge, fast output, & folds for easy packing. Micro strainer eliminates silt & debris. Works better when water is allowed to sit in a container, rather than the source, for ten minutes & then pumped.

I have used this filter in Denali National Park, The Uinta's, San Rafael Swell, and Zion National Park, and this filter is very easy to assemble, easy to pump into a reservoir or Nalgene, and stores in a hurry as well. This very quickly filled 2- 32 0z Nalgene's, a 64 oz water container for cook water, and both our bladders in our frame packs.I have used this alot on Dayhikes too, and this will even with a coffee filter over the filter will pump silt filled water. I would not ever consider using another water filter for backpacking.

I've used these filters (I have 2) for 7 years taking groups of 9 to the BWCAW. The key to success is to use a pre-filter such as the silt-stopper, and clean the element frequently. If this isn't done, pumping becomes hard quickly and the piston can break rendering the pump useless. MSR does replace them under warranty without question however. With a silt-stopper pre-filter, I clean these every 9-12 liters of water. Without a silt stopper, every 2-3 liters. Its a good idea to attach the cleaning brush to the bag or filter. They tend to get lost otherwise, although MSR will send you replacements free as well. Mine get hard use by teens however with some upfront training so they know when to stop filtering and clean them, these have provided a lot of water for the group very reliably. I've since added a Mini-Works EX because of the ability to screw directly to a Nalgene. Nice feature and no spills!