Review: RapidPure Intrepid Water Bottle

Lately, I have been spending more time doing mid-ranged day hikes and less overnight or longer trek backpacking trails. Rather than carrying a ton of water with a bladder system, I came across the RapidPure Intrepid Water Bottle from Adventure Medical Kits. It also is an industry leader in getting most of the harmful materials out of the water and gives you peace of mind that the water you are drinking is extremely safe. 

This Purifier Bottle filters and purifies backcountry water against bacteria, protozoa, viruses, heavy metals, chemicals, sediment, pesticides, and micro-plastics.

Specs: 

• Filter Type: Bottle Purifier
• Filter Technology: Ultraceram Electroabsorption
• Removes: 99.99% bacteria, protozoa, viruses, heavy metals, chemicals, sediment, pesticides, and micro-plastics.
• Weight: 9.2 oz
• Purification Speed: 1.2 L / min
• Bottle Volume: 750 mL
• Filter Lifetime: Expected to last up to 190 L

Pros:

The Intrepid Bottle is very easy to use so you don’t accidentally contaminate the drinking spout when you store or refill the bottle with dirty water.  The bottle has five key components: a flip-top screw-on cap, the mouthpiece, the bottle, the filter element, and a straw linking the filter to the mouthpiece straw in the cap.

Filling the bottle with “dirty water” is easy. You simply unscrew the cap and dip it into a stream to fill the bottle. When it’s full you can screw on the top, flip up the cap, rotate the mouthpiece forward, and suck water through the filter and up the strap. The "straw" is quality made and will generate a good amount of water to drink. 

A great feature of this bottle is how it is protected from cross-contamination. Should you get your hands wet with untreated, unfiltered, or unpurified water, anything you touch can become contaminated with the viruses, bacteria, or protozoa you’re trying to avoid. The cap attached to the top of the bottle has a latch that will stay closed until you are ready to drink from the bottle.

The Intrepid is also infused with carbon to help improve the taste of the water and remove unpleasant odors.

The speed with which you can fill and have ready to drink is a great 1.2L of water within 1 minute. 

Areas for Improvement:

There is no way of knowing how much water you’ve purified. It is hard to know when it’s switched from being an effective purifier capable of removing viruses to just a water filter. While the maximum capacity of each filter cartridges is specified at 200 gallons, the manufacturer recommends changing the filter every 100 liters or, once every 25 days of use, based on 1 gallon or 4 liters per day if you need to remove viruses. This will depend to a great degree on the quality and murkiness of the water that you need to filter. Back flushing is not possible with the Intrepid.

I also find the hard plastic bottle a bit tough to carry inside of daypacks. It does have a nice slit to be able to carry on the outside of the pack, but I don't like when I am in steeper terrain, the bottle swinging back and forth. It would be nice to have a soft plastic option for the main piece of the bottle. 

Also, at 9.2 ounces, it is a heavier bottle than some from other brands.

Verdict:

For short trips where water sources are abundant, this is a great option for hydration. For novice hikers, or campers this is will be one of the easiest options on the market that will treat just about any harmful materials within the water. The ease of usability will also make this a popular bottle and has great quality built to last. 

If you're not worried about size and weight of a hydration option, then this is a perfect bottle to use in most situations. If you require something for long backcountry hikes, one of the other Rapid Pure systems may be for you. 

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