View Full Version : Sawyer Squeeze
twinsinpa
08-12-2017, 12:48
SO i am new to backpacking - and was wondering about the sawyer squeeze filter. is this all i need to be able to drink the water along the trail? no chemicals needed? thanks!
Also - how easy is it to fill those bags if the water isn't really running? seems late to ask this as i already bought one however.......
soumodeler
08-12-2017, 13:34
Works great. All you need is a cut off bottom of a plastic water bottle or something similar for a scoop to fill the bag in low water.
Dont nut forget to protect it from freezing during colder weather.
DownEaster
08-12-2017, 13:35
Yes, in the U.S. and Canada that's all you need. The bags aren't easy to fill directly in shallow water, but you can just scoop the water up in your cookpot and pour it into the bag. You're going to be heating the cookpot to boiling temperatures anyway, so that use won't have a health risk.
twinsinpa
08-12-2017, 15:39
awesome! thanks for the info.
+1 on using like a cut up Smart water bottle for the "scoop". You can also roll up the bag, the filter, any adapters and put inside the water bottle. I then have it all in a mesh ditty bag to keep it all together. If you use the Smart water bottles with the flip top thing on them, those can be used to backflush the Sawyer! (or, just carry one of those bottle tops). Do some searches as people have lots of ways to alter and use the Sawyer filters.
I have ditched the bags they bust and leak over time and use a life water bottle that have never failed me for collecting water then I just screw on the filter and squeeze away straight into me or a second bottle or a camelbak. I have a zip lock freezer bag if I have to scoop from a shallow spot along with a small plastic adapter to backwash fresh water back through the filter to clean it out. Never plan to use those bags again.
Rex Clifton
08-13-2017, 07:25
The Sawyer bags suck! Get the Evernew 2 liter bag cause, sadly, a Platy bag will not work.
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grubbster
08-13-2017, 07:56
Instead of ditching the sawyer bags cut them off and use them for a scoop. They work great and pack much better than a cut off bottle.
AllDownhillFromHere
08-13-2017, 07:56
The bags inevitably fail. The Smartwater bottles, at least the 1L size but I believe all, screw directly on. Just mark one of your bottles as dirty, and use it as the source bottle.
Instead of ditching the sawyer bags cut them off and use them for a scoop. They work great and pack much better than a cut off bottle.
+1. This is what I did with the smallest Sawyer bag, while I waited for the two larger bags to break. Have an Evernew bag that I carry on longer trips. The small works great as a scoop.
saltysack
08-13-2017, 10:13
The bags inevitably fail. The Smartwater bottles, at least the 1L size but I believe all, screw directly on. Just mark one of your bottles as dirty, and use it as the source bottle.
+1...prefer the evernew 2l bag but they also break in time so I always have a std thread water bottle I use as clean unless bag fails then it's for dirty water....I've had both Sawyer and evernew bags fail...always happens at worst time! I.e. On JMT and recently on CT..
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I also have a Platy bag, but still using the original Sawyer bag (smaller one) as it hasn't failed. Good idea to cut it for a scoop. I had an old small no-name bag and cut the top on it for a soft sided scoop.
Original poster, it is also well discussed on forums, that the Sawyer SQUEEZE, is really the Sawyer ROLL-THE-BAG. Fill the bag, put on the filter, invert and roll the bag down to force the water thru the filter. It seems to reduce the pressure put on the bags bottom seam so they last longer. But many have had bag failures so just carry a back up way to contain the dirty water, once the bag fails.
Slo-go'en
08-13-2017, 10:46
I can see how you might bust the bag using the mini as it takes a lot of pressure to force water through. I have yet to bust a bag using the full sized Sawyer. You only have to squeeze a little to get the last of the water out of the bag. If it takes more then that, time to back flush as it's getting clogged.
Uncle Joe
08-13-2017, 10:51
Just be careful with the Sawyer bags. Don't be too forceful. Yes they can fail but others have no issues with them. They're light, carry a spare. Anything can fail.
saltysack
08-13-2017, 10:57
Forgot to mention....DO NOT leave filter attached to any bag while hiking as it cause the seam to fail near spout...
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DownEaster
08-13-2017, 12:53
Instead of ditching the sawyer bags cut them off and use them for a scoop. They work great and pack much better than a cut off bottle.
Even better, keep the unused Sawyer bag as a backup to your replacement Evernew, because that might break, too. Get a tornado tube and use gravity to fill your SmartWater bottles. If you never squeeze the bags they will last a lot longer. You don't need extra gear for scooping water: your cookpot will do just fine.
I have yet to bust a bag using the full sized Sawyer.
Although I have not had one explode I have had 3 leak near the spout over last three years both of the bags from 2014 and one of the newer 2016 bags. I would roll them down and after a few months of use I would get a nice little stream shooting outwards into my clean water container so out they went! 2016 to 2017 one bottle without any issues yet, but you never know...
