New Sawyer mini: Gravity filtration vs. squeeze concept

I have the sawyer squeeze and mini, one thing I do is take a 16oz water bottle just to pour dirty water into the pouch, I find that to be the easiest method to get water into the pouch. I have no issues with either filter.

+1 on filling the dirty bag with separate bottle.
I currently use a 1L Figi water bottle partially cut down. Basically 2-2.5 scoops and the bag is full.
It also allows me to store the filter & dirty bag inside when in transit.

David,

I am looking to switch off my black Sawyer filter to the mini.

I think that the squeeze method might be a more simple solution vs. a gravity filter if you are talking about providing water just for yourself.

The larger the group, the more valuable a gravity filter might become.

However, I am going a different route for ease of use so I can "dip & go" to fill up my water bottle.

I have been using a plastic water bottle with the bottom cut off as a scoop to fill my Platypus for my home made squeeze system.

The scoop is also my storage container for my Caldera Cone.

I am using a soft sided wide mouth Nalgene bottle and Jetflow cap that converts to a narrow mouth bottle thread, which I can screw the mini on.

http://jetflow.com/product-detail/?pid=247

The idea is that I can dip my Nalgene into dirty water and just use the mini as a type of inline filter but attaching via the Jetflow cap.

Definitely going to be heavier but I think that the time saved in scooping water up to fill up a platypus will be worth it.

I have all my parts, except for the mini filter.

The only concern that I have is if the Jetflow adaptor cap will be able to have a tight seal with the Nalgene bottle. I bought some teflon "rope" that is very thin from the facet repair section of the Orchard Supply Hardware/OSH store and pressed it into the underside of the Jetflow adaptor cap to try to create an air tight seal.

Anyway, just another experiment and refinement.

Tony

Hello Tony,

Glad to see that you are alive and well and that your black Sawyer filter continues to serve you well.

A couple questions:

1) You mention using a Platy bag as a dirty bag–were you able to thread the bag directly onto the Sawyer filter? Do you know if the mini is compatible or not with Platy bags? I keep reading conflicting reports on this. I'm not a big fan of the Sawyer bags because they aren't clear, and well…I just am a happy Platypus user–I've never had a failure with any of their bags.

2) As far as the inline filter thing goes, does it "suck" (no pun intended) to have to suck the water through the filter? I tried this with the all-black filter, and it was a pain. Also, since I often travel with my wife, the inline option really isn't a viable option. For me, I think I would stick with gravity or the "squeeze" concept.

A 2 L Platy bag with cap weighs in at 1.3 oz. If I could use this as my dirty bag, ditch the length of dirty Platy tubing, and just fill the Platy bag with my cookpot, I'd save quite a bit of weight.

Tony is actually using a Nalgene Cantene, not a Platy.

Just saw this online at REI:

http://www.rei.com/product/858765/sawyer-fast-fill-hydration-pack-adapter-kit

From the picture, the quick disconnect adapter looks exactly like the Platypus one Cascade Designs makes:

http://www.cascadedesigns.com/platypus/platy-accessories/quick-disconnect-kit/product

Pretty cool concept. I'm trying to think how this might solve some of the problems with the Platy threading compatibility issues.

Ken is right, I am NOT using a platypus, but Nalgene wide mouth cantene.

http://www.rei.com/product/670588/nalgene-wide-mouth-cantene-32-fl-oz

The weight of both the Nalgene and Jetflow comes up as 2.5 oz on my non digital postal scale.

And Ken, thank you months ago for showing me the Jetflow adaptor on a prior post….think that is cost me $10. Cost was lower than whatever the listed price was, once I put it in my shopping cart.

David….I don't have an answer to the question of "does it suck to have to suck through the mini filter" as I have yet to get one and try this out.

From what I have read online, it is definitely slower, but do able.

I think the big thing is that I won't be able to chug down a ton of water simply because of the resistance of the filter.

