View Full Version : Which Sawyer Filter?
Traveler
06-06-2015, 08:52
I have used a Katadyn Hiker Pro since the late Pleistocene epoch and it has worked perfectly for years. Given the excellent performance of this filtering system I have been hesitant to move away from it, however the benefit of removing about a half pound of weight by doing so is motivation in and of itself, never mind reducing the amount of water I carry if I don't want to take the filter on a long day hike. Watching the board, I see a lot of folks moving to Saywer filtering systems and find myself wondering which would be the better option, the Mini or Squeeze?
I don't do much long distance hiking, but do some section and overnights of 25 - 50 miles. I use a hydration bladder (Osprey or Camelback) and sometimes have Nalgene bottles. The filtering system will need to provide service for me and a buddy about 50% of the time.
Has anyone moved from a Katadyn Hiker Pro to a Sawyer filter and noticed any difference in water quality or taste? Is there an appreciable time difference in using this over the Hiker Pro to filter a liter or two of water? Its always tough moving away from gear that has worked without flaw for a long time, so any comparison would help. Thanks in advance for any thoughts y'all have on this.
Ksbcrocks
06-06-2015, 11:18
I used to use a hiker pro and I now use a mini. The hiker pro was much faster, but it clogged way too quickly for me down here in SE Texas (I got maybe 20 gallons out of it). Being able to back flush on the Sawyer saves me a lot of money. Flavor hasn't been an issue yet.
The squeeze works faster than the mini, barely weighs anymore, and doesn't cost too much more either. More people are moving back to them from the mini. I haven't used the squeeze personally so I can't add anything else to that.
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bemental
06-06-2015, 13:10
I'm using the double bag, 2L Sawyer system:
https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-2-liter-water-filtration-system-2/
r2davis65
06-06-2015, 13:55
Never used the Katadyn but the Sawyer Mini worked great during my recent 9-day hike. I did backwash the first day and once more during the trip to keep the flow constant from the filter.
Traveler
06-07-2015, 16:42
Thanks! I am leaning toward the Squeeze and will see how it works compared to the Hiker Pro.
Walkintom
06-07-2015, 16:53
I use the Sawyer Inline. Way more convenient to me than dealing with the squeeze. Fill my bladder and go.
Onda Road Again
06-08-2015, 12:14
I used to use the regular Katadyn Hiker, then I used a mini, now I use the squeeze. My reasons for switching away from the Hiker were the same as yours, mainly the weight savings. I loved the Hiker and never had any issues with it. I bought the squeeze last year before our first trip to the North Shore. It was the primary filter for a group of 4 which didn't work out. We had to backflush the filter at least once a day if not more to keep a decent flow and for a group that size it was just to slow. For one person it wouldn't be terrible but it always took me about 2 1/2 minutes to filter a liter. Before our first trip this year to the UP I bought the squeeze and it worked great. It filters about twice as fast and doesn't need to backflush nearly as often. All in all, I would go with the regular squeeze.
Traveler
06-10-2015, 14:47
Thanks, I had not considered the backflushing aspect.
I've had problems with the mini getting clogged and slowing down to a painful trickle, whereas the larger squeeze never gave me any such problems. I've spoken to others who have experienced the same issue, so I think I'm going to switch back to the big boy for 1-2 week hikes. I suppose I could carry the backflush syringe instead, but I'm guessing the mini plus the syringe probably weighs about as much as the original squeeze with no syringe, and given the choice I'd rather carry one piece of gear than two.
HooKooDooKu
06-10-2015, 15:33
For short trips (2 or 3 nights), the Sawyer Mini works fine for me only using the backflush syringe at home.
I use the Mini in gravity feed mode where a 2' piece of hose will filter about 2L of water in about 4 minutes without any squeezing. I use an Evernew 2L bladder for dirty water, and a 2L Platypus Hoser for the clean water (I've replaced the thick hose that came with the hoser with surgical tubing... much easier to wrap up for storage and takes up less space).
One of the things I like about the Mini is that it is so cheap to replace... $20 at Walmart.
Maui Rhino
06-10-2015, 20:49
I really love my Sawyer Squeeze. I set mine up with a tornado tube, so that I could screw it right onto my water bottle to refill it. Day 1 of my JMT hike sees me sitting beside a spring below Half Dome for an hour, cussing at my "clogged" filter. After back flushing it for the 4th or 5th time, I realized I had too good of a seal on my water bottle. Air had nowhere to escape as the bottle filled, slowing, then stopping water flow. Bladders in a gravity set-up don't have this problem, since the bladder expands.
