MSR TrailShot Microfilter

In the winter of 2017, I bought my MSR Trailshot, took it to the river to try it, and made a video that you'll find at the bottom of this page. I was pleased with the performance, it was certainly much slower than my old Pur (Katadyn) Hiker but the weight savings made up for it. I cleaned and dried it per MSR's instructions and it went into a drawer.

Fast forward to summer 2018 - I took the MSR Trailshot to the Beehive Lakes in the Selkirks and was bitterly disappointed in the performance. I pumped like a demon and only a pathetic trickle came out. Ugh. I managed half a liter and gave up, I borrowed my friend's Sawyer Mini for the rest of the excursion.

There's no way the Trailshot froze, it was stored indoors prior to the great disappointment. I've since read that hollow fiber filters can become fouled by hard water. Well, I have delicious but hard tap water at home so I suspect that I killed the Trailshot myself. In the future, I'll purchase water to clean my hollow fiber products.

Now, this failure was my fault but I have to say, I'm not at all interested in getting a new MSR Trailshot. I didn't enjoy using my friend's Sawyer Mini but my primary objection was filing the Sawyer bag from standing water. With the releasce of CNOC's Vecto bags, that's no longer a worry. Also, Sawyer has released the Micro Squeeze which improves upon the Sawyer Mini's flow rate and has threads on both ends - you can use the included blue coupler to backflush with a clean water bottle/bladder & leave the silly syringe at home.

The main reason I wanted the MSR Trailshot over the Sawyer was the cumbersome water collection method. Now that it's been resolved by the CNOC Vecto bag, I just can't see a place for the Trailshot.

This little bugger is a solid filter for solo use and on the go dependence. I’m really happy with using this filter when by myself, not needing to filter large amounts of water at any given time. I often don’t hike with a water bottle at all, especially not when I have a bladder because of this (that being said I often have an immediate water source when not in winter months). Whether I’m trail running, hiking or overnighting, I can take this out of my hip pockets on a backpacking whenever I need to bend down and hit a few squirts of freshness. It’s nice when fly fishing instead of the weight of a water bottle as I can just drink straight from where I’m wading. Haven’t had any clog issues in 2 years. There are other small options out there like optical filtration and sawyers that have a small package, but I’m happy with this and have nothing to complain about until I need to do lots of water at a time. It can do roughly a liter in a minute if your forearm doesn’t cramp up.

This thing is worth tossing in your vest or pack when headed out on a longer run or day of exploration. I'll typically carry this and a bottle or two on longer runs and it gives me great piece of mind that I'll be able to safely refill on the go. Great little addition to any backcountry kit.

This filter has really been great for pushing big days in the mountains this summer. Because of the weight and size, I can easily fit the trailshot in my hydration vest and not have to worry about it. It took a little getting used to the squeeze pump from a traditional water filter, but its honestly about the same speed and I can also use the trail shot as a straw when I am really thirsty.

Holy cow, my hands were tired after squatting in a stream for 20 minutes filling up everyone's water bottles. Every pump squirts out half a sip. If the hose accidentally comes out of the water while pumping, it introduces air to the system and takes several more pumps before you get the full efficiency back.
Also, the CHEMICAL TASTE is real. Before taking it on the trip, I pumped 15 liters of water through it (which is ridiculous overkill IMHO) to wash out the initial filter taste. IT WAS STILL THERE.
For less price than this, you can get the Sawyer Squeeze. The only benefit this has over the Sawyer is the all-in-one system. You can drink straight out of it without needing an additional bag or gravity system.
it's functional for trail running, but flat out sucks for supplying water for everyone in your group.

I really love this filter. I've been relying on tabs for a while, but with this guy being just 5 ounces I can't really justify that anymore. It's especially nifty how you can just pull the bite nozzle off your hydration pack, shove the hose into the trailshot and fill it up without taking it out of your pack.

On the taste, It wasn't an issue even on the first few pumps, and after ~ 10L through the thing it's hardly there. I kinda suspect the people complaining about it in other reviews are the kinda people who drink Evian.

I really love the trailshot. whether I'm out on a longer run or on a backpacking trip, it gets the job done. I love that I can keep it in my shorts pocket, waist belt pocket on my pack, or any other number of convenient locations. I didn't find it any more difficult to pump than a standard option like the Hiker Pro or Miniworks, just a little slower. The weight and size more than make up for it.

Light, easy to use and clean. If you want simple and effective the trail shot is the name of the game.

Got this for a friend who is an ultra runner. If staying fast and light is your goal for a day on the trail then this is an amazing option. If you get a chemical taste initially there are a few different methods to get rid of it. I personally do water and lime juice (or some type of citrus) to help retract the chemical taste.

I bought this as a backup to my Be Free filter,and the water that has come out has tasted so badly of chemicals that it was completely unusable.Sad,because the size and operation are great.No choice but to return it.BTW,the taste did not improve after 12 liters of water through it.

This thing is awesome, super small and lightweight! It was quick to pump and feels very durable and like a quality piece of equipment.
The only thing I noticed is the first couple times that you use it the water did seem to taste more chemically. once you runs a few liters through and wash it out and shake it clean it does a phenomenal job! Pick one up ASAP

I got this as a backup to my Katadyn Be Free filter which is great.This filter flows quickly,but the chemical taste of the water was so strong,I couldn’t drink it.Probably going to return it if it doesn’t get much better inside the next two or three liters.

Great small water filter to take along on day trips or long bike packing trips where keeping things compact is key. Is a must have!

Email me directly with all your MSR questions - jelam@Backcountry.com

The Trailshot is a perfect purifier for fastpacking, ultra running, or minimalist backpacking. Fast and super easy to use.

Filtering water can be a production sometimes, but not with the MSR TrailShot! It weighs only 5 oz, but is extremely easy to use and has a very efficient design.

The TrailShot is the perfect filter for a solo hiker or even multiple people, who don't have a lot of time to waste to stop and filter water. Built like a lot of pump filters - the TrailShot has a straw that sticks into the water and a hand pump. The hand pump is much smaller than normal filters and is similar to a blood pressure hand pump. What sets the TrailShot apart from other hand pump filters is that it only weighs 5 oz and it still pumps about a liter of water per minute.

You have several pumping options with the TrailShot. You can drink straight out a water source with it, pump it directly from the water source into your bottle or bladder, or pump it into the filter and save it for later. Because it is pocket-sized, you can easily access it, kneel down, pump your water, and move right along.
I have several water filters, but this is by far my favorite design. I find this even easier to use than the Sawyer Squeeze because you don't have to fill one of their bags up with water or clean them when you are done.

To clean the TrailShot, after you are done filtering your water, pump a few more squeezes of water into the filter and shake it for 30 seconds, then dump it out. If you do this, you will rarely have to clean it and it will last much longer.

Bottom Line: This is a great filter for a great price. I would recommend this to anyone other than someone who is responsible for filtering for a large group.

This filter is a perfect for solo backpacking or hiking/trail running where you don't want to carry much water weight. At 5.4 oz it's one of the lightest water purifiers on the market while still being quick and efficient! I find that I'm able to easily filter a liter of water in around a minute, which makes it super easy to refill water at sources throughout the day making, meaning I rarely have to carry more than a liter of water at a time. Overall I'm extremely satisfied and would highly recommend to anyone looking for a lightweight/personal water filter!

I used this water filter last weekend over 3 days in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. It was a major weight/space saving, and I was able to filter 1L of water in about a minute. I was also able to filter from a pool of water only 1 or 2 inches deep. Another excellent product from MSR.