Last week Winston-Salem broke a couple of water mains and we all got that text: boil advisory. City crews did their thing and fixed the main fast, but I realized my backup was already sitting in our backpacks.
Our home RO system? It needs pressure to work, and when mains break, pressure drops. It just quits working.
Our Grayl Geopresses? They just need a push.
For anyone who backpacks or just likes to be ready, here’s why that matters:
A boil order is about bugs, not chemicals. When pressure drops, bacteria, Giardia, Crypto, even viruses can get into the pipes. Boiling kills them.
But boiling does nothing for PFAS. In fact, it concentrates it a little. And most simple squeeze filters from the trail don’t catch viruses.
The Geopress is a purifier, not just a filter. Inside that cartridge is an electro-charged mesh that grabs viruses, plus activated carbon and ion exchange that grabs chemicals like PFOA/PFOS. One press and you’ve covered both sides of a city advisory — the stuff you boil for, and the stuff you can’t boil out.
We get about 24 oz per press in 8 seconds. We just press into a clean pitcher for the family and keep going. It’s slow if you’re trying to do dinner for five, but for drinking water during an advisory, or for filling bottles before a ride or backpacking trip when you don’t trust the park spigot, it’s perfect.
Trail-tested gear isn’t just for the trail. Sometimes it’s for Tuesday when the city says “don’t drink the tap.”
Cartridge tip: It’s rated for about 65 gallons. If you used it hard during the advisory week, mark it down — that’s when the PFAS and virus protection starts to fade.
Have you ever had to use your camping gear at home? Drop a comment below!
My Little Red Bike 