Lightweight water filter system ?
- Thread starter Dippa
- Start date
Jim_Parkin
Ultralighter
I've recently got a Sawyer mini and filled it up on Kinder yesterday from a small stream. I noticed the filtered water was still slightly peaty coloured - is that anyone else's experience? I'd have thought it would have been clearer.
Teepee
Thru Hiker
Nothing to worry about. There is plenty of coloured tapwater in the Uk, plenty of coloured whiskey too. The Sawyer is unable to remove the size of particle (tannins mostly) that creates the colour, just the same as the Mini won't remove other chemicals. Even 5 different activated carbon filters haven't removed the tea colour from water. My Mini's haven't ever removed the slightest amount of colour.
FWIW, all the water that runs off Kinder is brown. Follow the watercourses down until they run over rock and they clear markedly. It's often brown at the Gates of Kinder; follow it down to below Kinder downfall and it usually runs quite clear.
Jim_Parkin
Ultralighter
Thanks Pete
Jim_Parkin
Ultralighter
I thought it probably was working as expected - but haven't had much experience, so thank you both
EM-Chiseller
Thru Hiker
I like my water like I do my Whisky... Big on peat lol
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dovidola
Thru Hiker
Like Mole and others, I'm comfortable drinking untreated/unfiltered water from the higher streams in the UK's hills, unless their's something amiss apparent. 40 years of doing this hasn't resulted in illness, although as another post observed that's no guarantee of future safety.
I recently started carrying a Sawyer Mini for a different reason: weight saving, my rationale being that I could sometimes use it to access a water source that I would otherwise avoid, for example a pond or even just standing water on boggy ground. This being so, I can venture further (or higher) carrying less water, as I've more confidence in finding usable water given my ability to filter (admittedly tablets would achieve this at a much smaller weight penalty but I just don't like them). With water weighing 1000g per litre, it's not hard to calculate that if this strategy is effective even just once per trip, there's a serious saving in net weight carried.
My Sawyer Mini weighs 40g dry or 50g wet; the (0.5L) supplied bladder weighs 25g and I only take the backwash plunger (32g) on trips longer than 3 days. I don't find a scoop is needed as I can generally improvise one from other stuff if required, and I squeeze rather than hang. So I'm not sure where Gixer's quoted 250g for his Sawyer Mini plus associated paraphernalia comes from (typo perhaps)?
The problem I've found is that as I'm carrying the filter, I feel I have to use it in those situations where I previously didn't. Extra faff!!!
I recently started carrying a Sawyer Mini for a different reason: weight saving, my rationale being that I could sometimes use it to access a water source that I would otherwise avoid, for example a pond or even just standing water on boggy ground. This being so, I can venture further (or higher) carrying less water, as I've more confidence in finding usable water given my ability to filter (admittedly tablets would achieve this at a much smaller weight penalty but I just don't like them). With water weighing 1000g per litre, it's not hard to calculate that if this strategy is effective even just once per trip, there's a serious saving in net weight carried.
My Sawyer Mini weighs 40g dry or 50g wet; the (0.5L) supplied bladder weighs 25g and I only take the backwash plunger (32g) on trips longer than 3 days. I don't find a scoop is needed as I can generally improvise one from other stuff if required, and I squeeze rather than hang. So I'm not sure where Gixer's quoted 250g for his Sawyer Mini plus associated paraphernalia comes from (typo perhaps)?
The problem I've found is that as I'm carrying the filter, I feel I have to use it in those situations where I previously didn't. Extra faff!!!
Nevis
Thru Hiker
Re: MSR Trailshot.....What can I use to better get the filtered water from the pump into a bottle while pumping water trough it? It's a wee bit of a faff having to hold the bottle/bag right up to the spout while trying to get the filtered water in. I would have thought that there would have been some kind of tube fitment supplied.
Tartanferret
Thru Hiker
What kind of bottle? Loads of improvisation out there, I've done a couple for the sawyers.
So a grommet and a compatible cap
So a grommet and a compatible cap
gixer
Thru Hiker
The hole in the trailshot spout is exactly the same size as hydration bladder hose
Shove some hose in the hole and stick the other end in the bottle/bag/bladder
Nevis
Thru Hiker
Cheers Gixer, Any idea what diameter hose will fit?
gixer
Thru Hiker
gixer
Thru Hiker
I'm a fan of the Befree it works well
I can't imagine using it for my main water filter though.
