Outdoors

MSR Guardian Water Purifier promises fast, safe drinking water from almost any source

MSR Guardian Water Purifier promises fast, safe drinking water from almost any source
The MSR Guardian can filter and purify up to 2.5 liters of water per minute, removing viruses, bacteria, protozoa and particulate matter
The MSR Guardian can filter and purify up to 2.5 liters of water per minute, removing viruses, bacteria, protozoa and particulate matter
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The MSR Guardian can filter and purify up to 2.5 liters of water per minute, removing viruses, bacteria, protozoa and particulate matter
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The MSR Guardian can filter and purify up to 2.5 liters of water per minute, removing viruses, bacteria, protozoa and particulate matter
The MSR Guardian acts as both filter and purifier and is claimed to eliminate 100 percent of all biological threats you might find in even the dirtiest of water
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The MSR Guardian acts as both filter and purifier and is claimed to eliminate 100 percent of all biological threats you might find in even the dirtiest of water
MSR Guardian fact sheet
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MSR Guardian fact sheet
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Therearen’t many companies that can say they developed an outdoor waterpurification device specifically for use by the US military … andtook six years to be sure they got it right. MSR can make that claimand more with its new Guardian Water Purifier.

Filtersystems have generally been constrained by their ability toeliminate only bacteria and Cryptosporidium (a microscopic,diarrhea-causing parasite), but not viruses. Purification systems getrid of viruses, but take longer to do so. What makes the MSR Guardiandifferent is that it acts as both filter and purifier and is claimed to eliminate all biological threats you might find in even the dirtiest of water.

While there are other products out there that combine filtration and purification into a single unit, the Guardian does so without the use of chemicals, batteries, UV light, carbon or pre-filtering ... and it's self-cleaning.

Thekey is in the system’s hollow-fiber structure made of what thecompany describes as advanced medical-grade fibers that are woven tight enoughto block the smallest microbiological elements. MSR says the hollow fiber structure is undamaged by freezing temperatures and the Guardian can withstand drops from up to six feet onto concrete and up to 300 pounds of force.

The Guardian meets US military testing standard–NSF Protocol P248 and is able to fit on most standard water bottles. It can filter and purify up to 2.5 liters of water per minute and can produce over 10,000 liters of clean water before it’s no longer useful.

The self-cleaning feature sees ten percent of the water that's pumped through thesystem fed back through the filter through a separate line toflush it clean. So no more hassling with scrubbing cartridges orbackflushing to ensure both a steady and clean flow.

The MSR Guardian acts as both filter and purifier and is claimed to eliminate 100 percent of all biological threats you might find in even the dirtiest of water
The MSR Guardian acts as both filter and purifier and is claimed to eliminate 100 percent of all biological threats you might find in even the dirtiest of water

The MSR Guardian will be available to the public in January 2016, presenting an attractive option for hikers and backpackers who may no longer have to contend with the expensive and environmentally-unfriendly prospect of buying bottled water. But this kind of advanced, worry-free technologydoesn’t come cheap at a list price of US$350.

MSR made the following short film to showcase the Guardian's versatility.

Source: MSR

NEW: The MSR Guardian™ Purifier

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5 comments
5 comments
Buzzclick
If this purifier does what they claim, it is definitely worth the 350 bucks. Small and portable, it's useful to hikers and tourists alike who want to have that edge of assurance. The eco-friendliness is secondary.
But when you are higher up on a mountain and you find a running brook that isn't downstream from any activity, chances are quite good that it's fed by a ground source and safe to drink.
The only animals who might crap in their water are humans : )
Vince Pack
I've been using a "squeeze feed" filter for two years now. It's light weight and does the job, but it's painfully slow and pretty labor intensive.

I've also been routinely looking into pump filters for years (primarily MSR and Katahdin) and found their cost, size, and weight to be a big factor in never buying. Additionally, having used MSR filters a few times and hearing horror stories about them locking up during the backwash process (not personally experiencing it), and their being irreparably damaged by freezing, I've just not been motivated.

Now I'm interested and motivated. Will be looking closely at this in the near term! The cost is still an issue, as is the size, but if I can juice a liter in 30 seconds without pumping up my forearms like Popeye, that's a pretty big deal.
DanMarDinsmore
The water filter is a great idea, but without it filtering out heavy metals and chemicals you are still under threat of sickness.
Buellrider
This MSR unit looks like something that should be in every emergency kit. Can't do without water and getting sick because of bad water is no fun at all. Years ago while in the USMC I drank straight out of a farm stream and paid the price. I suffered for days on end and only cured myself by not eating anything for a day to let the bacteria burn itself out, which it did. Hopefully this MSR unit will sell well so that the price comes down and more people can afford it.
iperov
portable reverse osmosis 0.0001 for $350 ? no thx, I'll wait china clone