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Grayl Water Bottle – The Holy Grail of Water Filters

Looking for a purifying water bottle? Check out the holy grayl of water bottles.

While flipping through a travel magazine in 2015, we first discovered the GRAYL water bottle (like the Holy Grail). It was a game changer, filtering out bacteria, viruses, and protozoa. Their French-press style filtering makes it easy to use while traveling or backpacking. Did you know that you can’t even trust water bottles in some countries? They refill bottles with tap and melt the caps back on.

Since testing their original version, they’ve made many improvements and now offer three different models: the GeoPress, the UltraPress, and the UtlraPress Ti. In this post, we compare the three to help you decide which model is the best for you!

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Thank you, Grayl, for sending us these bottles for this review. All opinions are always our own. This post may contain affiliate links, where we receive a small commission on sales of the products that are linked at no additional cost to you. Read our full disclosure for more info. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Local Adventurer possible.

Last Updated: June 20, 2023

About Grayl

Andrew Gray, a former Navy SEAL, founded Grayl in 2014 after he saw firsthand the challenges of finding clean water while deployed overseas. They set out to revolutionize portable purification with a solution that would be fast and easy to use worldwide. Grayl water bottles help ensure you have safe drinking water, whether from a hotel sink, murky river, or lake.

These are some photos of our original GRAYL bottle. It has the same tech, but the newer bottles have a better build for being on the go. This was also Jacob before he got Lasik.

See More: The Best Travel Water Bottle Tested On The Road

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Grayl Water Bottles

There are currently three types of Grayl Water Bottles, the 24oz GeoPress Purifier, the 16.9oz UltraPress Purifier, and the 16.9oz UltraPress Ti Purifier.

You can pick any of the three if you’re only looking for a way to get clean, purified water, but if you want to consider other features, below we’ve listed out similarities and differences of each one.

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Shared Features on the Grayl Water Bottles

All three of these water bottles share some of the same features, which makes them all great for travel and the outdoors.

Easy to Use: When you get your Grayl, it’s ready to go with zero set-up time. I love how easy it is to use as well. Unlike other filtering systems, you have to figure out how it works. With Grayls, it’s simple. You fill, press, and then drink. You don’t have to worry about pumping, squeezing, sucking, or waiting on a gravity filter.

Drink Mix & Electrolyte Ready: One of the newest features that didn’t exist when we tried the original Grayl is their One-Way Valve. This small addition allows you to use drink mixes, electrolytes, etc., while still filtering the water. From what I’ve seen, this is the only filtering water bottle that does this! Let us know in the comments below if you know of another one.

RiverFlow Spout: A wide spout on the bottles makes chugging your water easy. In addition, it makes it easier to fill hydration reservoirs and other bottles (for your friends who don’t have a Grayl).

Active Technology: All three bottles use electro-adsorption and ultra-powdered activated carbon.

The Bottles remove waterborne pathogens (99.99% of viruses, 99.9999% of bacteria, 99.9% of protozoan cysts), including Rotavirus, Hepatitis A, Norovirus, Giardiasis, Cryptosporidium, E. Coli, Cholera, Salmonella, Dysentery and more.

All Grayls filter particulates like sediment and microplastics. Ultra-powdered activated carbon adsorbs many chemicals (including PFAS & VOCs), pesticides, herbicides, heavy metals, flavors, and odors.

Replaceable Purifier Cartridges: Each bottle comes with a replaceable purifier cartridge. How open you have to change them is based on usage.

Cartridge Shelf Life: Stored under proper conditions, an unopened Purifier Cartridge has a shelf life of 10 years. After you use a cartridge, it lasts at least three additional years.

Testing Standards: A certified lab Grayls independently tests Grayls to meet or exceed NSF/ANSI protocols 42 and 53 for sediment, pathogen removal, and chemical removal; meets the EPA Guide Standard and Protocol for testing microbiological water purifiers.

Warranty: Grayl purifier bottles have a ten-year warranty covering construction and materials!

Key Differences in the Grayl Water Bottles

There are a few key differences between the bottles. These differences will help you determine which one is best for you.

Capacity and Size: This is one of the significant factors when deciding which bottle you want. See the chart below to compare capacity, weight, height, and diameter.

Fast-Flow Rate: The water filter rate differs in the bottles. The GeoPress filters at a rate of 8 seconds per 24oz (5 liters/min), while the UltraPress and UltraPress TI filters at 10 seconds per 16.9oz (3 liters/min).

Materials: The GeoPress and UltraPress are made from BPA-FREE polypropylene #5, food-grade silicone, TPE, and ABS food-grade plastic. The UltraPress TI uses all the above materials with the addition of titanium.

Durability: The materials play into how durable each Grayl is. The GeoPress and UltraPress can withstand 10 ft drops at full capacity onto concrete, while the UltraPress TI can only withstand drops from 6 ft. All three are built tough and can perform in harsh conditions.

Cartridge Lifespan: The cartridge for the GeoPress is rated for 350 cycles (65 gallons / 250 L), while the smaller cartridge in the UltraPress and UltraPress TI is rated for 300 cycles (40 gallons / 150 L). They should all be changed if three years have elapsed since your first use. You can tell how your cartridge performs based on how long it takes to press. As it reaches the end of its life, it will take closer to 25 seconds to purify your water.

Water Bottle Holder: If you want your bottle to be compatible with standard water bottle holders, you must get the UltraPress or UltraPress TI. The GeoPress will not fit in most water bottle holders. What type of backpack do you use? Does your bag have tight pockets?

Cooking: The UltraPress TI allows you to use the titanium portion of the bottle with heat! There are sleek butterfly handles on it, and you can use it with hot coals, near a direct flame, and even a camp stove. That gives this bottle multiple uses while on the trail or camping.

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The best Grayl Bottle will depend on how you intend to use it. If you’re looking to purify larger quantities of water, the GeoPress is the way to go. It will save you time and allow you to carry more. It also helps you fill up other hydration bladders and bottles faster.

The UltraPress is the lightest model of the three, but the UltraPress TI has incredible versatility since you can cook in it. If you do a lot of camping, backpacking, or long-haul hikes, the UltraPress TI will give you the best use of your weight. You can use it to heat your water and still be able to filter your water.

Our priority is traveling light. Since we’re camping less and less lately, we primarily use the regular UltraPress.

Which one would you choose?

See More: 15 Carry On Essentials You Need for Every Flight

Additional Items

Grayl also makes additional items, including drinkware, a camp stove, camp cooking items, and even a hip pack. The Hip Pack has some great features, including a dedicated bottle carrier on the bottom of it, a collapsible side bottle pocket, plenty of organization, and more. It’s a great companion for short adventures keeping everything you need handy.

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You should check out this video, where they filter toilet water to drink and even turn cola clear. Pretty frickin’ amazing! I’m tempted to try turning my Diet Coke clear. What do you think? Should we try this at home?

Have you tried the GRAYL water bottle or other water filtration systems while traveling? How do you usually deal with finding safe water when you travel?

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