A Do-It-All Water Purifier?

[EndoftheTrail]

Sawyer Water Purifier — The Model SP 125 looks small, light, effective and easy to use. Wonder how heavy it is? Comments?

[Richard Matthews]

Ben,

We were hoping you would get one and write a review.

I would be concerned about the filter clogging on anything other than the clearest water. Sucking a golf ball through a garden hose is not a skill that I desire to develope.

I tried the bottle filters. They work great for dayhikes when you might just want a little extra water, but I would not want to rely on one for a longer hike.

[EndoftheTrail]

Richard:

I found a website with more info and changed the above link. Give it a look if you like.

[Christopher Plesko]

The steripen looks like a do it all to me :) I'm getting the new model with my xmas money.

[Caleb Wininger]

the steripen doesn't remove pinecones, fish scales or slimy flora.

this looks similar to the first need purifier, which i use. some have had problems with clogs, and the setup (pump/filter/hose)weighs 11 oz. that can be a disaster. i've personally filtered mud puddles into evian with mine and never had a problem. but you are running a risk w/this type of filtration. never travel w/out iodine/aqua mira if you go this route. according to another sitei found it looks like it weighs about 22 oz. kinda pricey too.

[EndoftheTrail]

Caleb: 22.4 ounces is the total shipping weight. Some of that will be packaging. Wonder what's the weight of the filter itself?

Chris: There are pros and cos with the SteriPen, of course. I used to own one. It is not designed to be a "do it all". First off, the UV technology works only in reasonably clear water — and is very much suboptimal with turbid water (say river water following an overnight rainfall). But it's turbid water that you need performance the most!

The older model SteriPen is relatively heavy. The newer one is much lighter — however, because of its much shorter light tube, it won't work well with tall containers (e.g. 1L bladders and up). I talked with a SteriPen rep — and she suggested that when filling taller water containers, you should "nuke" the water in a cup first, then pour the treated water into the bladder, cup by cup.

[Thomas Knighton]

If you're worried about debris clogging the filter (or steripen), you can always prefilter by using a bandana or something similar to keep debris out of your bladder and/or bottles.

As for the filter shown, I'm concerned mostly about the weight. Even though 22 oz is shipping weight, it's still probably in the 1 lbs range by itself. A bit much, even for my newbie butt :D

Tom

[Richie S]

I'm contemplating the new steripen, together with one of the 32oz wide-mouthed soft-sided nalgenes, or even a pepsi bottle, or using my MSR Ti Kettle of coffee mug.
A bandanna or even a coffee filter should solve the debris issue without adding much weight.
I guess the problem is I'm just adding weight which is getting me up towards a light pump anyway. I'm looking at $130 to shave 5.5oz.

[Donna C]

I see it also comes with a pre-filter.
http://www.hydro-photon.com/steripen_products.html

[Richie S]

Adds another 1.5 oz though, not that it is much, but 3.5oz for steripen, 2oz for soft-sided nalgene = 7oz.
11oz for a Katadyn Hiker.
$130 for 4oz?

[todd]

I bought the Steripen Adventurer w/my Christmas money! A coffee filter over a water container does a truly amazing job on lake water from across the street. The water is definitely clear enough after that for the Steripen to work. (That is, if it works like they claim!!!)

There's not just a weight savings — it cuts down on volume, too.

[Caleb Wininger]

i don't think the katadyn hiker purifies though. it just filters. am i wrong about that…?

that's the whole debate here, the best combo of weight/reliability/effective purification and debris removal/cost. i've done a lot of reading on the available systems and nothing really seems to be a do-it-all. i guess you have to chose based on what's most important to you. i find the taste of sterilizing chemicals to be brutal so it's worth the extra weight (11 oz w. prefilter/pump/hose/canister) to carry the first need to me, though i know it may fail in the field.

[EndoftheTrail]

Caleb:

I'm with you on this one! Right now, I use a simple pre-filter, and then treat the water with Micropur tablets. Easy and light as heck — but althought the Micropur's taste is a lot less offensive than iodine, I still dislike it. Hence the search for alternatives…

The specs of this Sawyer 125 seems to be everything that I want — filtering of particulates and removal of bacteria, protozoa AND viruses — without need of any chemicals. Sawyer also states that it's easy to suck, and it can be backwashed.

Hopefully, users can chime in about plusses and minuses — as well as what the actual weight of this thing is.

[Richie S]

Hey Todd, the adventurer is certainly appealing to me too.
Caleb – When it comes to viruses, then I'm not really going to be going places where they are a problem – and if I get really stuck with bad water, then I always carry a few back-up micropur tabs anyway.
I guess I'm just thinking through the adventurer out aloud.

[EndoftheTrail]

Richard:

Think about camping where a river is your water source. It's the morning after an overnight rainstorm. The water's all churned up and brown. Your Adventurer won't filter out any of it (which we know) and worse, its UV technology doesn't really work in turbid water — just when you need it the most. A bandana "pre filter" isn't going to change brown river water into reasonably clear water for the UV.

The Adventurer obviously has its strengths, but a "do it all" it isn't.

In any case, I posted this thread hoping to gather some user feedback on the Sawyer Model 125 filter/purifier.

[Christopher Plesko]

I agree definitely not a do it all but that plus a few backup MP1 is all I'm taking next year. Don't you usually gather your water before bed anyway? Pretty easy in that case to let it settle out overnight, "decant" and treat. If time was really no object I'd just use MP1 all the time but UV is so much faster in the instances where I need it that it would be worth the extra weight for me.

