Sawyer Mini rocks!

[Will Elliott]

Just received the new Sawyer mini filter from MLD. I've never filtered water before because the gear was a pain and I didn't like waiting for chemicals to take effect. I believe once I boiled some beaver pond water when I was really thirsty. Based on trying it out in the kitchen with our not so tasty water, this new filter is small, fast, and simple enough to convert me. I thought I'd post here in case anyone was thinking, like I'd been, that the little filter would be gimmicky or too slow. I say go for it.

[BlackHatGuy]

Ordered mine last week but still haven't received it, which is a bit strange since I'm 'just up the road.' Maybe tomorrow.

[Bob Gross]

MLD should include the dimensions on the fittings.

–B.G.–

[Dean F.]

Write a gear review here, once you've used it a bit. I already have one of their older filters (pre-quick detach fittings, and a cobbled-together gravity feed), and for $25 I'm seriously considering the upgrade.

[Steven Paris]

Chad as his initial thoughts here:

http://sticksblog.com/2013/09/18/first-look-the-sawyer-mini-water-filter/

[Jerry Adams]

Is the mini the same as the Squeeze with the outer housing replaced by just endcaps?

That is, could you just remove the filter media from the Squeeze, put on end caps, and get a mini?

[Will Elliott]

…

[Jerry Adams]

The Squeeze is about 1.5 inches across (diameter)

If the walls were 1/8th inch thick, there would be a 1.25 inch cavity inside

There must be about a 3.5 inch long cavity

So maybe there's a filter inside that's 1.25 inch across and 3.5 inches long

[dirtbag]

I got mine the other day. What a difference in size. Side by side the mini looks like a cell phone of today and the original sawyer looks like a cell phone from back in the day when cell phones first came out! I love how small it is. Also for me I like the straw it comes with. When I originally switched to the sawyer squeeze from my hiker pro I was concerned about needing water in an emergency and finding a small murky puddle. With the hiker pro I could always pump something drinkable, with the sawyer I would not be able to scoop the water to get it in the bag to filter it. Well, with the mini, problem solved. So far it looks like I'm gonna love this little mini.

[Will Elliott]

one caveat:

the bottom screws onto the Sawyer bag, bottles, etc. Lest you confuse clean and dirty, the top doesn't screw onto anything. There is a little fitting for camelback hoses, the included straw, or your mouth. I would much prefer to be able to screw something on both ends. Clean and dirty ends could be separated some other way— a red and green end, for example, or write DIRTY on your dirty water bag. Presently you can go Sawyer Bag to camelback hose, or just prop the bag and filter upsidedown to drain into a pot or Nalgene, as I have been doing. You can't go from one sawyer bag to another, though, in a sealed, leakproof, tipoverproof manner. This is the only thing that bugs me, as I don't like it when impediments are built into a design to save people from themselves (other than in complex systems where an average user can't really tell what's going on).

[Jerry Adams]

If the output was threaded maybe you could use it to backflush, although squeezing on a bottle probably doesn't produce enough pressure

[Dale Wambaugh]

I like it. It is so small and light that I have included it in my day hiking kit. The filter itself is just 1.4oz (dry). I plan on carrying it without the backflush syringe for day hikes and backflushing it when I get home when I have used it. I do carry a few MicroPur tablets as well, so I have plenty of CYA. I typically carry 2 liters for day hikes, so I don't filter or treat water much.

I plan on using the 16oz bag and using it like the Squeeze on day trips and taking a larger bag and the syringe for multi-day trips.

The media has the same pore size as the Squeeze, but not as much surface area, so they rate it for 100,000 gallons vs 1 million gallons with the Squeeze. I'm 59 and I'll be PLEASED to wear out a Mini :) I think this is a fantastic lightweight alternative for clean water in the backcountry.

The configuration with threads on the dirty end only works for me. I use recycled bottles rather than a bladder, so I don't need any other hardware. I can't see confusing the input and output ends, as it is clearly marked with a fat arrow labled "FLOW."