Maui Rhino
06-10-2015, 20:57
Double post.
Went through a few systems and finally went to a Sawyer, first the squeeze then the mini and finally the squeeze in a gravity filter configuration. Works fine and I have not gotten sick. Even with the .1 micron squeeze though bacteria and viruses could get through if present. I have been considering a lifestraw mission gravity drain system. Only down side is it is bigger but the up is it is a .02 micron filter which means it can clear viruses too. Thinking about it but have not pulled the trigger.
the squeeze in a gravity filter configuration.
Hi jake -
This may be a super dumb question, but I don't understand what you mean by "gravity filter configuration." I would like to be able to attach the filter in-line to a water bladder (platypus, camelback, whatever). Are you saying that the squeeze lets you do that?
After spending some time looking at the Sawyer website, I am rather confused about the differences (in terms of configuration options) between the mini and the squeeze. Can someone please clarify. THANKS!
Hi jake -
This may be a super dumb question, but I don't understand what you mean by "gravity filter configuration." I would like to be able to attach the filter in-line to a water bladder (platypus, camelback, whatever). Are you saying that the squeeze lets you do that?
After spending some time looking at the Sawyer website, I am rather confused about the differences (in terms of configuration options) between the mini and the squeeze. Can someone please clarify. THANKS!
Not a dumb question at all. Hopefully I understand what you are asking. Typical configuration is the squeeze to be attached to a bag that comes with it. You fill up the bag and roll it down squeezing the water through the filter and into your clean water container (there is an inexpensive adapter you can get at REI that allows you to send water straight to your bladder without taking out of your pack). You can attach either the full size squeeze or the mini to a bladder (inline between the bladder and mouth piece), you just have to buy some inexpensive fittings which REI sells or you can get it from sawyer on line for the full size squeeze, the mini is basically already to go inline, just need to cut your hose. There are fittings you can get to make the inline installation one that can be removed if you want to use the bladder without the filter. Just remember to clean your bladder if you do that since it will have been storing dirty water if you go that way. Ok, hopefully that makes sense and did not confuse you. To leave it permanently on a drinking bladder, I may lean towards the mini, you just have to make sure you back flush it fairly often but not a big deal. Gravity configuration means I collect water in a dirty bag (like a platypus). I put the filter inline between the dirty and clean collection point, hang the dirty bag up higher than the clean collection point, and let gravity do the work. If this ended up causing more confusion than cleaning things up please ask any specific question you have and I will try to answer better, or someone else here I am sure could.
Not a dumb question at all. Hopefully I understand what you are asking. Typical configuration is the squeeze to be attached to a bag that comes with it. You fill up the bag and roll it down squeezing the water through the filter and into your clean water container (there is an inexpensive adapter you can get at REI that allows you to send water straight to your bladder without taking out of your pack). You can attach either the full size squeeze or the mini to a bladder (inline between the bladder and mouth piece), you just have to buy some inexpensive fittings which REI sells or you can get it from sawyer on line for the full size squeeze, the mini is basically already to go inline, just need to cut your hose. There are fittings you can get to make the inline installation one that can be removed if you want to use the bladder without the filter. Just remember to clean your bladder if you do that since it will have been storing dirty water if you go that way. Ok, hopefully that makes sense and did not confuse you. To leave it permanently on a drinking bladder, I may lean towards the mini, you just have to make sure you back flush it fairly often but not a big deal. Gravity configuration means I collect water in a dirty bag (like a platypus). I put the filter inline between the dirty and clean collection point, hang the dirty bag up higher than the clean collection point, and let gravity do the work. If this ended up causing more confusion than cleaning things up please ask any specific question you have and I will try to answer better, or someone else here I am sure could.
Thank you so much for your response. Everything you said makes perfect crystal-clear sense :) But, as it often happens, answers beget more questions.<br>Does the gravity set up actually work well in practice? I mean, assuming proper physics (relative height of containers), is there enough pressure from the bladder to push the water through the filter when I open the valve (squeeze the mouth piece)? I assumed that when using the Sawyer filters (either the mini or the squeeze) inline, the filtering action would primarily depend on me sucking through the mouthpiece. This seemed somewhat inconvenient in terms of getting clean water for cooking (and no, I don't think boiling water for 5 seconds is enough to kill whatever may be in it). Obviously, I could take the squeeze bag or an extra water bottle or whatnot, but I was hoping to minimize the accessories and just have the bladder as the main water container (I can use my cooking pot to fill it). So, if the whole gravity set up is a real option, then I am definitely getting a Sawyer set up (to this point i've been using a life straw, nalgene bottles, and chem treatment tabs for cooking water, but it's too bulky and annoying and clearly not the optimal system).<br>Also, if you used both the mini and the Squeeze, would you say one can get away without backflushing a Squeeze for, say, 5 weeks using relatively clear (debris-free) water? I keep reading reports that the mini clogs up all the time, but the Squeeze is relatively problem-free in that regard.<br>And speaking of backflushing, do you know if there is a way to configure it to use the squeeze bag to do it instead of the syringe? Basically, is there a way to attach the squeeze bag to the out end of the filter (my guess is not because the threads there are male, but I can't quite tell from the pictures.)<br>Again, thank you so much for the info and the help :)
mattjv89
06-14-2015, 11:25
Also, if you used both the mini and the Squeeze, would you say one can get away without backflushing a Squeeze for, say, 5 weeks using relatively clear (debris-free) water?