Hikingjim
08-14-2017, 08:07
I just use my kettle to scoop up water. Easy to pour into the bag
if you ever want to use it as a gravity filter, all you need to do is put a bag with a hose on the end of the squeeze and hang it or hold it up. My squeeze already came with that little adaptor piece to attach to the hose (where the clean water comes out), and I think they mostly all do now? So all I needed was the reservoir with a hose (if you have a lightweight bladder, you can just pull the mouth piece off most of them, and use that for your gravity system)
Sawyer ain't the only game in town. Some like this https://www.rei.com/product/116364/katadyn-befree-collapsible-water-filter-bottle-338-fl-oz But HYOH
thom
I was using a Steripen up until now and although it works very well, it doesn't get rid of the floaties in the water and that's just gross. So now I'm in the process of researching filters and the Sawyer Squeeze is on my short list.
How long do they realistically last (not what the manufacturer claims)?
Also, I can't seem to find replacement filters for it. Is it a throw away item? Not a big fan of that as I'm trying to reduce my use of plastic.
LittleRock
08-14-2017, 10:51
Sawyer filters are a GREAT piece of equipment! After years of using chemicals, it was great to finally be able to taste the mountain water.
Only additional advice I have to offer is make sure to backwash the filter after each trip (or at least once/week, if you're out for a long hike). Also if you get water from a non-flowing source (not recommended, but sometimes necessary), you may need to do an extra backwash. I used to leave the syringe at home, but after one trip with several days of "now let's spend another 30 minutes filtering water because my Sawyer is clogged...", I learned my lesson.
LittleRock
08-14-2017, 11:08
Original poster, it is also well discussed on forums, that the Sawyer SQUEEZE, is really the Sawyer ROLL-THE-BAG. Fill the bag, put on the filter, invert and roll the bag down to force the water thru the filter. It seems to reduce the pressure put on the bags bottom seam so they last longer. But many have had bag failures so just carry a back up way to contain the dirty water, once the bag fails.
+1 to this - squeezing instead of rolling the bag is probably why folks' bags are breaking.
Taken the same two 1L bags on several trips now and no issue with either. Given that the bags only weigh like 0.5 oz and take up very little space when empty, there is no reason not to carry a spare.
I've found that the Sawyer bags are perfect for dry camping. Just fill them up at the last water source, continue on to your campsite, and do the filtering there. That way you can continue to drink from your platypus while hiking and know you still have at least 2L left for camping.
twinsinpa
08-14-2017, 12:51
thanks everyone! tried it out this weekend when on the trail for a day hike. (i live very close to it in PA) anyway - it worked great! wasn't sick! my sister made me the guinea pig as she didn't believe it. haha
all the tips are great too. rolling up the bag is a great tip. i also used a cutup water bottle as my scooper. i like it.
....Um.....great news first off. However, the water-born "bad stuff" can take several days to even a week to rage war in your lower intestines.....Just so you are aware.....
and if you followed good filtering and hand cleanliness, they you are fine!
HooKooDooKu
08-14-2017, 13:15
The Sawyer bags suck! Get the Evernew 2 liter bag cause, sadly, a Platy bag will not work.
I use the Evernew 2 liter as my dirty water bag, and set it up in gravity mode (use a hole punch in the edges of the bladder and feed a short piece of thick twine thru the hole).
The only time it's failed is when I didn't hang it securely and it fell breaking the mouth from the weight of the water.
I use the Platypus Hoser as the clean water bag. Simply remove the bite valve and the hose can be pushed over the Sawyer output nipple (Squeeze or Mini). By placing the clean water bag as low as possible relative to the filter. The height difference will create a little bit of extra suction (about 1psi).
The hose that comes with the Platypus Hoser is a bit thick and difficult to coil up for storage. So I replaced it with the surgical-style hose that came with my old Sweetwater filter.
The barb fitting on the hoser is pretty large compared to the tubing. A trick I learned was to lubricate the barbs with a water-based KY.
saltysack
08-14-2017, 13:49
+1 to this - squeezing instead of rolling the bag is probably why folks' bags are breaking.
Taken the same two 1L bags on several trips now and no issue with either. Given that the bags only weigh like 0.5 oz and take up very little space when empty, there is no reason not to carry a spare.
I've found that the Sawyer bags are perfect for dry camping. Just fill them up at the last water source, continue on to your campsite, and do the filtering there. That way you can continue to drink from your platypus while hiking and know you still have at least 2L left for camping.
Nope.....still break....I'm careful with mine but still fail...
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BuckeyeBill
08-15-2017, 16:24
I love my Sawyer Squeeze. I have seen that several people had problems with the original bags, I still use mine, but I replace them every year as I don't want creepy crawlers in my water. The newer Sawyer Squeeze Plus come with the adapter that allows you to screw a one or two liter bottle on the filter to back wash it. If I am on a log hike I take the time to flush it in town. If it is a weekend or short hike I can wait until I get home.