Do You Carry A Water Filter?
 

I've noticed that I carry my water filter(Platypus Gravityworks) all the time even though I don't do expedition tours. I think the last time I used it when I went backpacking for a couple days two years ago.

I used to go backpacking a lot and it was the most important gear to me when I go backpacking. The habit transferred to bicycle touring somehow and I can't seem to dump it.

No, and I wouldn't carry one unless I expected to need it, like when I have done backpacking trips.

The Sawyer Squeeze Mini is what, like 3oz? I carry the original Sawyer Squeeze, simply because at 4-5oz it's light enough to disappear at the bottom of a pannier.

I like touring in wild places, though. I went without a filter for 1,500 miles across the Northeast US and never got thirsty.

Sure, or something like it. I've started using Aqua Mira drops for the same reason. I enjoy drinking "wild" water.

Do You Carry A Water Filter?
 

Yeah, in New Zealand I did, and it came in necessary on the S.Island west coast.

I make the decision to take or don't take a filter based on the location and type of tour. On the Pacific Coast, the ST, and most other tours I didn't bother with it. I did take on on the TA and mailed it home.

In the Sierras on the southern half of the SC I carried one and was very happy I did. The reason is that there was a a combination of a huge amount of steep climbing where carrying less water was nice, long stretches between tap water, and lots of ice cold mountain streams. I'd take one on off road back country tours if there was water to filter.

Now that you can get an effective filter that weighs as little as 2 oz. (sawyer mini). It can go along more easily, but I still don't carry one unless it is a route where there is a real advantage to using one.

BTW, I much prefer a filter over chemical treatments for a variety of reasons. Probably the biggest reason is that chemicals take time and in cold water they take even longer. A filter allows you to drink right away while the water is still cold, a big plus in hot places with snow melt or spring fed streams.

I took a recommendation from staehpj1 earlier this summer and carry a Sawyer water filter for most of my trips. I frequently camp in forest areas that are not particularly close to easy sources of water. Taking a water filter means all I need to do is find a creek and I've got plenty of water to spend days in the forest.

Aside from other points about chemicals, I don't trust them to be free of adverse health effects of their own.

You might also want to look at this thread: http://www.bikeforums.net/touring/96...ater-tour.html

It depends on what kind of touring I'm doing. For rides that are paved roads rides, I don't carry a filter. If I'm going backcountry touring, I carry one.

I have to disagree on the Sawyer, however. I did a 3 day mountain bike trip this summer and the Sawyer failed miserably. I had only used it once before and it seemed to work well, however, I had trouble getting it to flow at more than a few drops per minute on this trip. The previous usage had be, literally, once and I had filtered clear water so the filter shouldn't have been clogged. The first night I used it, I had to squeeze the bag for about 2 hours to filter a couple of liters of water. My hands cramped up so badly that I had to pry my fingers off the bag. On the second and third night, I let gravity (and a rock) do the squeezing but it still took hours to get enough water to drink or cook with.

The squeeze bags are a second problem. You can't fill the bag by simply dunking it in a stream. The bag collapses. I had to carry a water bottle to fill the bag so that I could try to squeeze water out of it...or so that a rock could squeeze the water out of it. Also, if you happen to damage the bag and aren't carrying a spare, the whole system is useless. If you want my filter, you might find it on a picnic bench at Mirror Lake on the other side of Tin Cup Pass. I left it there.

I'll carry a heavier but more reliable MSR or Sweetwater filter in the future.

I never ran out of water on my tour(I haven't done any expedition tour). I always knew how long before the next town was so I've never needed it. I guess I'm not a weirdo judging by how many people carry them.

I liked Sawyer, but the bag punctured on me and I haven't had a chance to replace the bag yet. I like Platypus you can pack it smaller, but I think they are all good.

Very occasionally I will take a filter on a road tour. Once or twice it has been handy to have. There is nothing as horrible as being out of water and in the sticks. I try to be careful not to filter around farms or places where there may be runoff from a field, with pesticides and such.

Last backpacking trip my friend took his new sawyer water filter, and we both ended up using my 20 year old MSR microworks. He just could not get enough flow to filter without taking longer than we wanted to wait. Don't know what the problem was, it may have been user error, but he is a pretty capable guy. I think he was disgusted enough with it that it wont come on the next trip.

I usually incorporate a good bit of back-country into my tours, so I carry a Sawyer in-line filter. I've always been glad to carry the few extra ounces, versus the extra weight and/or worry that you'll run out of water.

I had the same experience this past week on a five day mountain bike trip. Last spring I flushed the filter and put it away, but when I got in the mountains it worked just like you described. Poorly.

I contacted Sawyer regarding their "Million Gallon" guarantee. They said water can calcify in the filter if it is unused too long. The remedy is to soak the entire filter in vinegar for an hour. $1.39 for 8 oz of vinegar, an hour of waiting and the filter was back to new. It works like a charm now.