5 days yes, 5 weeks I would carry the plunger. I've used it unexpectedly a few times when I had to filter from a dirty source like a stream churned up and flooding after heavy rain. With the squeeze I can run a liter of filthy water right through and flush all the junk back out, seems to go faster than pre filtering with a cloth, letting the water settle etc. It's been answered a few times already but I would also go with the squeeze 100%. I'm about 970 miles into my thru right now, for the first couple hundred everyone with a mini swore it worked fine, just as good as the squeeze etc. now all you hear is complaining about how slow they are, gonna buy a squeeze at the next outfitter and so on. Regardless of which one you choose know that the bags are guaranteed to fail in the long haul. I babied mine flushing every few days per directions never squeezing too hard, everything they say to do and I got about 600 miles before popping a hole which is on the long side based on others I've heard from. They all fail like clockwork in the same spot right where the plastic is stretched tight around the cap fitting.
Walkintom
06-14-2015, 13:06
Sawyer makes an inline version of the 1,000,000 gal filter. IMHO buying that is way better than buying the squeeze and figuring out how to configure it to your bladder.
Eliminates much of the learning curve. Considering the lifetime of the product, the cost difference for getting the most suitable product for the need is very minimal.
Sawyer makes an inline version of the 1,000,000 gal filter. IMHO buying that is way better than buying the squeeze and figuring out how to configure it to your bladder.
Eliminates much of the learning curve. Considering the lifetime of the product, the cost difference for getting the most suitable product for the need is very minimal.
But... versatility! I definitely see your point, but if the bladder fails on a thruhike, then the filter is pretty much useless...
5 days yes, 5 weeks I would carry the plunger. I've used it unexpectedly a few times when I had to filter from a dirty source like a stream churned up and flooding after heavy rain. With the squeeze I can run a liter of filthy water right through and flush all the junk back out, seems to go faster than pre filtering with a cloth, letting the water settle etc. It's been answered a few times already but I would also go with the squeeze 100%. I'm about 970 miles into my thru right now, for the first couple hundred everyone with a mini swore it worked fine, just as good as the squeeze etc. now all you hear is complaining about how slow they are, gonna buy a squeeze at the next outfitter and so on. Regardless of which one you choose know that the bags are guaranteed to fail in the long haul. I babied mine flushing every few days per directions never squeezing too hard, everything they say to do and I got about 600 miles before popping a hole which is on the long side based on others I've heard from. They all fail like clockwork in the same spot right where the plastic is stretched tight around the cap fitting.
Interesting... if they all fail in the same area, wouldn't that tell Sawyer to redesign accordingly? Hmmm...
Thanks for the insight!
They all fail like clockwork in the same spot right where the plastic is stretched tight around the cap fitting.
Interesting... if they all fail in the same area, wouldn't that tell Sawyer to redesign accordingly? Hmmm...
Thanks for the insight!
You can leave the syringe at home by using the drinking nozzle on Smart water bottles. Back flushes perfectly. Durable bottles too.
Maui Rhino
06-14-2015, 22:04
In one of your posts, you asked about connecting a bottle to the output side of the squeeze, which has male threads. What you need is a tornado tube. You can make your own by epoxying two bottle caps together and drilling a hole in the center. Or you can buy one which is in a science kit for making a tornado in a bottle. I've seen the kit at my local Ace Hardware, or they can be had online too.
saltysack
06-14-2015, 22:59
I really love my Sawyer Squeeze. I set mine up with a tornado tube, so that I could screw it right onto my water bottle to refill it. Day 1 of my JMT hike sees me sitting beside a spring below Half Dome for an hour, cussing at my "clogged" filter. After back flushing it for the 4th or 5th time, I realized I had too good of a seal on my water bottle. Air had nowhere to escape as the bottle filled, slowing, then stopping water flow. Bladders in a gravity set-up don't have this problem, since the bladder expands.
