MSR Guardian Purifier Pump

2025-05-07T20:00:00

Works even in the silty desert!

Erika W.

Originally posted at

2024-11-07T19:00:00

Used it on several extended camping trips and the water quality was great.

David W.

Originally posted at

2024-11-06T19:00:00

it has proven to be a great device, no problems at all. One feature I like is I do not have to worry about it during cold weather and freezing.

David B.

Originally posted at

2024-11-06T19:00:00

Fast and dependable

Joe W.

Originally posted at

2024-11-06T19:00:00

Phenomenal piece of equipment for hiking. For large parties of people, it can provide clean water in suboptimal environments and in less than ideal conditions. It is heavy for short trips, but the flow rate is incredible when compared to other purifiers. For ultralight adventures, flow through filters are more ideal and better suited for weight conscious endeavors. Was used on Mt. Baker for party of 7 and it performed excellent.

Robert F.

Originally posted at

2024-11-06T19:00:00

It's small enough to fit in my carry on when traveling overseas. Was useful in areas where the water quality is questionable. I filtered water for our entire group. Good quality.

gary g.

Originally posted at

2024-11-06T19:00:00

Good product. Anytime I go in the wild I'll bring it with me.

Maxime C.

Originally posted at

2024-08-24T20:00:00

We have had the guardian for nearly 5 years. We have used the old MSR waterworks pumps in the past, as well as Katadyn filters, and this unit is easier to use and the through-put is exceptional, with a 1 litre bottle taking less than a minute to fill. Our canoe trips usually consist of 6-8 people, and the Guardian keeps everyone watered with no complaints about who's turn it is to pump. The only quibble with the Guardian is that it DOES require annual maintenance, and you can't throw it in storage for a year or two and expect it to perform flawlessly. The filter unit keeps integrity for a long time, but O-rings and pump rings do seem to shrink or lose seal after a year or two, and you need to replace them. I consider this a small price to pay for a filter which can go anywhere and keep you safe and healthy with a minimum of fuss.

brent w.

Originally posted at

2024-08-24T20:00:00

We have had the guardian for nearly 5 years. We have used the old MSR waterworks pumps in the past, as well as Katadyn filters, and this unit is easier to use and the through-put is exceptional, with a 1 litre bottle taking less than a minute to fill. Our canoe trips usually consist of 6-8 people, and the Guardian keeps everyone watered with no complaints about who's turn it is to pump. The only quibble with the Guardian is that it DOES require annual maintenance, and you can't throw it in storage for a year or two and expect it to perform flawlessly. The filter unit keeps integrity for a long time, but O-rings and pump rings do seem to shrink or lose seal after a year or two, and you need to replace them. I consider this a small price to pay for a filter which can go anywhere and keep you safe and healthy with a minimum of fuss.

Brent W.

Originally posted at

2024-07-17T20:00:00

I bought this 2-3 years ago for use on scout backpacking trips and emergency use during hurricane season. The thought was to have zero worries with water supply no matter where I was. The troop had another MSR filter with lower filtration pumping 1L per minute. Scouts became impatient and those were quickly abandoned to use mine. Win #1! We recently took a long distance backpacking trip and most groups used micropur tablets for sterilization, but not wanting to wait used this filter instead for immediate water consumption without an altered taste. Water supplies were typically streams or in some cases cisterns from rain collection or pumps which still needed sterilization. Win #2! One camp ran out of water in their cistern with zero streams for decent water nearby. I said not a problem and we filtered out of a cattle pond full of all kinds of bugs, algae and things no one wanted to deal with. This pump had zero issues and no one got sick. Win #3! Lessons learned: most of the time, filtration just occurred over one or two days, this last trip was longer. If the nalgene was too tight, it would cause leaks between the filter and the water bottle. The same occurred if the gray ring at the bottom was too tight to the red cylinder on the filter. Loosening those connections brought everything into alignment with no leaks. A gentle tightening was all that was needed. After each trip, I do pump some clean water through the filter thinking one or 2 extra liters won't impact the life of the filter. I hang the filter to dry out the entire length of hose, and invert the filter section with fibers so it drains as well. I've had zero issues with the performance of this filter and have full confidence whenever it is used. I still carry the maintenance kit with me, but it has yet to be used.

Rob

Originally posted at

2024-07-14T20:00:00

I bought this from amazon. Just because it would get here in time for my trip. we hiked 2800 ft of elevation and drank all our water. Luckily I had this in my pack. At the top of the mountain was a lake. We pumped the lake water into our Nalgene and Water bladders. worked great! Easy to use, light to carry and an absolute necessity if you don't want to pack all the water you're going to need for your trip. Can't say enough good things. I was very hesitant to buy this at the price point but to be honest I can't believe I didn't buy it sooner. Some folks complain it leaks or whatever, I don't know what there deal is, must be operator error.

