ShuRex Gravity Water Bag and Filter Straw

bought for survival gear and emergencies, great quality and durable.

I used this item on a fishing trip to filter the lake water for consumption, it worked great and nobody got sick yay!

This is a good way to process drinking water when you need more for a family or group

The spout is so high it only flows 5 liters. That's ok, I consider the last liter a sediment trap.

I made the mistake of purchasing 2 of these for our onsite and offsite emergency kits. Thank God I have enough common sense to make sure something works before I add it!First things first, even by their own documentation, these "100,000" gallon straws (according to Amazon page) are actually only good for *** 15 GALLONS *** in their life. They use a super cheap and tiny glued on activated charcoal filter that's supposed to be replaced after every 15 gallons. I went to see how much replacements costs out of curiosity, and guess what, THEY DON'T EVEN SELL ANY. Because they're just cheap glued on parts, I then checked if I could replace it, and then I realized that they weren't even glued on all the way, so the dirty contaminated water can just bypass it through the bottom!It says that you can use the remainder of the straw without it for a short time, but here's the thing, THAT'S THE ONLY ACTUAL FILTER!After the cheapo carbon "filter", the water enters a large chamber with the "hollow fiber membranes", these are just 1mm tubes that are stuffed in there not even taking up the width of the chamber so water just flows around them, but here's the kicker, they just took a bundle of these, bent them in the middle and shoved them in, SO WATER CAN'T EVEN ENTER THE ONES THAT ARE THERE! This means that the *only* water that you're getting through the system never even had a chance to go through the membranes!Any water you drink out of this has, at best, had the larger things filtered out by the tissue paper around the activated charcoal. In no way shape or form is this making any unsafe water safe!How are there so many high reviews for this? Is everyone just reviewing it without even reading the documentation or seeing if it's put together right?

Works great as it should

Perfect size and weight

If you are a hiker, backpacker, or backwoods camper you need a water filter. Streams that appear perfectly clear can be contaminated with bacteria and parasites that can make you sick. This filter can remove both, but it doesn't remove viruses. Luckily, virus contamination of backwoods streams is not a big issue in the US. This filter also has a small carbon filter that can improve the taste of water, and may remove some organic chemicals or heavy metals. The water purification membrane filter has a very large capacity, while the carbon filter is good for about 300L. Even when the carbon filter is at capacity the membrane filter can still rid your water of bacteria and other critters for thousands of liters more.The filter consists of a collection bag that seems quite sturdy. It has a wide top opening which makes it easy to fill. The bag is one of those fold-over designs (like some waterproof backpacks). Which is also nice. It connects via an O-ringed connector to a hose which then connects to one of those "straw" type water filters. The filters are replaceable, but I'm unsure where you can buy them. the good news is that the filter unit appears to be a standard straw filter, and so it is likely that it would be easy to find a brand name or clone replacement. These filters can be separated from the bag system and you can use them directly connected to a water bottle if desired.These bag systems are great when you need larger quantities of water. You just fill the bag, hook it up to something higher than its outlet and fill your clean water container. Watch a video so you know how to keep everything sanitary... it is pretty easy. These types of systems are passive, you just set them up and they filter the water. The biggest enemy of any of these membrane filters is sediment, so try to get your water from the top of a flowing stream. If the only water that you can get is murky fill another container with it and let the dirt settle. Then decant into the water bag and filter. This way you won't clog your filter, which is a drag.Also, if a membrane-type filter freezes when still wet it is useless. You can find videos on how to backwash these straw-type filters, but they will still be wet inside for a while. If you have no choice keep the filter straw on your person to keep it from freezing. When you are home don't keep it in an area where it could freeze (like your garage). It is impossible to tell if a frozen filter is damaged, so if you are unsure toss it and buy a new straw, they are inexpensive.All in all, this seems like a nice unit that is considerably less expensive than the brand-name versions. Good deal!