GRAYL Titanium UltraPress Review: A Metal Upgrade to a Backpacking Favorite

Water is everything in the backcountry, and the GRAYL Titanium UltraPress will keep you hydrated anywhere in the world while doubling as a cooking cup.

Backcountry hunting is something that I’m deeply passionate about. From the solitude to the adventure, it runs through my veins. In light of that, I’m always looking for practical gear items to make life easier back there. The GRAYL/Nosler Titanium UltraPress immediately caught my attention. Being a three-in-one system, it had backcountry living written all over it and begged to be tested.

In short: This Titanium UltraPress (co-branded with Nosler) screams innovation and is well-suited for backcountry hunters, as long as you can stomach the price tag.

GRAYL Titanium UltraPress Review

GRAYL is a master of water purification, whether it’s scooping water from a murky pond or filling up from a sketchy spigot. It provides peace of mind to drink water anywhere in the world safely. And Nosler is a titan in the hunting industry, providing hunters with accuracy and dependability since 1948. Put the two together, and you’ve got a recipe for backcountry hunting innovation. This pair just makes sense.

The GRAYL/Nosler Titanium UltraPress is the first titanium water filter bottle ever made. It tips the scales at a mere 14.1 ounces and will hold 16.9 ounces of water. There is zero setup time, and it offers quick, easy use as a filter.

The filter has a flow rate of 3 L per minute, which equals out to 10 seconds for the 16.9 ounces this bottle holds. And the cartridge has a lifespan of 300 presses. You get complete global protection here from viruses, protozoa, bacteria, particulates, chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, and heavy metals.

But wait, there’s more! Not only does the UltraPress allow you to filter and drink water anywhere in the world, but it also provides a cook/drink cup for the backcountry. The cup is made of titanium, so it can be placed on a backpacking stove or straight on a fire to boil water for your freeze-dried meals or coffee.

Multipurpose items are always a win for backpack hunting, and this is one of them. Not to mention it fits fantastic in a backpack.

Features

Press-to-Purify Technology

One of the real gems here is the GRAYL press-to-purify technology. It makes filtering water super fast and easy. All you have to do is pull the inner core/filter out of the cup.

Fill up the outer cup with whatever water source you’re utilizing — no higher than the max fill line provided. Then open the cap 180 degrees on the inner core and start to place it back in the outer cup. Firmly but gently, press down on the inner core until it’s fully seated back in the outer cup.

All of the water from the outer cup has passed through the filter and is now inside the inner core. Open that top cap and enjoy.

Paracord D-Ring

Sometimes, it’s the little things. Ever find a water source off the base of a bluff or running under a bridge but still need to get water for drinking? These can be tough to get to.

On the UltraPress, there is a paracord D-ring loop that allows you to tie the paracord on, lower the cup down to the water source, fill it up, raise it, and be ready for filtering. A small feature yes, but one that oozes efficiency.

Drink Mix Ready

Another unique feature of the Titanium UltraPress is the fact that it’s drink mix ready. This is something I’ve personally never heard of in a water filtration system.

On the inside of the filter, there’s a one-way silicone valve that ensures no drink mix will travel back through the filter. After pressing/filtering water into the inner core, just add your drink mix to the clean water and drink away.

My Experience

Just this past January, I backpacked into an area for Coues deer in Arizona and was able to bring the Titanium UltraPress for a test ride. The spot I was heading to would have water, but I knew it was fairly dirty and gritty based on previous experiences. In other words, this would be a perfect testing ground for this filter.

Packing my backpack for this hunt put a smile on my face. This filter fit like a dream in the stretchy side pouch of my backpack, and I’d venture to say it would fit well in others too. That was the first plus for me: a pack-friendly size.

For the first few mornings, I simply used the outer cup as my coffee cup. The butterfly handle felt great in my hand and the cup did an awesome job of keeping my coffee warm. While that’s all well and good, I was really curious about how the filter would handle the heavy runoff water beneath our camp.

My previous experience at this water source always provided yellow water (even after passing through a filter) and a gritty taste. I’m happy to say that the Titanium UltraPress did a fantastic job at not only giving me clean water but improving the taste. I’m not sure how they did that, but it dang sure worked. And it was easy to press the water through. That was a concern of mine going into this. The 10-second claim is accurate and not taxing in the least.

What’s Wrong?

My first gripe about the UltraPress came on a morning I wanted to use the outer cup on a stove to boil water. I never got to that point because the outer cup didn’t fit on any of the stoves in our camp. It’s just too narrow.

GRAYL sells their own stove that this cup fits on. Essentially, to fully take advantage of that feature, you’ll either have to start a fire, purchase its stove, or rig some sort of modification to your existing stove.

Another thing I’d like to point out is that I look at this as a convenience-based item rather than a must-have item. This isn’t going to replace a larger water-filter system. It only holds 16.9 ounces of water. It’s for quick, on-the-go use, which is why it makes sense for backpack hunting. So, you’ll be carrying this in addition to whatever main system you have for the bulk of your water filtration.

And lastly, this isn’t exactly an affordable water filter. You’ll be coughing up $200 for this thing. When compared to other filters on the market, that’s pretty steep. With that said, you’re getting a lot of useful features, but the price tag will drive some away.

GRAYL/Nosler Titanium UltraPress: Final Thoughts

To cap it all off, this is an incredible little piece of gear. Whether you’re filtering on the go during a backcountry hunt or snagging a drink from a questionable faucet, you’re gonna be fine with this.

It provides peace of mind, and that’s huge, especially when it comes to water. And with the other features this comes with, you’re just adding to your efficiency on backpack hunts. The GRAYL/Nosler Titanium UltraPress is easily one of the most innovative water filters because of it’s combo-use features. If you can handle dropping some coin on it, and it fits your particular outdoor activity, it’s an impressive product that’s worth the purchase.