Wet Work

Grayl's Geopress and New Slim Ultrapress provide safe drinking water anywhere

- Story and Photos by Mike Travis

In the hierarchy of human needs, water ranks within the top three. On average, we can survive about three days without drinking which means, no matter who you are or where you find yourself, getting fresh drinking water is a top priority.

We here in the first world take fresh drinking water for granted. Unless you find yourself in the backcountry and away from civilization, it's usually pretty easy to find safe drinking water. The shelves in most stores are full of bottled water and turning on most faucets will yield an almost endless supply of it.

If the past two years have shown us anything, it's that our systems of first world civilization are fragile. In the opening days of the pandemic, there was little to no bottled water on the shelves for months. Natural disasters such as the Texas ice storm and the tornadoes that ravaged Kentucky in 2021 left millions of people without power or access to safe drinking water for weeks, even months at a time.

As I write this, our economy is in a precarious place. Inflation is at a record high and many people must tighten their belts and cut costs where they can. While it is nice to walk into a store and buy a bottle of water, that water can cost anywhere from $1 for 16 ounces to $5 or more depending on where you find yourself.

Those of us who like to venture into places away from civilization are accustomed to thinking about water procurement and treatment. There are many water filter systems, purifiers, and chemical treatment processes available to hikers, hunters, and campers. Unfortunately, many of these aren't readily compatible with EDC use in our everyday lives.

THE GRAYL GEOPRESS