Care Plus Evo 3 l water filter - Blue

I gave this filter to a friend for her one-and-a-half-month trip to French Guiana, during which she also visited Suriname and Brazil. She used it to collect water from rivers such as the Maroni, the Rio Lawa, the Oyapock, and smaller tributaries. She came back healthy, with no issues, and it's been a few months now – the filter worked perfectly. Remember not to let it freeze (like all similar filters) if you use it in our climate. Besides its high efficiency (up to 5000 l with the main cartridge), an advantage is that both the main and carbon cartridges are replaceable and can be bought separately. I recommend it – great product! Note: it's a bit bigger than it looks in the photos.

I've already filtered about 50 litres of water in the field, also from poor streams and small brooks where I had to collect water with a cup and pour it through a buff. The taste is fine, although it's hard to judge if that's due to the carbon, since it's difficult to compare before and after ;) Among four users, there were no rave reviews. The bladder is tight and solid, and you can easily draw water, attach it to your backpack, and filter elsewhere. Washing and drying the bladder require a bit of patience and ingenuity. The filter itself is well and cleverly made; the threads on both ends fit regular PET bottles, allowing various configurations – just make sure not to confuse the inlet with the outlet ;) I shortened the tube myself for convenience, and I replaced the carabiner and lanyard with my own, which I always take hiking anyway. If water flows slowly at first, it's best to flush the filter straight away with what has already been filtered. The filter (with the hollow fibre insert) shouldn't be stored completely dry.

A very versatile water filter, perfect for hiking when another bottle of water would increase the weight of your backpack. The double filtration system increases safety of use. The whole set fits into a convenient, waterproof drawstring pouch. The bladder with a tube allows you both to comfortably carry your water supply and to use it at your campsite. I definitely recommend this product.

I agree with the previous reviewer – the product description doesn't fully match reality (luckily, it's mostly for the better, except for the missing cleaning syringe). I tested it for 3 days, using water from a stream near a village – fairly fast-flowing and clean, though many animals use it. Even after filtering, I still boiled the water. It tasted like bottled water, with no smell. I didn't have any stomach problems. It looks like the filter actually works – and for 229 PLN you can have peace of mind and better-tasting water :P

I am very satisfied with this purchase. The contents of the package were a bit different from what was described – together with the filter I received a flexible 3l bladder, an 80 cm tube, a 90 cm mounting strap, a carabiner and a carrying bag. There was no syringe for cleaning, but it can easily be replaced with something else or with a mineral water bottle. The listed weight refers to the whole set, the filter itself weighs 100g. The description didn't mention that the filter provides two-stage filtration and contains two inserts – microfibres and a replaceable carbon insert (according to the included instructions). All the more reason I'm glad I bought this filter in the summer sale.