Originally Posted by
DeadGrandpa
+1. I used the Squeeze, backpacking, as a gravity fed inline filter from a 3L collapsible canteen, and only had problem with reduced flow when the filter needed to be backwashed with the supplied syringe.
As I've said above, the lack of flow for the filter was a very unwelcome and unexpected surprise.
If I had known about the problem before hand, I could have addressed it but when you are in the middle of nowhere without the ability to address the problem and almost incapable of getting water, shoulda coulda woulda doesn't help. I've used other filters and never had any kind of storage issues. Sawyer could have made the suggestion that you might want to treat your filter before heading out after storage.
The product
is nice and light but if it fails, it's not of any use no matter how light it is. I simply can't suggest to anyone that they depend on this filter.
Originally Posted by
DeadGrandpa
One caution: if you are filtering water downstream from farm fields, you might want to upgrade to a heavier MSR mini or Katadyn pump which has a carbon filter to remove toxic chemicals. Melted snow at mountain top, no problem; stream with run off from pastures or row crops, sicky-poo.
Utilizing melted snow would depend on the time of year. Our snow gets a distinct "pink" color to it from algae in the early summer and probably wouldn't be the best to ingest. We also have a lot of problems in Colorado with mine drainage that contain heavy metals and which won't be fixed with activated carbon filters.
As for drinking straight from
any stream I avoid it. Even here in Colorado, beaver poop in streams and, to quote the great W.C. Fields: "Don't drink the water, son. Fish fornicate in it."