Haaa I did same thing first time I tried w tornado tube..since ditched tube and hold smartwater bottle w feet and fill
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Walkintom
06-15-2015, 00:02
But... versatility! I definitely see your point, but if the bladder fails on a thruhike, then the filter is pretty much useless...
I had not 1, but 2 bladders fail while using them with my inline filter when attempting a thruhike in 2013. Same solution both times: duct tape. Then I replaced the bladder (warranty, both times) when I hit town. I was prepared to buy a replacement bladder the first time but the outfitter in Waynesboro clued me in that a seam leak was a warranty replacement on my Big Zip and took care of me right then and there. Good guy.
Both times I just swapped my existing line for the new one and was ready to plug and play right away.
In one of your posts, you asked about connecting a bottle to the output side of the squeeze, which has male threads. What you need is a tornado tube. You can make your own by epoxying two bottle caps together and drilling a hole in the center. Or you can buy one which is in a science kit for making a tornado in a bottle. I've seen the kit at my local Ace Hardware, or they can be had online too.
That is brilliant. Yay to hiker ingenuity :)
I've carried both the regular and the mini.
The mini is slower, but not unreasonable
I back flushed the Mini every evening - not a big deal at all, takes about 30 seconds.
When I carried the regular, I would back flush about every third or fourth day.
I do not find either one inconvenient. I keep my platypus and/or evernew bladders filled with unfiltered water. I filter into two 20 oz drink bottles for carrying/drinking, directly into pot for cooking. Takes about 5 minutes or so to fill my water bottles while I'm waiting for dinner to cook. Is a relaxing process. When done filtering, I back flush and I'm ready for the next day. I usually filter some more at lunch. No real assembly required, so only takes a minute.
mPalozzola01
06-15-2015, 12:03
Went through a few systems and finally went to a Sawyer, first the squeeze then the mini and finally the squeeze in a gravity filter configuration. Works fine and I have not gotten sick. Even with the .1 micron squeeze though bacteria and viruses could get through if present. I have been considering a lifestraw mission gravity drain system. Only down side is it is bigger but the up is it is a .02 micron filter which means it can clear viruses too. Thinking about it but have not pulled the trigger.
.02 micron can not clear viruses... the largest virus are .02.... but a .02 will certainly clear everything else. Viruses are generally only found in the dankest of refuse waters though so as long as your not filtering sewer water or from a oasis with a carcass floating in it you should be good.
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I still have one question that hasn't been answered -
if I put either the mini or the squeeze inline (in the tube of the Platipus bladder), will I be able to get water out of it into my cooking pot or water bottle? Usually if I raise the bladder high up, I can manually open the mouth piece by squeezing and water will start pouring out. If I install the filter inline, will there be enough pressure from gravity to force the water through the filter?
Thanks!
mPalozzola01
06-15-2015, 12:37
I still have one question that hasn't been answered -
if I put either the mini or the squeeze inline (in the tube of the Platipus bladder), will I be able to get water out of it into my cooking pot or water bottle? Usually if I raise the bladder high up, I can manually open the mouth piece by squeezing and water will start pouring out. If I install the filter inline, will there be enough pressure from gravity to force the water through the filter?
Thanks!
I haven't done it myself but you would be amazed at the pressure gravity fed water can exert.
Interesting... if they all fail in the same area, wouldn't that tell Sawyer to redesign accordingly? Hmmm...
Thanks for the insight!
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mPalozzola01
07-07-2015, 01:42
Curious.. when back flushing the sawyer filters with the syringe the mini fits well on it and clears pretty well but the regular squeeze doesn't seem to clear at all ... the syringe doesn't make enough contact w the hole for the squeeze to force the air thro the filter ... I'm confused if I'm doing something wrong
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The squeeze is almost double the price of the mini but you get more Sawyer bags, if you want to trust them. I don't and use the 2 liter Evernew and a Smart Water type of bottle. It's been widely reported that he new Platypus bottle threads don't fit Sawyer products as they did in the past.
The squeeze is almost double the price of the mini but you get more Sawyer bags, if you want to trust them. I don't and use the 2 liter Evernew and a Smart Water type of bottle. It's been widely reported that he new Platypus bottle threads don't fit Sawyer products as they did in the past.
The Platypus bottle threads never did fit those of the Sawyer. That's why I don't use them. After breaking a couple of Sawyer bags, I only use the Evernew bags. They are strong, the cap is attached so you can't lose it, and the threads match.