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.

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The short answer

MSR TrailShot comes out ahead by a narrow margin (4.1 vs 4.0). The gap is mostly about Trail runners, mountain bikers, and hikers in drought-prone areas who need to draw from shallow puddles and trickles on the move. — read the strengths below before deciding.

Higher ratedRanked #4 in Best Backpacking Water Filters

MSR TrailShot

4.1

3 sources1 derived$69.95as of Aug 1

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 through a hose, which suits drought-prone trails and trail running. It is compact, outlasts the BeFree on filter life, and cleans by shaking. Pumping large volumes is real work, so treat it as 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

$69.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Ranked #5 in Best Backpacking Water Filters

Platypus GravityWorks 4L

4.0

3 sources2 derived$134.95as of Aug 1

The Platypus GravityWorks 4L is the group and base-camp filter. CleverHiker and OutdoorGearLab both score it 75 and call hands-free gravity filtration tough to beat for pairs and groups: hang the dirty bag, walk away, come back to clean water. It moves large volumes quickly and lasts longer than the personal squeeze filters. Heavy, bulky, and pricey, it is the wrong tool solo and unbeatable when you are 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

$134.95 · Check Price on Amazon Full review →

Derived means the reviewer published no score, so one was inferred from their written verdict. Everything else is a number the publisher printed. How we rank.

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
Dimensions	6"L x 2.4"W x 6"H	9.5"L x 3.25"W
Material	Plastic	Polyethylene
Capacity	—	4 L reservoirs
Operation	—	Hands-free gravity feed

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