Hey All,

I am brand new to this forum and I have what I believe is a pretty simple question. I've been out of backpacking for probably 12 or 13 years. Had kids and we switched to using a camper and finding places to mountain bike for a while. Well, we decided it was time to get back into backpacking and most of my gear is lookin' pretty old now. My trusty old optimus 99 is leaking out of the cap, so looks like a new stove is in order, as well as a few new thermarests, etc.

My water filter, which is a Pur Explorer, has long ago been discontinued with no filters available. This will have to be replaced too, but I did replace the filter right before the last time I used it. That was about 12 years ago. It pumps water just fine. My question is, does anyone know if it is OK to use a filter that has been sitting in a gear box for that long?