Being a small bottle helps, i can fill up the bottle at a stream then sip away.
Easy and no real hassle
To use it for my main filter it's a ball ache though.
You need to buy a larger Hydrapak bladder
This bladder is not as though as say a Evernew or Platypus, it's a pretty brand specific thread used as well so it's not like you can use any bladder.
The hole is still pretty small, so you'll need a scoop of some kind, just like the sawyer
The filter used on the BeeFree doesn't lend itself to gravity filtering well.
When new it drips pretty well being hung upside down, but add a cap with a tube and it slows down significantly.
As by design the bladder is submerged into untreated water, you'll need some sort of sealing cap and tube overwise as soon as you turn it upside down untreated water will drip into your "clean" bladder
Personally i'm happy i took my trailshot, i used it for my camp water and used the befree for water on-the-go
I will do the same the next trip
Your hand does get a bit achey filtering 2 litres and over, with the trailshot, but not having to faff about with scoops and dirty water containers outweighs that for me.
Gadget
Thru Hiker
So why not forget gravity filtering and use it like your Trailshot?
The speed they seem to filter, surely squirting the contents of the supplied bottle five times into a 3 litre container of your choice wouldn't take too much of your precious time?
gixer
Thru Hiker
I don't use it as either
I use my BeFree as a water bottle, at a stretch maybe i'll squirt some water into my cup for a cup of coffee.
Your time, your choice
For me, filling the supplied bottle/bladder 5 times is wayyyyyyyyyyyyyy too much hassle.
Plus as i say unless you rig up some sort of hose system the "dirty" water from the outside of the bottle (when you submerged it) is going to drip into the "clean" bottle/bladder
I own and use 4 water filters, for me the BeFree is a easy, quick water bottle filtering solution
The Trailshot is a quick and easy camp filter
I don't use scoops, gravity systems or have any dirty water bladders
My Sawyer squeeze kit with scoops, hang kit etc weighed 372g
As i used a camelbak type bladder instead of a water bottle that was another 149g
= 521g (Mini is 45g lighter)
The Trailshot with a 2L evernew bladder weighs 246g
The BeFree 67g
= 313g
So i have a system that is
- Quicker
- Easier
- I have redundancy in case one filter fails
- Yet it's still lighter than the Sawyer solution
- More expensive than just a Sawyer
- Finding another water source before the 0.6L is all drunk can be tough, 1L version will be better
This i'll be a better solution for camp filtering rather than faffing about refilling the smaller bottle
https://www.rei.com/product/100657/katadyn-befree-gravity-water-filter-3-liter
For me, for now i'll stick with the trailshot as it's easier than faffing about with dirty water bags
Cameron M
Summit Camper
Yes the squishy 600 ml Hydrapak presents some small concern where the hard part connects to the soft bag, but then again, in a recent poll of thru hikers, the Sawyer bags were the number one equipment failure.
You could take a second 600 ml. bag at 25 grams, possibly find a compatible cap to use it as storage, or pop for one of the larger Hydrapaks as primary storage + backup bag.
I take a 2 L Platy, which is half the weight of the 2 L Hydrapak. Things go wrong, and I've got Aquamira as backup.
Teepee
Thru Hiker
My Source bladder split open at the outlet last month after 6 years of heavy use, started using it again after the Geiggerig(Hydrapak) popped after a year, so decided to go back to the simple and much lighter system of Sawyer squeeze bottle.
First use, the neck split on the squeeze.
Now using an Orlieb 4l, plus 600ml day bottle. The Sawyer screws onto the fittings.
First use, the neck split on the squeeze.
Now using an Orlieb 4l, plus 600ml day bottle. The Sawyer screws onto the fittings.
Padstowe
Thru Hiker
I use the sawyer mini with a 2l evernew with duel closure (twist cap that fits the mini & wide opening at top for filling) + water bottle & maybe a second duel closure with source converter tube when camping.
edit: just the bottle mini & squeeze bag it came with on day walks though
edit: just the bottle mini & squeeze bag it came with on day walks though