Hiker's Friend tubing?

[Don Newcomb]

I'm trying to replace the siphon tube on a "hiker's friend" type filtration system. Most of the tubing I find is too thick, heavy and gets stiff when cold. Right now I'm leaning toward a standard 1/4" O.D. vinyl tube with an expander to get it to fit the filter outlet.

Does anyone have any suggestions on a better type of tubing? I've been to the model airplane shop, restaurant supply, marine supply and hardware stores, without finding a lot of usable variety. McMaster Carr has a huge variety of tubings from Acetal to THV (whatever they are). I'm not sure if any are better than vinyl for this application.

[4eyedbuzzard]

Tygon (brand name) tubing. Try a restaurant supply house or medical supplier. Restaurant supply or beverage distributor is likely cheaper. You might even get a small piece for free. It's used extensively for beverage dispensing - amongst thousand of other commercial, medical, and industrial apps.

[Don Newcomb]

I was not able to locate Tygon locally except pre-cut 3' long in a model airplane shop. Perhaps I should try the lawnmower repair shop, but I need to be careful there. The tubing I found at the marine supply was very oily. I'm not sure I'd want to use it for drinking water even after cleaning.

[leaftye]

I like the rubbery hose found on my MSR gravity filter. I haven't used milk bags in a while, but I remember them having a similar type and size of hose.