I keep looking for the ultimate light filter but every one I've seen is either too heavy or doesn't kill everything or has some other downside. If I'm not going to kill it all then I'll just take my chances with MP1 after 30 minutes…

[Douglas Frick]

>In any case, I posted this thread hoping to gather some user feedback on the Sawyer Model 125 filter/purifier.

OK, I bit. I ordered both the Model 120 filter and the Model 125 purifier (actually the Model 135 purifier kit). When I get them I will report dry and wet weights and flow rates. There isn't a virus threat where I hike, but they claim a longer life for the purifier and if the flow rate is similar to the filter then I suppose there's no reason not to use it. (Anything that's going to clog up the purifier will likely clog up the filter, so that shouldn't make much difference.)

I do wish they had more technical information about the filter, but I suppose it is hard to state a 'pore' size in a non-porous design like this. Instead, they rely on their lab results. I find the claim of virus filtration to be outrageous, but I'm not going to argue with their lab results.

I normally use the UV Aquastar sterilizer (3.8 oz) for clear-water hikes; the Katadyn Pocket filter (21.6 oz dry) if the water is nasty; Aqua Mira (3.2 oz) in the winter for overnight purification (since I'm melting snow); and I always carry several Katadyn Micropur MP-1 tablets (4 tablets: 0.1 oz) in my first aid kit just in case. (The absolute lightest solution is if my friend Grant carries his filter :) I've found with Micropur MP-1 tabs that the water has no residual taste if it sloshes around for 45 minutes or so; just be sure to blow the fumes off the top of the water before drinking. Oh, for the days when all I carried was a plastic camping cup (0.7 oz)…

[EndoftheTrail]

Douglas:

Thanks in advance, best of luck with your upcoming filter/purifier, and looking forward to your feedback!

[EndoftheTrail]

In case anyone is interested, I called Sawyer and got the following info:

Filter (SP120) – 5.5" length x 1.75" diameter – 2 ounces.
Purifier (SP125) – 6.25" x 2.75" – 8 ounces.

Once primed (i.e. flushed water through filter or purifier so it's nice and wet) — company claims that very little effort is required to suck water through.

Now, I'm torn between getting the purifier (no waiting time!) versus saving 6 ounces and getting the filter instead (15 min. waiting time for Micropur tablets to kill off any viruses, then suck water through the filter)…

[paul johnson]

Ben,

Just some thoughts…

For long treks, how long does it need to be b/f the MicroPure ends up weighing 6+ oz?

How about replacement cost of filter vs. purifier, is this an issue for your budget?

Fifteen minutes, to me at least, isn't very long. That said, I still might go for the purifier version of the Sawyer. Glad it's not my decision for another 3-4 months (it's been on my 2-B-acquired list since last Spring & is only now moving closer to the top).

Is there a difference (i forget; it's been a while since i've read their specs) is the amount of water each can filter/purify? [this relates also to the replacement cost issue if there is a difference b/t the two units].

Again, just some thoughts…

[Douglas Frick]

>Is there a difference [in] the amount of water each can filter/purify?

Yes: the filter claims 500 gal and the purifier claims 3000 gal, so the purifier is half the cost of the filter over the long term. The claimed weight difference of 6 oz is equivalent to about 200 MicroPur MP-1 tablets. At the lowest price I could find ($9/30), 200 tablets would cost about $60, which also happens to be about the difference in price between the filter and purifier. Thus, 200 liters is the break-even point for both weight and cost, using MicroPur MP-1 tablets.

Simpler than that, though, if I can suck down a full liter at a water source and not carry any water (or carry one less liter down the trail) then I save 29 ounces by using the purifier.

[paul johnson]

Douglas, good info and analysis. Many thanks. I think you've sold me on the purifier.

>>"Simpler than that, though, if I can suck down a full liter at a water source and not carry any water (or carry one less liter down the trail) then I save 29 ounces by using the purifier."

Does it really work this way for you?

I can only speak for myself, but when i've tried this, it hasn't worked quite that well. I usually end up drinking more than if i had regularly spaced my water intake. If i consume a liter, or close to it, and then even if i really get moving or have to do a lengthy steep ascent, even with a HR of 170-180+ BPM, with the increased attendant sweating due to the exertion, i'm going to need to relieve myself since my bladder will still fill. Old age non-elastic bladder? Perhaps? Prostate? Perhaps? Anyways, binging at a water stop, for me at least, produces less than desirable results, and doesn't allow me to carry less water. Hope it works for others.

[Douglas Frick]

>Does it really work this way for you?

Water doesn't go through me, so binging isn't a problem that way. More the opposite: I have to control myself or I'll suck down two liters on a rest break and slosh for the next hour or so. But I only get so many miles per liter, so water I can drink without waiting around is water I don't have to carry (on my back).

[mark henley]

I bought the 2 oz version and I love it. You can hardly tell that it's in line.

It also makes a great gravity filter by slipping the bite valve off your platy hydration setup.

I scoop my water with a wide mouth 24 oz Gatorade bottle (the lightest bottle I've found that I can pour boiling water into and it not melt or leak) and pour it into my Platy thru a little filter I made from a big o-ring and some no-see-um mesh, although a piece of panty hose would probably work just as well.

I always carry 1 oz of aquamira in minibottles anyway … but I like to use the filter setup when I am a little sketchy about what's in the water (like ag runoff, for example)

[EndoftheTrail]

Mark:

A member of a different forum said he talked to Sawyer — and was told that while both filter and purifier will remove baddies, they DO NOT improve water taste (e.g. getting rid of chlorine taste).

Have you sucked water through your Sawyer filter, after treating the water with Aqua Mira? Any residual A.M. taste?

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