Purify, Cook, Drink: Grayl ‘Geopress Ti’ Do-All Camp Bottle Review

Water purification has never looked so cool. Though I’ve had mixed feelings about the overall usefulness of the Grayl Geopress Ti, my final assessment always comes back to the same point: It’s fun as hell to use. There’s an undeniable joy from hefting this sleek water bottle into a stream and drinking the purified product through solid titanium.

However, making a titanium version of Grayl’s plastic purifiers allows for an additional use: It doubles as a cook pot. That’s a neat plot twist, but is it a good choice for prolonged hiking trips? Ultralight obsessives might find plenty to argue about with that one, but I’d say the answer is not so clear-cut.

For 2-3-day solo trips, I found the Geopress Ti worked great for purifying water on the go, or boiling it for a rehydrated meal. But those were casual hikes on the Appalachian Trail. With its weight, bulkiness, and $220 price, the Geopress Ti seems unlikely to become a standard trail item. But I see this an excellent option for international travel to countries with dubious water quality.

In short: Making a titanium Geopress is a bold move. Given the multiuse design and attractive aesthetic, I wouldn’t be surprised to see more casual hikers sporting these bombproof bottles. But those looking for minimal weight and bulkiness — or a cheap price tag — will prefer something different.

Grayl Geopress Ti

Grayl Geopress Ti Review

The classic Geopress has become the go-to choice for many hikers looking for reliable water purification in a lightweight package. Constructing portable purifiers from plastic makes them ideal for backcountry camping trips, and many modern brands — Grayl, LifeStraw, and Sawyer — have followed that strategy.

Even among the competition, Grayl’s filtration technology has stood out for its reliable purification of even the nastiest water. For those unfamiliar, the Geopress design involves filling the bottle’s outer cup from a stream or lake, then slowly (sometimes laboriously) pressing down on the inner cup, which forces the water through a filter. Once the purifying inner cup is completely inside the outer sleeve, you’ve got 24 ounces of drinkable water.

But reimagining Grayl’s same design in all metal yields a surprising function: a titanium sleeve that serves as a Jetboil-style cook pot. After all, the original plastic version merely served as the receptacle for unpurified water. By making it metal, hikers now get a durable cup for boiling water. According to Grayl, it’s tough enough to survive a 10-foot drop onto concrete without damage.

Also, the inclusion of two butterfly handles allows you to move the heated metal on or off a flame. This results in an interesting advantage over a Jetboil, for example. The simplicity of the titanium cup means you don’t technically need a stove. The titanium sleeve will boil water just fine over a campfire — just make sure you protect your hands when moving it.

With a pocket stove, the Geopress Grayl isn’t going to boil water as fast as a Jetboil Flash. But the option to ditch the stove altogether may offer sufficient advantage for many hikers. By combining these two pillars of camping (water purification and cooking), Grayl has created a potential way for hikers to trim their kit.

In the Field: Water Purification

I found myself excited to use the Geopress Ti during three multiday hikes in the mountains of northern Georgia. Using it to purify water from streams along the way felt like a fun side quest rather than a chore. Personally, I relish the effort of pushing down the filter to quickly cleanse a couple hours’ worth of water. But I can see how some people may not look forward to the extra physical effort required.

However, the bottle’s 24-ounce capacity isn’t enough to keep you hydrated for long distances, so I brought along a 32-ounce Nalgene to carry extra. I was dubious at first about Grayl’s claims that its filter will purify water faster than the LifeStraw and Sawyer products I’ve used, but I was quickly proven wrong.

Though pressing down does take some effort, it still only took me 2-3 minutes to fill up both the Nalgene and Geopress Ti. For purification, I’m not convinced this strategy is the most efficient or lightweight, but it was effective and enjoyable.

In the Field: Cooking

Cooking with the Geopress Ti is more of a mixed bag. It will get the job done, but not easily or quickly. When I wanted a hot lunch, I just grabbed a pocket stove and gas tank to boil some water for my Backpacker’s Pantry meals. Even when filled with water, the outer cup balances decently well on the small stove, but you’ll want to keep an eye on it. The slightest wind gust is still liable to knock it over.

Moreover, I’m not sold on the G-Ti Cook Lid. This $25 accessory is meant to pop on the outer cup for “quicker cooking, smoother pouring, and effortless straining,” according to Grayl. The strainer isn’t too shabby, but pouring and boiling still work fine without the lid. In fact, it took me at least 4 minutes to boil water in the Geopress, whether I used the cook lid or not.

To pour, I just used a T-shirt or other clothing to grab the handles without burning myself. Overall, cooking with the Geopress Ti worked fine, though I missed my Jetboil when it was time for dinner. When you’re starving, even a 5-minute wait for boiling water can feel interminable. Again, it feels like the Geopress Ti functions great for casual outings — not so much for hikes on the bleeding edge of difficulty.

Considering Weight and Price

Many hikers will take one look at the weight and price of a Geopress Ti and walk the other way. After crunching the numbers, it’s clear there are other options for those who want to spend — and carry — less.

For example, you could replace a Geopress Ti’s basic functions with a $130 Jetboil Flash and a $44 LifeStraw Peak Series Collapsible Squeeze 1L Bottle With Filter. Bought together, you’d spend $154 — a fair bit less than the $220 Geopress Ti.

In combined weight, the two items come out to 17 ounces (13 ounces for the Jetboil and 4 ounces for the LifeStraw). That’s still 3 ounces lighter than the 20-ounce Geopress Ti.

So, the math for some hikers will simply not check out when weighing the Geopress Ti against other ways to organize their kits.

However, I could see the Geopress Ti occupying a sweet spot among international travelers. I used my LifeStraw Go for years while traveling throughout South America. I can already tell that I would vastly prefer the Geopress Ti in that context. It’s more durable, won’t leak water, and doesn’t have a detachable lid (I always lose them).

Grayl Geopress Ti: Final Verdict

Grayl’s Geopress Ti has everything I love about outdoor gear: It’s innovative, multifunctional, and durable. And with a topographic map decorating the outer cup, it’s also quite fetching.

For experienced hikers and campers, it won’t reinvent the wheel or convert them away from other options. But the beauty of nature is we don’t all have to enjoy it the same way. The Geopress Ti feels substantive and durable in a way that lots of outdoorsy folks will immediately appreciate.

This filter/cook pot hybrid may find even more converts among travelers looking for a tough purifier bottle. Bringing along a bottle like this not only supplies safe drinking water, but it also cuts down on plastic waste. Could they spend $100 on a normal Grayl Geopress and get the same results? Probably. Will it look as cool as this one? Doubtful.