Zane

Originally posted at

2024-07-14T20:00:00

I bought this from amazon. Just because it would get here in time for my trip. we hiked 2800 ft of elevation and drank all our water. Luckily I had this in my pack. At the top of the mountain was a lake. We pumped the lake water into our Nalgene and Water bladders. worked great! Easy to use, light to carry and an absolute necessity if you don't want to pack all the water you're going to need for your trip. Can't say enough good things. I was very hesitant to buy this at the price point but to be honest I can't believe I didn't buy it sooner. Some folks complain it leaks or whatever, I don't know what there deal is, must be operator error.

Zane E.

Originally posted at

2023-11-29T19:00:00

Pumps water REALLY fast

Howard O.

Originally posted at

2023-10-29T20:00:00

The filter works flawlessly during my trip to Kenya. I filled many jugs of water during my visit. I left the filter behind with a family. We are going to monitor its Efficiency and performance over the coming months. I would like to get more filters in the hands of people in Kenya. Please keep in touch with me! Sincerely Daktari G

gary g.

Originally posted at

2023-10-29T20:00:00

The filter works flawlessly during my trip to Kenya. I filled many jugs of water during my visit. I left the filter behind with a family. We are going to monitor its Efficiency and performance over the coming months. I would like to get more filters in the hands of people in Kenya. Please keep in touch with me! Sincerely Daktari G

Gary G.

Originally posted at

2023-08-30T20:00:00

I've had my guardian for a couple years and it's absolutely the best filter/purifier I've used. The filter itself is 5 stars. However, on my last backcountry trip, the pre-filter piece snapped off (it's just a plastic joint, so it didn't take much) and I've submitted two repair/warranty tickets. MSR has not replied to either of my warranty tickets (despite confirmation that they were received). All I'm asking for is a new pre filter piece. At this point, I'd gladly buy a replacement piece but I can't even find one anywhere in Canada.

Cass

Originally posted at

2023-08-30T20:00:00

I've had my guardian for a couple years and it's absolutely the best filter/purifier I've used. The filter itself is 5 stars. However, on my last backcountry trip, the pre-filter piece snapped off (it's just a plastic joint, so it didn't take much) and I've submitted two repair/warranty tickets. MSR has not replied to either of my warranty tickets (despite confirmation that they were received). All I'm asking for is a new pre filter piece. At this point, I'd gladly buy a replacement piece but I can't even find one anywhere in Canada.

Cassidy W.

Originally posted at

2023-07-19T20:00:00

Great unit. When I first used it, the pin that holds the handle fell off and I spent 20-30 minutes looking for the 2 piece pin in the stream i was filtering water from. Now I know to make sure to check on the pin so it doesn't fall off again. the pin always wants to fall off on its own and then i have to click it back closed again. Other than that issue, the filter works great

James S.

Originally posted at

2023-07-15T20:00:00

Don K napisa? recenzj? 5.11.23 ??? Po 2 latach u?ytkowana i przefiltrowaniu ok 100I wody filtr, przesta? dzia?a? - woda nie przedostaje ss? przez wk?ad filtra. Czy kto? mo?e pomóc co jest przyczyn? ?

Artur

Originally posted at

2023-07-04T20:00:00

WE have been using the Guardian Purifier for several years now and just purchased out third one. We use it in a wilderness camp for up to 9 people for two weeks duration. We have never had a problem with the device or supplying ample water for each group. Several of our guests have purchased on for their own use after using the Guardian in our camp.

John V.

Originally posted at

2023-06-03T20:00:00

Used this filter on a backpacking trip recently with 5 other people. I used a less expensive MSR filter previously that worked great but had to be cleaned frequently or it would screech to a halt. The Guardian had no problem filtering multiple Nalgenes all day for 6 people. Don't over-tighten your bottles on to the filter! This is the main issue I see people having, and I understand the temptation. I had the leaky piston and base issue but once I backed off the tightness everything was great.

joepshaw

Originally posted at

2023-06-03T20:00:00

Used this filter on a backpacking trip recently with 5 other people. I used a less expensive MSR filter previously that worked great but had to be cleaned frequently or it would screech to a halt. The Guardian had no problem filtering multiple Nalgenes all day for 6 people. Don't over-tighten your bottles on to the filter! This is the main issue I see people having, and I understand the temptation. I had the leaky piston and base issue but once I backed off the tightness everything was great.

Joe

Originally posted at

2023-05-31T20:00:00

Love the peace of mind! Easy to use & fills bottles quickly. We wanted one filter that we could use on any trip no matter where in the world, and no back-flushing makes this a dream.

Elizabeth K.

Originally posted at

2023-05-10T20:00:00

I purchased and used in 2019. Used it several times and the last time was in 2021. It's been safely in storage since. Is the filter still good? What is the shelf life of the filter? I definitely don't have more than 50 liters filtered. Thanks

Don K.

