Hi Folks,

 

This is the Renovo Trio. 

 

 

I used to drink reservoir water when I was a teenager, but I'm older and, I like to think, wiser, so I bought the Trio.

 

I chose it over the Lifestraw or Sawyer Mini (which is the one to beat) because the Trio filters down to 0.05 microns and removes heavy metals as well as cysts, bacteria, and some viruses.

 

The Sawyer Mini is rated at 0.1 micron and the Lifestraw, at 0.2 microns.  Both are single stage units.

 

The Trio uses three stages:  A 5 micron first stage (coffee filters only do 50 microns at best), a 0.05 micron second stage, and an activated charcoal third stage.

 

All three stages are replaceable. 

 

The cost is only about $33.  That's a bit more than the Sawyer Mini, but you do get 4x more filtration with the Trio.

 

I carry military canteens, both 1qt and 2qt, and the Trio is a backup to those.  I do carry iodine capsules in the pockets of the canteen covers but iodine only works on a relatively few nasties.  Chlorine tabs work about as well, and chlorine dioxide works slightly better.  Still, it's not all that great.

 

If I ever have to use this thing for any length of time, say, camping with a questionable water supply, the water will be treated in three stages:  First, filtered.  Second, boiled.  Third, iodized.  I'm really contemplating replacing my iodine tablets with chlorine dioxide for a number of reasons.

 

This filter should work plenty well, but if I have the time, I might as well use all methods available.

 

Josh 

 

 

Pretty cool haha I'd like to have a few of these for a natural disaster...

Mick Dodge (the legend) just sticks his head underwater and sucks in a big drink. He says it builds your immune system.

Hi Folks,

I have some bad news nine months later.

The unit cracked:



The first time I attached the Renovo to a soda bottle, the micro-filtration filter body cracked.  It was finger-tight only, and should not have done this.  On the plus side, the filter did immediately shut down.  While it sprayed water through the crack, it did not let me drink any, so that part worked.

Please keep in mind, folks, that the Renovo unit saw no actual field use, but rather was used to filter water under controlled conditions in my home.  I did this prior to ordering a new unit for field use as I test everything I use during hikes and while fishing and hunting.

Upon contacting the company, I received no answer.  Trying again, I did receive a response to the effect that the unit is warrantied and the company requested pictures.  I received an email later telling me that the crack was normal wear the unit would not be warrantied.

I will be exploring other options as this sample is simply not tough enough for me.  Sawyer and LifeStraw are both on my list as of now.

I would still prefer to find a straw with a charcoal filter for chemicals and taste, but the 0.05 microns isn't absolutely essential for my uses, so that expands the field some.

Regards,

Josh