Sawyer Mini techniques

[Nathan Custer]

I got a sawyer mini for Christmas this morning! Been pretty happy with aquamira but I've been wanting to try the sawyer. Currently I carry a 1L Gatorade bottle and a 3L platypus. Treat and drink in the Gatorade bottle and fill the platypus and treat it at my last water stop before making camp for the night. I would like to keep up a routine similar to this because it works great where I hike.

So I could switch to smart water bottle and drink straight from the filter, or squeeze a liter into my Gatorade bottle at each water stop. Which way is more efficient? Any other tips? I'm not a fan of gravity setups or lots of extra bottles and fittings. Aquamira is so simple and I want to keep it that way.

[Matt Weaver]

Simplest is definitely just attaching the filter to your bottle and drinking. Second half of this year I switched to that setup over filling bags and filtering water in to separate containers. I like it. Simpler then Aquamira, and faster. Only minor quibbles are having to untwist the filter a bit to let some air back in to the bottles after drinking, but not a big deal. I also initially used smart water bottles but found the length with filter attached to bit a bit much, so found some bpa free disposable water bottles in the health food department at my grocery store that are 1L, but shorter and squatter then the smart water bottles; much better. I carry two with me, usually one is empty while hiking, and will fill up the other for camp or when water sources are a stretch apart.

[Ian]

One word of caution when using it with the bottle is to be careful with the gasket. I found out the hard way that it doesn't take much to over-tighten the filter to the bottle; if you do this, combined with the suction created after filtering the water, the gasket will pop out and deteriorate over time. If you tighten it just enough so dirty water doesn't trickle out, I find this to be a great way to use this filter. I like the straw option where I can drink as I go instead of carrying any water at all.

[Rick Sutton]

I'm using the Sawyer mini attached to a 1L platty that gets stowed in my pack's side pocket. I drink more water with a hydration tube so I have added one to the top of the mini. I used to use a Sawyer 3-way filter and 2L platty stowed inside my pack, yet it was a pain to dig out the 2L each time I needed to refill. My standard procedure was to fill the 2L and get back on the trail.

Like Matt mentioned, using the filter on top of a Smart water bottle or standard water / pop bottle will collapses the container when the water is consumed so you will have to untwist the filter to let some air back in and help it regain its shape. I was able to eliminate this issue when I switched over to the 1L platty. I can now consume 95% of the water in the 1L platty without having to touch the filter. The platty still collapses as I consume the water, yet, I believe given its shape, the water flows right until it is about 95% empty.

My new approach when using this system is to drink 1L "at the water source" and only add another 0.5 L to the 1L platty. Obviously, this is based on relatively close water sources. If needed, I will fill the 1L completely. This new approach works great for me because it has made fill-ups easier and much faster, I still can use a hydration tube which helps me drink more water, I don't have to untwist the filter all the time, it is much easier to know how much water I have left, and not only is my complete water system lighter than in years past, I now carry 3.3 less pounds of water on most days.

Lastly, I originally thought I would have to make a slightly longer straw tube as the 1L platty is taller than the squeeze bag that comes with the mini, however, the straw that comes with the mini works just fine when connected to the bottom of the filter.

[Jennifer Mitol]

Thanks for asking the question..

I've been trying to use the sawyer as an inline filter for a while – fill a bag with dirty water and use a hydration hose while I hike (I always drink a lot more if I have the hose) but I've never been able to figure out what seems to be an easy set-up: a collapsible bottle only works if the opening is downward, but then it kinks the hose (I use the side pocket of my pack, I don't have a hydration pocket. Nor do I want to put the water in my pack where I can't see how much I have, or have to empty my pack to refill, etc).

Those who use it inline with a hose, how do you do it?? I'd love to be able to fill a bladder with dirty water, and sip away with my hose as we walk along……

[Chad “Stick” Poindexter]

I carry 1 or 2, 20 oz Gatorade bottles which I carry on my shoulder straps. I also carry the 2L Squeeze bag. I fill the Squeeze bag with dirty water, then immediately filter it into my Gatorade bottles for easy drinking throughout the day. No fiddling with drinking through the filter, just unscrew the top and gulp. And this way I can also add flavoring to my water bottles if I want (can't do that if you are drinking from/through the filter).

This is what works for me, however, there is no right or wrong answer… it just depends on what suits you best.

Congrats on the filter though… a great investment indeed!

[Kevin Schneringer]

Blue Desert Hydration tube. Built in vent valve and tube assembly gives you no vacuum crinkly bottle free drinking.

[Rick Sutton]

Jennifer,

Are you using the 7" dark grey drinking straw (tube) that was included with the mini? If you connect this tube onto the bottom of the mini and then connect the mini to your collapsable container, you can then drink from a hydration hose connected to the top of your filter w/o having to invert the container. I use this setup in the side pocket of my pack with a 1L Platty and Platty hose and it works great.

Hope this helps. Rick

[Nathan Custer]

Thanks for the tips. I think I'll try both squeezing into a bottle and using it directly on top of a bottle next trip and see which I like better.

[Author]

Posts