First Need XL Portable Water Purifier

My son is the quartermaster for his scout troop. We had 3 older (circa 2000) First Need water filters in our troop and they have been used on dozens of trips backpacking all over Michigan and the rest of country. When time the time came to replace the canisters we were not able to find replacements and the older systems had been well used. I came right back to First Need because I knew they worked and was not disappointed. I bought two of these this summer for a trip to North Manitou Island in Michigan for 10 boys & 4 adults. We filtered easily over 50 gallons of water over 5 days from Lake Michigan.. We also had 1 MSR MiniWorks filter... these First Need filters would fill a large Nalgene bottle in about 1 minute, where as the MSR takes 5-6 minutes. We would fill a 5 gallon collapsible water jug at the the lake, bring it back to camp and then, pumping from the jug, fill all the Nalgene bottles (about 15) and everyones water bladders in about 15 minutes using just two of these pumps. Also using the gravity filter option using the storage back works fine but it is slow.. if you have the time or are using a low volume of water, this is very nice feature.

On our trip, lake water has a lot of sand. The first line filter at the end of the plastic tube would plug with sand sometimes so you need to clean it and if the pump slows or becomes difficult to pump you need to back flush "FOLLOWING THE INSTRUCTIONS" to get it flowing. We only had to back flush one pump during the 5 days we were out. Make sure when you store them, you back flush w/a few drops of chlorine in the water, from a good water source before you put them away.

The only reason I gave this 4 stars instead of 5, is the the pumps have started very minor leaking around the O-rings and I am concerned about longevity. I have followed the instructions to lubricate them since we got back, but have not had them in service long enough to be sure if there is a problem or not. For sure we will test them! Boy Scouts are known for being VERY ROUGH on equipment. If they don''t break it, you won''t using it for yourself.

PROS:

Fast

Efficient

Great tasting water

Fit Nalgene Wide Mouth Bottles & has adapters available to fit others

CONS:

Bulky

Heavier than competitors

"MUST BE BACK FLUSHED OCCASIONALLY AND FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS!!!"

Mike Cody Troop 294 Richland, MI

We took this filter on a 12-day trek through the mountains and desert of New Mexico. Fining drinkable water was a huge issue. However, we were able to purify even the worst of water with this filter with no worries of picking up any sort of nasty viruses or bacteria. Our water came from streams that had cattle, buffalo, elk and other wildlife all around, but the First Need XL had it appearing and tasting as pure as bottled water.

Buy First Need XL Portable Water Purifier Now

Used it on a recent trip with some semi-questionable water (we need rain) without incident. I was looking for a filter that did both bacteria and viruses. This was the only one that claimed to handle both. I was a bit skeptical so I sent it to my mother who is an engineer with the EPA. She sent it to the capitol to the main guy that handles water treatment. He said that the university of Arizona is well respected in this research field and that he would trust it. Good enough of a selling point for me.

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The General Ecology First Need XL Water Purifier is a top of the line water purifier that is a must have when you need fresh drinkable water. If you are obtaining water from a questionable water source then you can be confident that this purifier will produce clean water that will not get you sick. It is effective against cryptosporidia, bacteria, viruses, and removing harmful chemicals. This unit is good for hiking, backpacking, camping, disaster preparedness, or traveling.

Pros:

+ Good flow rate

+ Sturdy

+ Reliable

+ Pumping is easy

+ Relatively easy to clean

+ Water tastes good

+ Effective against viruses and chemicals

+ Connects directly to my Nalgene water bottle

+ Canister capacity is about 150 gallons of water

Con:

It is bulky and heavy compared to other models. Despite its size I would not trade it for a different purifier.

I can''t stress the importance of having clean drinking water. If you have ever gotten sick from drinking contaminated water and you are far from home or medical care you will appreciate this water purifier. I highly recommend the General Ecology First Need XL Water Purifier.

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first need,simply the best packable and only true purifier available.You wont regret this purchase.I own two of these for emergancy and back packing purposes.