I guess the lesson is to test the filter before you hit the road or trails.

I do agree on the issue of being able to fill the bag from standing water, like a pond. I resorted to carrying a small bottle from which I can pour water into the bag.

They could have said something about that in the literature on the filter from the outset. It's not like you normally carry vinegar while out on tour. I'll still pay the weight penalty and carry a pump type filter in the future. It can sit for years and still work out of the bag without plugging. Something that doesn't do it's job and leaves you without water or makes getting water difficult is just useless weight.

I wanted to be impressed and have even suggested people get one of the Sawyers. I've learned my lesson.

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.

I use water treatment when backpacking as well, since all the water is "wild". My favorite method is the Steripen, which uses UV light to zap the nasties, all the way down to viruses, which the Sawyer can't eliminate. It takes only 90 seconds to purify a liter. The drawback is the batteries - mine uses CR123 batteries, two of them, and they are expensive. Some models use AA Lithiums, three of them, also more expensive. The reason for the spendy batteries is the UV light draws a lot of juice, so more powerful batteries are needed. Second problem (limitation?) is that it works best with fairly clear water - the UV light has to reach everywhere. If you have thick water, you may have to filter before you zap! Not a problem I've had in the Sierra, but can be in some areas.

The Sawyer Squeeze or Mini-Squeeze are both good filters. There are a number of hassles in using them, such as the bags leaking, the calcification, the need to flush out regularly. If you can deal with the hassles, they work well. They do NOT eliminate viruses, so they are not the best for remote areas outside North America. For more info on the Sawyers, search the threads at backpackinglight.com - there are more complaints, issues, fixes, etc., than you want to read about! Basic advice: Always soak in a vinegar solution before using it (no, not the first time!), backflush regularly, take along a cup or something to scoop water out of lakes and ponds and sometimes streams, and maybe replace the OEM bag with something sturdier. Evernew and newer Platypus bags seem to be the most recommended - test before your trip (I've used the Evernew bags without any problems).

Cyccommute, sounds like you experienced all the most common problems at once! Sawyer should really include more complete instructions on how to use the filters. My worst experiences have been having the bag leak on the Squeeze, so that contaminated water was dripping into the clean water, and the huge slow-down of calcification. More reasons I like the Steripen!

I'm just beginning to get into touring, with a dream of riding down the California coast, and through the Sierras, but have no actual experience yet with touring. My tendency will probably be to treat wild water, and trust civilized water.

I've looked at the Steripen but avoided it because it requires batteries. It may be lightweight but if it doesn't work, it becomes useless weight no matter how lightweight it is. And, if you feel you need to carry extra batteries, that's adds to the overall weight.

I really wanted to like the Sawyer but if you have to soak it in vinegar (and didn't know about that before hand on the second trip), backflush it regularly, take along a cup and have to worry about the bag bursting, it's not worth the hassle, no matter how lightweight it is. Yes, my Sweetwater is 11 oz and the Sawyer may only be 3 oz but when you are out of water and can't get anymore because the filter failed, lack of weight doesn't amount to a hill of beans.

By the way, I only carry the filter on backcountry trips. If I'm riding on paved roads or where there are towns and treated water sources within a regular distance (20 to 40 miles), I don't carry a filter.

Took my Boy Scouts Motto to heart.. "Be Prepared" , so I did.

Do You Carry A Water Filter?
 

hmm... interesting thread, thanks guys!
I've been on the brink of ordering a Sawyer mini, but this thread is making me step back and have another think. In New Zealand my friend and I used his Katadyne Pocket filter which was great, but somewhat cumbersome to carry "just in case". In regions where it would be used regularly it's a great solution.

To buy or not to buy my own Katadyn, that is the question... :)

If I wanted to save weight, I'd probably buy a Katadyn Mini (8 oz vs 11oz for the Sweetwater) but I've got the Sweetwater and it will last, roughly, forever given my current usage.

Never carried a filter on a bike trip. Instead carry lots of water capacity.

For emergency use only, I do carry a 1 oz bottle of chlorine bleach. I use 4 drops per liter which is roughly twice the dose that EPA recommends for emergency water treatment.

I just finished a canoe trip where I never used my filter. Instead I usually had enough water that was boiled to top up my water bottles. Past canoe trips I usually used about a third to half of my water from the filter, the rest from boiling. For those trips I carry a Katadyn Combi. It is heavy but very robust. I also like the replaceable carbon filter in it.

The mini has a very small ceramic filter and not much surface area on the filter either. Thus, it takes a lot of work to get much water. I bought one for backpacking and concluded that it was best as an emergency-only filter. It took about 160 strokes per liter, which took several more minutes to pump than it would have taken with my other filter.

Good to know. I guess I'll stick with the Sweetwater. I can (and have) filled 100oz Camelbaks in less than 5 minutes.

which one? they too have a product range .

the pocket filter will work well for a couple generations .