ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,872 
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 30, 2020 5:01:31 GMT -8
P.S. I paid $35 for my Squeeze and it weighs 3oz (a little more if you include the back washing syringe and other parts)
P.P.S. I took that media late last summer on the trail to try and post here and finally did it.
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Post by Lamebeaver on Jul 30, 2020 7:33:58 GMT -8
I'm a huge fan of HYOH, but honestly gravity filtering seems like a no-brainer to me. Fasten a collapsable bladder to a gravity filter and put some pressure on the bag, and the water flow will be close to what you'd get with a pump style filter, if the need arrises. |
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rangewalker
Trail Wise!
Agitate, organize and educate.
Posts: 1,029
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Post by rangewalker on Jul 30, 2020 11:48:30 GMT -8
I have gone down two separate pathways on water filtration: each has its own “posse” of support. I hike in the Central Rockies and basins, from high alpine, think Bighorn, Beartooth to Wind River to lower sagebrush steppe to slick rock, similar to SE Utah.
For high country and domestic sources: Sawyer regular. Back it up with a three-liter CNOC dirty water bag, two collapsible “clean” water pouches, a syringe for backflush, and cord rig for gravity when possible. Pluses are weight, fast, gravity feed, and so many others use gear with the same C thread; it is easy to swap and share. Cons: more stuff needs to go along if the water has high particulate or silts.
For lives stock and wildlife tea, spring runoff, and more questionable sources are anticipated, I still carry the MSR Mini-Works with a Katadyn Hiker pre-filter. The kit includes a 4-liter Platy bucket for dirty water, micro scoop for shallow rivulets, a coffee-filter, or bandana wire for straining mud. The Mini-works is the rig for dry camping, so daily storage and use varies to trip. Everything is taken along the Nalgene thread to fit the pump filter. Pros: easy to clean and unclog, charcoal element cuts the edges off lousy taste, reliable, and long term cost. Cons: Weight, no gravity feed option; more maintenance is the cost of longer life.
I also carry a solo three day supply of tablets or liquids if either of the above fails, or I feel the need to “double-tap” horrid water.
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
Posts: 9,872
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Post by ErnieW on Jul 30, 2020 14:01:19 GMT -8
One little trick I have tried with gravity set up is hang the dirty water bag with its cap on and cap pointing down. I let it sit for a while. Then carefully I remove the cap so some water, and hopefully some sediment, comes out and then recap. Then filter as usual.
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Post by hikerjer on Jul 31, 2020 17:31:48 GMT -8
Thanks folks. I decided to go with the Katadyn BeFree Water Filtration System.I've never used a gravity flow system before so it'll be intersting to see how things go.
Thanks again. Appreciate it.
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Post by bluefish on Aug 1, 2020 3:46:50 GMT -8
I used the Katadyn Pro pump for many years before switching to a Sawyer mini about 7 years ago. I've had zero issues with the the Sawyer. Mostly squeezed , but also set up as a gravity system. The bag supplied with it is not worth the effort to even carry. It fails quickly. The reviews of the Befree are similar. That and quick clogging. I've been hesitant to do the upgrade to it's better flow, so I'm very interested in some use reviews. Ernie brought up lots of memories uncomfortably kneeling by a water source getting eaten alive by skeeters. An improved, light gravity system would be great. I wonder if you carried one of the hydrogen peroxide tablets that clean hydration bladders with you, it would aid in cleaning the filter if you let it soak. Carrying the Sawyer syringe for back flushing has been very handy, I wonder about the swishing of the Befree.
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Post by glentlor on Feb 27, 2021 5:58:02 GMT -8
+1 for Sawyer I used them on short trips. The filtration works well and the result is clean water, which tastes great. |
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Post by dayhiker on Mar 1, 2021 16:34:04 GMT -8
For just water a water bottle filter works for me. BUT I have found that plain water is hard to drink, and when you are dehydrated. it is also harder to eat (This was confirmed some time later in a Wilderness First Aid Book). So I have being converting the filter in my water bottle to a gravity filter in camp to make Tang or Lemon Aid.
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