Outdoor Canada’s 2026 Father’s Day gift guide: Great outdoor gear, tackle, apparel, accessories, gadgets and more

GRAVITYWORKS 4.0L FILTER SYSTEM

I’m still astonished when I see folks heading into the backcountry for multi-day trips lugging cases of bottled water. One of my all-time best gear purchases was one of these Platypus systems back in 2019. This simple, proven pump-free system is gravity fed—you fill the “dirty” water reservoir, raise and hang it, and you’ll have four litres of clean water in less than five minutes. Mine is still going strong seven years later. Also handy, the unfiltered reservoir has a webbing handle for carrying and hanging, and the silicone tubing and quick-disconnect valves are dead easy and don’t leak. There’s also a six-litre version, if you’re quenching group thirst. I’ve even taken it abroad, as a back-up when visiting places with questionable drinking water.

Learn more: www.cascadedesigns.com/platypus

—Scott Gardner