Originally posted at

2023-04-24T20:00:00

We have 10 of these units for our outdoor program, and they only get used a few times per year. We purchased them thinking we were getting the best of the best. Normally that would be true with MSR products. We have a couple of unresolved issues: 1 - The handle pin/sleeve can fall out/apart easily, we lost several while on the trail so we have units that are not usable right now. 2 - The manufacturing/design issue of the with the base of the filter threads does not live up to the brand quality we have come to expect from MSR/Cascade Designs. The fact that we need to unscrew the base so there is a credit card width gap in the threads is not ideal, it also creates an issue of risk management. We have to spend extra time training and monitoring the use of this product to ensure our water is safe to drink. Find a fix and resolve this issue for customers for free. I made several requests to get the parts I need plus spare parts to put in our repair kits. After almost a year and multiple requests, we still have not gotten a response to our warranty claims. So here I am creating a review, it seems that MSR monitors and responds to these in a timely manner... guess we will see. My suggestion to anyone considering this product, be careful in using it and monitor the issues that have been highlighted in the reviews. The purifier works great (better than any other filter/purifier we have tried) when you know the issues and workarounds. It's just sad that a $400 product has so many flaws and an extreme delay in warranty/repair processing.

Shawn O.

Originally posted at

2023-04-18T20:00:00

I got this as a splurge for a 5 day loop in Tanner and out Grandview in April when the water was running high due to the past few years of Norovirus being prevalent in 2021 and 2022 for a group of 4 and it delivered with just a few minor issues. We did settle water for 1-2 hours before filtering except for one day to filter directly after pulling from the river but I didn't note a difference in performance. For notes - we had the issue of leaking out the large filter housing O-ring when someone in the party overtightened it but we were able to resolve that after playing with it a bit (had us worried for a moment we were going to be onto tabs or boiling when it first started!!!) so it might be nice to make that note more visible in the manual as it was very easy to accidently do (I read on the website before going). We also had some leaking out of the back of the pump head as I have seen in other reviews (just a few drops here and there generally) and I was not able to resolve that even with slow pumping. Here I just made sure that the clean water bottle was fully attached so any drip from the back of the pump head would not go into the bottle. I would say we generally filtered much slower than 2.5 L/min even with clean water (more like 0.5-1 L/min) as I had read that a common failure was the pump handle pin can break on this system so we generally tried not to apply too much pressure to the handle but instead ran slow and constant and tried to make sure not to exert too much pressure at the top and bottom of the pump rise. I overall still prefer gravity filters as they are just so much easier when we filter most of our water at camp (yes I am lazy :) but for the Colorado River and something that handles virus removal I was pleased with the purchase. Thanks to the team there at MSR and hopefully see everyone out there on the trails

Matt R.

Originally posted at

2023-04-03T20:00:00

I just received the Gaurdian in prep for this year's hiking adventures. I've been impressed with all of the online reviews. The price was higher than I thought it should be, but after months of internal debat I decided I was willing to pay for a premium safe and reliable solution. I've been impressed with it so far out of the box. I use an integrated water bladder bag in my backpack with a drinking tube. The tube has simple press/snap disconnects. I would like to connect a hose from the output of the Gaurdian to the place where my drinking tube connects. This would allow me to filter water directly into the bladder inside the pack without unpacking (rather than a bulky water bottle). I had thought this would be a common use-case, but after spending considerable time searching I haven't found readily available solutions / products. Two questions: 1. Does MSR make an adapter hose? 2. Would adding a hose like this to the output and pushing water directly into a bladder do anything to impact water safety? In the interrim I've purchased some bulk hoses and connectors and will attempt to build something

David

Originally posted at

2023-01-04T19:00:00

This filter probably saved my life. I was in an area too far from Cell service. I was hiking with a buddy and was suddenly nauseous. I could barely stand. We were 10 miles downhill or five uphill to service. I do carry an inreach for emergencies and almost had to hit the SOS button. We had gone through 10 liters of water so far that day hiking the mountains of the Sonoran desert and were very low. Due to my illness we had been out in the sun longer than expected making everything worse. We found a mud puddle and he dropped this hose in and started to suck up clear water. I was astonished. I ended up drinking this muddy tasting but safe water as I rehydrated under a tree. I vomited several more times but would not have been able to without that safe water in my body. We finally made it to the top just as it got dark. I bought this two days later once I could sit up again. He said his is several years old. I've always done Chem drops but this is worth the extra pack space. You can't Chem drop mud.

Jason S.

Originally posted at

2022-11-19T19:00:00

1st the bad: the articulation from the handle to the piston breaks. I?ve had this fail twice. First on a long thru hike, fortunately at the end. Got in touch with MSR and they replaced it, kindly giving me a backup. Now backup broke, but I?m sure they?ll stand by it again. Guys, is this being redesigned? The good: this thing works like a beast. I pump everyone?s water, it?s fast, never slows, no one gets sick. It?s the bomb, worth the weight. Suggestion: 1- fix the piston problem (breakage). 2- include a tube to connect to nipple outflow on bottom of unit. It?s so fast, you spend an inordinate amount of time screwing Nalgene bottles onto the backside. We had to hunt for a hose, found one, real time-saver, but ought to be included. 3. Create modification for pump to be used as a hanger (like the bag-flow) as an option. ?if possible. Keep up good work MSR, some tweaks on the one bad part needed, but overall worth the $ and great product.

Gerald K.

Originally posted at

2022-11-07T19:00:00

This is amazing!!! Love this filter

Allison B.

Originally posted at