H2O filters: anything new under the sun?

[ZomblibulaX]

Been using a Pur (katadyn) Hiker pump filter since the ‘90’s... like this one

Any reason not to just get another one since it works? Just backpacking in the San Juans; most of the water is clean enough to drink, but there’s sheep around, and a handful of human surface-shitters as well.

Just wondering if steripens, life straws, other options are worth any extra cost or if I should just stick with what works. Thoughts?

[DtEW]

Yup. Have that exact filter as well. I only bring it when the water is likely to be chewy. (Plus a couple of coffee filters and a rubber band to fit over the intake.)

I went to a Steri-pen for most everything else after I saw what it could do in the course of a type-2.5-fun incident years ago in Tenaya Cyn. Long story short, we were able to treat a lot of water repeatedly for a group at the running-on-vapors-end of a 14-hour "daytrip". Its speed and low human effort kept the disaster from becoming worse than it was. You just gotta be good about bringing fresh/fully-charged batteries.

[MarcusBrody]

I've used a Sawyer Squeeze all last summer. I found it easier to use and clean than pump filters i'd used in the past. I put probably a few hundred gallons through it and never a hiccup. It did get a bit slow when the water I was using had some sediment, but a backwash cured that. There are a couple of other similar type filters. I'd choose the Sawyer or another one if I was looking for a new filter. I had the standard squeeze. They also make a smaller, lighter version, but I've heard it's not worth it if you're filtering much water.

I had used a Steri-pen in the past and had some reliability issues. I prefer the Squeeze by a good margin (though I liked being able to drop the Steri-pen in things like glasses of restaurant water when traveling in places where water quality is not high).

[dills84]

I'm an avid trail runner so when I go for long 30+ mile runs in the mountains I need a very portable, small, lightweight and most importantly FAST way to refill my bottles with clean water. I tried the sawyer mini/squeeze but their flow rate is painful and the included bottle bags are terrible.

So I ended up with a Katadyn BeFree. I think it came out 1 or 2 years ago. It's basically a small hollow-fiber filter that's built into a bottle cap. The flow rate is AMAZING. They include a much more durable bottle with a 40mm thread. These go for around $35 bucks... totally worth it.

[Skidog]

i use gravity filter from Platypus. Love it and so easy....fill up the dirty bladder on your way past the water source...head to camp. Hang from tree and connect clean bag...proceed to set camp....drink water when done.

[Jong Lafitte]

I'm pretty sure my sawyer froze. I really liked it, use it inline, set up in gravity, versatile. Looking around, I also like the lifestraw, its basically the same set up as the sawyer mini but with a carbon cartridge.

[DolphinSki]

The MSR Trailshot is worth checking out. https://www.msrgear.com/water/backpa...ters/trailshot

$25 cheaper and weighs half as much as that Katadyn for the same filtering. I currently have a Sawyer Squeeze but will be switching to the Trailshot when I upgrade because the Squeeze is a pain in the ass for puddles and other shallow and still water. Works great for flowing water though and is also cheap and light.

[maximusj]

+1 on the trail shot. Light enough to carry on long trail runs, bike rides, etc. I've also used the platypus gravity system and love it backpacking - it is pretty nice to just show up and have gravity do the work while you sip whiskey (hopefully you brought whiskey).

[adrenalated]

Sawyer gave me a squeeze filter awhile back. It was the most worthless piece of shit I ever tried.

The MSR/Platypus gravity filters are legit.

[ZomblibulaX]

I love strong opinions.

Well, I guess it is time to update. FWIW, I pump to store, and usually carry 3l on me while packing around. Going to be trekking with my 4-year-old now so less concerned about speed and minimalism, but I might scrounge up an extra $50 for a trailshot and just stop carrying iodine on the bike.

I really like the idea of the gravity systems, but do often find myself getting water from seeps in talus fields above tree line where it would be near impossible to fill the bag, rather than dropping elevation after a long day to get a drink. Hence why I stuck with the pur for so long; you can dig a four inch hole if there’s water flowing and get the job done. I guess planning ahead and grabbing dirty water as available would solve that.

One more question: any issue with these cartridge style filters freezing? One thing I like about my pump is it’s easy enough to open the filter and dump extra water out so things don’t crack up overnight.

[MarcusBrody]

Most of the Squeeze style filters also fit standard threaded bottles. I usually carry at least one bottle with me and those are much easier for filling up in seeping (or rushing) water. I actually like bags in alpine terrain as they're easy to carry extras until I get to where I'm going to hit my last fill up point.

