Originally Posted by
staehpj1
I have used both the Sawyer Squeeze and the Mini fairly extensively and never had a moments trouble. I use it as a gravity filter most of the time and when I do squeeze the bags I am gentle so even the original bags that have caused concern have worked OK for me. I use a cut off bag to scoop water and fill the bag when there isn't an easier way.
I have completely abandoned my pump filter (MSR Sweetwater). I thought it was a great filter until the Squeeze came out. My pump filter weighs about five or six times what the mini weighs and the replacement filter cartridges cost cost twice as much as the whole mini with hose, fittings, and bag. It I was concerned that the mini might let me down (I am not), I'd consider carrying two. That would weigh less, cost less, and provide redundancy.
I had to use the Squeeze as a gravity filter because the flow rate was so poor. Like I said, the first time I used it, it was okay. It only took about 10 minutes to fill a 100 oz Camelbak which is a little longer than a Sweetwater takes. When I used it this summer (2 years after the first use), it took 2 hours to half fill the a 100 oz Camelbak. Considering that I had done 30 miles of rough mountain biking...including 4 miles of walking, one crash and I fell on a rock which bruised or cracked a rib...at just about sundown, that was 2 hours of standing around at 10,000 feet on a cold night futzing with a water filter. I had better things to do or, at least, things I'd rather be doing like setting up a tent, making camp, getting food, sleeping, staying warm, etc.
I assumed, mistakenly, that the filter would work the same way as it did the first...and only...time I used it. My Sweetwater has
never had a problem and I have used it extensively. By the way, it only weighs a bit less than 4 times the Sawyer Squeeze. But if the Squeeze lets you down like mine did, 11 ounces isn't too much to carry. The Squeeze was just dead, useless weight which could have put me in a world of hurt. As it was, I managed to buy water at the only store in a 20 mile circle which saved my bacon.