MSR Waterworks Review

"My major use of the filter has been in Algonquin Park, Ontario.
Many lakes & rivers have high tanin levels giving the water a clear
tea color. Membrane element & new carbon/ceramic element can
plug very quickly (3-12 litres) even when filtering mid-lake."

"I've been using my MSR Waterworks filter since about 1991, and have had mixed results. The early carbon elements clogged very quickly, and the new ceramic filtering element has been a big improvement. It is very easy to clean once you get it disassembled, and this is its strongest feature, particularly for extended trips. Unfortunately, if you filter in silty water, silt seems to accumulate in the top of the housing, filling the screw threads, and this can make it almost impossible to remove the filter head for cleaning. This has happened on a couple of occasions, and it is extremely frustrating. I have to wait until I get it home and put it in my bench-vise to remove the head. The filter is also a bit slower (liters pumped per minute) than some of the newer devices out there. Overall it is a very good design for ease-of-pumping, and I would give it a moderately enthusiastic recommendation. However, perhaps the company should devise a better pre-filter that would keep more silt out of the housing."

"Super easy to use. Once I tried it, I would never go back to the "plunger" style of filter.
MSR should have a better prefilter, but this is offset by the extreme ease of cleaning.
I've used it for 10+ years now. I broke the original housing but MSR replaced it for me."

"I've found that the MSR Waterworks filter, 10 Liter Dromedary
Bag, and Spigot Cap w/shower hose attachment to be a great little
system. Fill the bag once a day for drinking, cooking, etc. and if
you want a warm shower, fill it again and set it in the sun for about
an hour or two. The 10 liter bag is enough to shower, wash hair,
and brush teeth pretty thoroughly. I like this little system.......Good
for three season use...."

"Well lets see I had one for about 2 years and as time had gone on the filter just started to not work right. No matter what I did to fix it it just did not work right. I now own a sweetwater filter and it's great the best thing it pumps water in 2 directions."

"I've been using a Waterworks since the first year they came out. As another reviewer pointed out, it is relatively easy to clog the prefilter disc at the top of the filter. It is, however, pretty easy to clean the disc in the field.

I don't think the filter clogs really easily; one should just use common sense and in murky or fast-moving water conditions, fill a Nalgene first and let the sediment settle, then use the Waterworks.

I have never had a problem with it that I haven't been able to fix in the field -- and there haven't been very many problems over the years.
Had a sediment problem clogging the prefilter once in muddy water. The unit vapor locked once, but that condition was easily fixed.

One great aspect of the MSR design is there is only one tube to use (for water intake). There is no chance of mixing-up the water lines (and thus exposing yourself to the risk of giardia, etc.) as there is in some other brands.
In sum, if you take care of it, it will take care of you.
I would not hesitate to buy another."

"I really like the filter for the cost. The only problem I ever had was with water that has I large amount of Tanic Acid for downed tree (Water that is tea colored). The Filter clogged after a couple liters. However all filter would probably have this problem. Best buy for the money."