[skaredshtles]

Sawyer gave me a squeeze filter awhile back. It was the most worthless piece of shit I ever tried.

What was the problem with it? I've been using one since about '13 for backpacking and mt biking and haven't had any issues with it. I really like it for cycling because as long as I know I'm going to have filter opportunities on a long ride, I don't need to take more than a regular bottle with water.

[kevin267]

I'm an avid trail runner so when I go for long 30+ mile runs in the mountains I need a very portable, small, lightweight and most importantly FAST way to refill my bottles with clean water. I tried the sawyer mini/squeeze but their flow rate is painful and the included bottle bags are terrible.

So I ended up with a Katadyn BeFree. I think it came out 1 or 2 years ago. It's basically a small hollow-fiber filter that's built into a bottle cap. The flow rate is AMAZING. They include a much more durable bottle with a 40mm thread. These go for around $35 bucks... totally worth it.

Yeah if a small micro filter option is good enough for what you're after, befree bottle is the best, have had friends pull out other filters then see me use the befree, put whatever they were trying to use away and borrow the befree from me.

[WhetherMan]

One more question: any issue with these cartridge style filters freezing? One thing I like about my pump is it’s easy enough to open the filter and dump extra water out so things don’t crack up overnight.

As far as I know, all hollow fiber filters (befree, sawyer squeeze, etc.) are basically worthless after they freeze. There is no way to tell if your filter has been compromised or not. The breakage is a result of residual water in the filter freezing and expanding, thus breaking the hollow fiber membrane.

If you're like me, you forget to put it in your sleeping bag the very first night at altitude and then it's trash.

[ZomblibulaX]

As far as I know, all hollow fiber filters (befree, sawyer squeeze, etc.) are basically worthless after they freeze. There is no way to tell if your filter has been compromised or not. The breakage is a result of residual water in the filter freezing and expanding, thus breaking the hollow fiber membrane.

If you're like me, you forget to put it in your sleeping bag the very first night at altitude and then it's trash.

Shit, the fibers breaking hadn’t occurred to me, I just figured it would be hard to clear water out of the cartridge and a freeze might blow it up. Good to know.

[Jong Lafitte]

Just got the Lifestraw Flex with gravity bag I mentioned earlier. I didn’t bust out the scale.

Full disclosure, first thing I did was drop the Flex filter unit from the table on to the hardwood floor by accident.

I like: roll top nylon dirty reservoir. Carbon cartridge integrated into the filter, has standardized connections and can (supposedly) be used as a straw, on a 7up bottle, in line, gravity, in a lifestraw bottle, it would also screw onto the platypus bags that have, as some do, a threaded connection for the hose.

Dislikes: flow is slow and you have to fidget with it to get the best flow (backwash to remove air bubbles). Even the best flow I got was 2 minutes to fill 750ml. Carbon filter should be replaced after 25 gallons but it’s not a safety issue if u don’t. It’s horrible in straw mode, hurts your ears to draw water you have to pull so hard. I didn’t try squeeze bottle mode. Instructions say “do not drop” with little more information. So if I drop it from waist height on to a rock and no visible damage, is it done? Am I using iodine after that? Not much guidance from the legal team.

The carbon cartridge is not the choke, I used it without and didn’t experience much improvement.

The carbon cartridge is nice and by tap water tests does remove most of the chloramine flavor, maybe it’s worth the extra flow times depending on where you get your water. In gravity mode, you can do other things at camp but stopping on trail I dunno, it’s kinda slow.

It’s so below the advertised rate, I could return it. However, I like the dirty reservoir bag so much, I’m keeeping it, but I got a sawyer mini to use as the filter instead. Not super fast but 750ml in 1 minute in gravity mode without fidgeting, just hook it up and go. Way better in straw mode too. Literature suggests that a drop could damage the exterior housing but implies that if the housing is not compromised from a drop, the filter is fine. Certainly “do not drop” is not popping up in the instructions. For sawyer gravity set ups, It’s not cheap to find a good dirty reservoir that also has a wide opening at the top for easy filling. Platypus sells the reservoir bag for their gravity system as a separate piece;, Platypus Big Zip 2L (non EVO) looks like it would also work splendidly though and is less than 30 bucks. Dunno how well it hangs. I'm keeping the Lifestraw bag so I can stop thinking about it.

Neither of these cartridges can be exposed to freezing temps. I kinda wonder if you want carbon if you don’t get a sawyer and pair it with the inline platypus carbon cartridge.

Well put together stuff and could possibly recommend if you insist on carbon and have plenty of patience. You could also bring Hawaiian Punch powder if the water tastes that bad