Quickdraw Ultralight 1 Liter Backpacking Water Filter System

The Platypus QuickDraw is one of the best overall water filters I’ve tested. I’m using it daily to filter all of my drinking water (even tap) for medical reasons, so it’s getting constant use alongside the Katadyn BeFree, LifeStraw stainless, Solo Peak, and Sawyer Squeeze.Taste-wise, this is much better than the Katadyn BeFree. Like all 0.1–0.2 micron filters, it has a slight chemical taste when the filter is dry—but it clears quickly. After running maybe 10–15 liters through it early on, the worst of it faded. Now I just run half a bag of water through after it’s been sitting dry, and the taste improves immediately. No strong plastic flavor like Katadyn.Flow rate is solid, slower than Katadyn by about 30–50%, but noticeably better than LifeStraw stainless or Sawyer Squeeze. For me, it's totally acceptable for daily use.Design is excellent:– Comes with a universal bottle adapter– Flip top on the clean end is very secure– Dirty end has a protective cap– Compact and easy to stash in a bag or travel pouchSome people report leaking—I think that’s due to under-tightening. The threads take more turns than you’d expect to seal. You think it’s tight, but you can usually get another half turn in. Once sealed properly, mine hasn’t leaked.What really stands out is the durability.Compared to the Katadyn—which looks like a beefed-up SmartWater bottle—the Platypus just feels rugged. It has a military-grade vibe, especially the quickdraw reservoir. I don’t know how it’ll hold up long-term, but so far, so good.That said, a reminder for all these filters: the internal membranes are delicate.– They can’t freeze (or be exposed to temps even close to freezing)– They shouldn’t be dropped– You need to integrity test them regularlyI keep mine indoors, test them about once a week, and try to prevent drops... though the cats occasionally push them off the counter. So far, none have failed.To test integrity: try pushing air through the filter. You shouldn’t be able to—only water should pass. If you can blow air through, the membrane is compromised.Final thoughts:If Katadyn fixed their taste issue, that’d be my #1 for sheer ease and speed. But until then, Platypus wins on flavor, build quality, and versatility. I could easily see using this filter at home, while traveling, or outdoors—and trusting it every time.

I tested it before my backpacking trip with the nasty water from my farm pond (I could see tiny stuff swimming in it!) and along with aqua tabs I didn't get ill. My included picture shows raw pond water on the left and filtered pond water on the right. The water sources I used on my backpacking trip were much cleaner and the water was better tasting. The filter is lightweight and rolls up compact in my backpack. It's a bit slow filtering the water and scooping up water does allow some sand and rocks to get in the dirty water bag. It didn't clog during the trip and is easy to back flush with the plastic water bottle adaptor included.

Just back from dong the Art Loeb trail, at every stop someone asked to borrow my filter. The flow rate was great and ease of use is so good. Great product!

I have been using the platypus for quite sometime now! I stumbled across it on my thru hike of the AT in 2022 and have never used another.The quality of it is even better than sawyer IMO.It’s easy to use, just fill the dirty bag, attach the filter and squeeze. It’s simple as that.The durability is great. I’m pretty hard on my gear and it hold up. I’ve taken it on international hikes in Iceland, Norway, Scotland, England, and Canada, on planes, in the back of trucks, and in my pack with it getting slammed around and it still works perfectly.I’ve never cleaned one, I error on the side of just buying a new one every 3 months.The speed of it is unmatched. Why wait for a sawyer, when you can quickly just find your water, fill up, and squeeze and in 2-5 minutes depending on how fast you are you can drink!

You are provided a platypus soft bottle with this filter. It has a special threaded opening. If you puncture or lose this bag your filter will not work with another bottle, so it’s pretty risky to take in an off road or backpacking scenario. I wish I had sent it back. Instructions were also confusing so I had to watch a YouTube tutorial

Water filters really boil down to what you want them to do. Filters that can remove viruses sound great, but suck in outdoor applications because any filter media that can stop a virus will rapidly clog up when filtering anything dirtier than tap water. Filters that advertise value often leak (talking to you, Sawyer mini). This seems to be the best backpacking filter yet. Small and relatively lightweight, good filtration, decent flow, and the ability to clean/test the filter are all wins for me.

This is amazing, picked it up as replacement gear on the AT to replace a disappointing MSR product. This is super simple, no tools needed like with Sawyer. Super fast and efficient. Did keep in a hip pocket so no need to drop the pack Super easy to clean in the field or at any city water source. There is no charcoal so if the water smells bad going in - it will taste bad coming out but that was not an issue I ever had to deal with. The most taste free bladder I've ever used as in honestly no taste! The only drawback is they do not sell just the dirty bag, and if you get a little too aggressive squeezing it or abraid it on gravel it will spring a leak. It is still usable you just have to watch that dirty water drip. It will also fit on standard bottles in a pinch. It is a100% winner... So why the missing Star, just because they don't sell replacement bags but do sell the filter as a stand alone.

Used it for a week straight in the Ouachita forest. With consistent back flushing it didn’t clog and filled my bottles quickly