MSR MiniWorks EX

The Water Works (and Mini Works) is a great little filter.  The filter element is housed in a translucent durable case with a side pump handle.  A ceramic filter works to filter out most harmful organisms including bacteria and cysts, while the carbon element removes most color and taste from water.  To kill virus' you will need a purifier, generally a post filter treatment such as Potable Aqua (Buy).  The filter element is accessed by simply screwing off the top of the case and pushing the ceramic element out.  It's also quite easy to clean, just remove the top screw-on portion of the filter and pull out the filter element.  Scrub it off with the supplied scouring pad, rinse it off with clean water, and re-install it.  The filter includes a gauge to check the life of the ceramic element.  Although replacement elements are expensive (about ??), the life span is rather long.  The filter is designed to attach to a Nalgene or similar sized container which makes filling up very convenient.  The Mini Works will clean about a liter of water per minute, and the total filter life is about 2000 liters.  The filter packs into a storage bag and weighs 1lb. 1 1/8oz.