[at-l] First Need Deluxe Water Filter

[rafe.bustin@verizon.net (rafe.bustin@verizon.net)]

I put up with a First Need filter during my big hike in 1990.

It was a big pain in the butt, but mostly worked OK.  I had 
to replace the filter once or twice.  It gets incredibly hard to 
pump once the filter is clogged, and no amount of back- 
flushing will fix it, once it gets to a certain state.

I finally ditched it a few years back, in favor of a new 
MSR filter -- the kind that screws right onto the top of 
a 32-oz Nalgene bottle.  Way cool.  The folks from 
MSR get my vote good engineering and product design, 
in everything they do.  I can't recommend the First Need 
after using the MSR.

I find the MSR to be a marvelous thing -- particularly 
as it has a ceramic filtration element that is easily scrubbed 
down in the field, and a built-in gauge to tell you when the 
filter is near the end of its useful life.  The whole pump is 
field-strippable, and the critical pumping chamber is made of 
clear plastic, so you can actually observe it working.

The MSR is a bit heavier and harder to pump than the PUR.

I do worry a bit that the filter might crack if subjected to a 
sufficiently hard shock.


rafe b
aka terrapin