With the filter, the short straw/hose, the 16oz dirty bag and a few MicroPur tabs all in a Ziploc bag, I have 3oz even. If I opt to take a 64oz bag instead and include the syringe, I have a whopping 4.6oz total and the ability to carry an additional 64oz of untreated water too. I'm going to look for a slightly smaller syringe– it's kind of annoying that the one included is larger than the filter itself and weighs 1oz– 2/3 of the weight of the dry filter.

[Jerry Adams]

Great pictures Dale, really shows it

"The media has the same pore size as the Squeeze, but not as much surface area, so they rate it for 100,000 gallons vs 1 million gallons with the Squeeze."

That would say that it's not just the same filter media as the Squeeze.

But looking at the dimensions from your pictures, it looks like it could fit inside the Squeeze housing.

hmmm…

[Bob Gross]

I'm interested in the dimensions of the fittings. Find a hose that fits, and then measure the inside diameter using calipers or something.

–B.G.–

[Dale Wambaugh]

The hose barbs on the mini measure 0.357" on the "dirty" end and 0.354" on the "clean" end.

The "straw" that comes with the Mini is 1/4"ID and fairly flexible stuff.

[Bob Gross]

"The hose barbs on the mini measure 0.357" on the "dirty" end and 0.354" on the "clean" end. "

Thanks. Doesn't that difference seem a little improbable?

I assume that the inside diameter of the two hoses are identical. That would make the clean end easier to pull off. Was that the intent?

–B.G.–

[Ian]

Just received mine from MLD today and love it. Quick note, the Smartwater flip top will not only back flush (no modifications required) but can be used from the dirty water side as well if someone wanted to forgo the bag.

For the three people who've never seen a Smartwater bottle….

.

Filtering Water….

.

Back-flushing….

.

Using it as a straw works great. This will be a wonderful feature in the Cascades for drinking as you go instead of carrying water.

I assumed that it was going to come with a 32oz bag but it came with a 16oz one instead.

[Max Dilthey]

What is this, the iPhone of backpacking? I literally just bought my Sawyer Squeeze this year…

[Ken Thompson]

And some dufus here said innovation was dead.

[Bob Gross]

Just wait until you see what the service contracts go for.

–B.G.–

[Jerry Adams]

Squeeze only weighs 1 ounce more, so not really obsolete

[John S.]

From another thread.

"- Very light way to backflush in the field without syringe, using caps from Smartwater bottles, described at http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=78861

Answer: This will not give your enough pressure to really clean the filter."

[Ian]

"Answer: This will not give your enough pressure to really clean the filter."

I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. I don't wait for the filter to become clogged and back flush the original Sawyer periodically to try and stay ahead of the game. Just using the unmodified cap creates a nearly perfect seal. When filtering this way with the mini, there was no risk of dirty water contaminating the clean.

I found that with the original squeeze and now the mini, the second cap with the blue spout removed is unnecessary; my original Sawyer squeeze has the "nipple." I exert a lot of pressure through both Sawyers with the Smartwater bottle when back flushing and feel no need to carry the syringe.

To each their own.

[Dale Wambaugh]

"Thanks. Doesn't that difference seem a little improbable?

I assume that the inside diameter of the two hoses are identical. That would make the clean end easier to pull off. Was that the intent?"

I doubt it. We're talking three thousandths of an inch. I would just chalk it up to manufacturing variations. You would want to put the "straw" on the dirty end drink directly from a water source, or from a container– like your cook pot. The hose nipple on the dirt end only sticks out about 1/2"

[Dale Wambaugh]

Good tip on the Smartwater bottle. The syringe needs a fair amount of hand pressure to backflush and it's kind of clumsy– you almost need three hands. I'll bet you can get better pressure against the hose nipple with the Smartwater bottle. I'll pick one up to try soon.

As to the Squeeze being obsolete: I don't think so at all. With the threads on both ends and the greater capacity, it lends itself to all kinds of setups and would be my first choice for a group or a gravity system. The Mini is lighter and more compact– about the same as a Steripen. I think it is great for solo and day hikes.

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