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Post by hikerjer on Jul 29, 2020 8:07:27 GMT -8
I'm in the market for a new water filter. I currently have a PUR filter which works well enough but it's old, heavy and takes some effort to pump. Most of my trips are 2-3 day solo or two person ones with ocasional longer ones in the high northern rockies with realtively pristine waters but as well we all know, nothing is complteley safe. I also generally make an annual trip to the southwest where the filter would be used.
I'm lookng primarily for a light and easy to use filter.
Your thoughts and suggestions are appreciated. BTW, I have a 25% coupon and some other discounts at REI that expire tomorrow so a timely response would be appreciated.
As always, thank you.
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almostthere
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putting on my hiking shoes....
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Post by almostthere on Jul 29, 2020 9:00:51 GMT -8
I just picked up a RapidPure purifier to try. It's faster than the Platypus Cleanstream filter I've been using. For about 20 gallons, it purifies water of viruses as well as bacteria. For 200 gallons it's a filter. Since I already had a gravity filter setup it was easy to get just the unit and not a system, and replace the Cleanstream. My Cleanstream gets slow particularly if there's air bubbles in the lines. The RapidPure doesn't seem affected by that, and seems reliably fast once the chamber fills with water.
ETA: A fringe benefit - it doesn't matter if it's exposed to freezing temps, according to the box.
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Post by oldbill on Jul 29, 2020 9:33:17 GMT -8
I asked about tablets vs filters on Backcountrypost. I've been using drops in the Winds for 20 years and haven't had a problem, but it's more popular now. So, might have to add weight of filter since I don't want to wait 4 hrs for crypto kill. BeFree and Sawyer Squeeze (with 3rd party bottle/bag) were mentioned a lot. bcp_waterTreatment
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Post by trinity on Jul 29, 2020 10:33:16 GMT -8
I love my BeFree. Very lightweight and convenient. Biggest drawback is that the flow rate definitely slows after a while, and the filters can't be backflushed. I like mine enough that I just buy a new filter cartridge every couple of years. Actually, though, what I use the most frequently is a Steripen Adventurer Opti. I backpack a lot in sub-freezing temps, and it's nice to not have to worry about a filter freezing. I bought my Steripen used (from Ray Estrella on the old site), and it is still going strong after 8 years.
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Post by Coolkat on Jul 29, 2020 12:23:13 GMT -8
I've been using my steripen now for probably close to eight years also with no problems. Although you need to think ahead about how you're gonna get the water into the bottle to use it since sometimes the water source is not deep enough to dip a nalgene into. I just got done with a 9 day trip and I can not recommend the sawyer squeeze after seeing how many problems the others had with them and how long it took them to get water even with the bigger model. One person had a mini just completely stop working and no matter how much back flushing, couldn't get it to work and you have to be careful not to let them freeze. We had ice on our tents 2 nights last week.
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desert dweller
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Post by desert dweller on Jul 29, 2020 12:35:02 GMT -8
I've used the Sawyer Squeeze on two trips, now. Benefits include: no moving parts to clog or break just squeeze the bladder or bottle to force water through, easy to clean filter element by simply back flushing and it's light weight. Issues include: it's relatively slow and the filter works best if you back flush it after about every third filtering event.
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zeke
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Post by zeke on Jul 29, 2020 12:54:11 GMT -8
I use a Sawyer mini as a gravity filter. Worked taking silty water out of the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon but I back flushed it every 3 liters. It was slower than a pump, but I was in no hurry. I’d recommend it without reservation. As for freezing, I’ve always slept with a filter in the sleeping bag if temps were expected to be 40 overnight.
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schlanky
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Post by schlanky on Jul 29, 2020 17:15:56 GMT -8
I'm digging this thread and another couple in the Gear Forum on water filters. Since I started overnighting about 20 years ago, the only filter I have used is the First Need from General Ecology.
With the First Need, I've pulled water from a thin sheet sliding down a nasty slimy rock face in NC when I had no alternative, and I've pulled water from a very warm algae-filled pond on Hopkins Prairie in Florida when I had no alternative. Not having problems after pulling from those sources, I completely trust the First Need. But it's bulky and heavy and the price has gone way up and it's harder to find these days. And it's likely overkill for most places I hike.
I'm looking to keep the First Need for places I don't know well, but getting a cheaper filter for familiar places where I know what I'm getting. Right now, the BeFree is in the lead from my reading so far.
Just wanted to put in a thanks to everyone responding---it's useful info. Even back in the old days when this forum was tied to the magazine, there's nothing like getting info from people who have lots of experience with various pieces of gear.
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driftwoody
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Post by driftwoody on Jul 29, 2020 17:23:27 GMT -8
I was using a Sawyer Mini, then forgot it in my unheated garage during winter in Chicagoland.
Rather than risk using a filter most likely compromised, I replaced it with a regular size Sawyer. The Mini required substantial effort for a very modest flow.
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Post by cweston on Jul 29, 2020 19:10:34 GMT -8
Going to a gravity filter was literally the best BP gear decision I ever made. It’s SO nice not to have to pump.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 29, 2020 19:37:06 GMT -8
Going to a gravity filter was literally the best BP gear decision I ever made. It’s SO nice not to have to pump. For me pumping many times was balancing near the water source in an uncomfortable position and maybe losing balance and getting wetter than I would like while mosquitoes attacked me. With my Sawyer Squeeze I grab a dirty bag of water, set it up for gravity, get comfortable for a few minutes then I have water.
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Post by hikerjer on Jul 29, 2020 21:24:11 GMT -8
get comfortable for a few minutes then I have water. So, how long does it take to filter a liter of water with a Sawyre Squeeze?
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 30, 2020 3:02:04 GMT -8
So, how long does it take to filter a liter of water with a Sawyre Squeeze? I have a 3 liter CNOC bag for dirty water and a 2 liter Evernew for clean. I haven't timed it but for two liters about ten minutes in a gravity mode. I haven't tried squeezing so much but it would make it faster. With a pump filter the question is how much clean water to carry. With this you have to sometime figure how much clean and how much dirty. If I want to carry as much as possible with this set up I can carry 2L clean and 3L dirty then filter the dirty as needed. If I want to grab water and go I could just take 3L dirty and filter later.
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ErnieW
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 30, 2020 3:13:41 GMT -8
This is my set up:
This is it running:
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Post by cweston on Jul 30, 2020 4:33:16 GMT -8
It was slower than a pump, but I was in no hurry. This. Probably 90% of my water filtering takes place at camp. (I almost never dry camp.) I drink from a 2 liter reservoir and rarely hike long enough days that I need to stop and filter before reaching camp. Of the (I'm guessing) 10% of days that I do need to filter on the trail, less than half of those times am I actually in a hurry: because weather is bearing down, most likely. So, in only 3-4% of water filtering is it in any way a problem that gravity filtering is a little slower. Whoopdy doo. The great advantage of gravity filtering, IMHO, is the ability to collect large amounts of water at a time: at camp, you can filter whatever amount your clean bag holds, re-fill your dirty bag, and take both to your camp. When the clean bag is empty, you filter the remaining water while doing other camp tasks (or while just relaxing). It's especially awesome for base camping or for filtering for more than one person. Honestly, I hydrate better since switching to a gravity system. I hang my clean bag in camp (when possible) and I clip my little plastic coffee mug onto it. It's easy to just grab a cup of water often, and a little more pleasurable than drinking from a bite valve. I'm a huge fan of HYOH, but honestly gravity filtering seems like a no-brainer to me.
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