What I can tell you is that when I doing the JMT in 2011 and uses my black sawyer filter as a squeeze filter with the platypus, it worked, but my hands were getting tired from all the squeezing.

My hope is that the mini will have a better flow rate than the old black filter and make it easier to suck through.

Probably will be next year when I can test this out on the trail.

Regarding the Platypus bags and the threads fitting the mini: My guess is that the older Platypus bags from more than 1 year ago will NOT fit the mini, just as they had problems with the original squeeze filter. Reporting online was that Platypus bags were quietly changed on their threading to allow a tight seal with the Squeeze filter. This problem was why you saw a run on the Evernew soft sided water bottles, which are an alternative to the Platypus bags.

P.S. Good to hear from you too. My black Sawyer was been serving me well since either 2008 to 2009. After I did a 130 miles section of the PCT this summer, I realized that things that were just okay on the JMT now piss me off. LOL. So I am on version 2.0 of my UL gear. I am replacing things like my bear vault with a bearikade, getting a new quilt that (Katabatic) vs. my JRB, replacing my 2008-2009 GoLite Jam2 with a MLD Exodus FS (2014 model when it comes out), and refining my hydration system. Simply want "easier/simple" setup that gives me more speed so I can get more miles in on the trail and warmth for comfort at night when sleeping.

Tony

David,

I have seen these two….only thing that I don't like is that they add more parts/weight.

More importantly, it concerns me that it is just another point of possible failure if the O-rings blow out.

My plan is just to "push" my hydration tubing and bite valve onto the clean output of the mini, which would be screwed onto the top of the Jetflow.

In my case, just taking my tubing from my Platypus Hoser 1.8 L hydration system.

Tony

Tony,
I hope you have a way of filling your cup or pot other than from the bladder through the filter. I saw that on my last trip and it was painful to watch and wait and wait. I just wanted to offer a cup of my own water.

"…Simply want "easier/simple" setup that gives me more speed so I can get more miles in on the trail…"

+1

A lot of time can evaporate just fiddling and coping with non-optimal stuff.
And a lot of mental energy can go down the tubes when you feel like there must be a better way.

It's always HOYO and YMMV, but knowing that what you've got is the best possible for you is a big plus.

Tony,

In the past I also just pulled off my bite valve on my Platy Hoser system and then pushed the male end of the Sawyer clean end into my hydration tube, but the quick disconnect would allow me to regulate the flow to "turn off" the filter, so the water doesn't spill on the ground. I'm already used to the quick disconnect on my Platy 4.0 L CleanStream dirty bag, and it makes a great faucet while in camp. The male end of the quick disconnect on my CleanStream system weighs in at 3 g. I'm guessing the total weight of the Sawyer quick disconnect accessory would be less than 10 g. I guess it's a convenience vs. weight factor.

I think I may continue to use my Clean Stream 4.0 L dirty bag while hiking with my wife and daughter, since it's easy to fill with the large zip top and allows me to carry a lot of water to camp. At around 3 oz (including a short length of Platy tubing to connect to the filter) it is over twice the weight of a 2 L Platy bag (1.3 oz) but the extra oz might be worth the weight when having to fill both my wife's and my own bladders. It's nice to be able to just hang the bag on a tree and take a seat. I think hiking solo I would try to use the 2 L Sawyer bags (hopefully they are improved over the gen 1 bags) or maybe try the Mini Bull designs adapter for my Platy bags.

When I pick up my Sawyer mini from REI I'll experiment with all this and test some flow rates. My hope is that it does better than my old all-black filter.

Katharina,

Good point.

My plan is to use the squeeze bag that comes with the filter in camp, when I am not too concerned with speed of refilling up.

I don't think that I would have much confidence in the Nalgene holding up to being repeatedly squeezed.

I would use the wide mouth Nalgene to scoop up the dirty water and then pour it into the squeeze bag and "create" water on demand as needed in camp for cooking.

I have used the gravity filter setup in the past and I find that I ended up; squeezing the bag to speed up the process….my simply getting impatient.

I like the ability to carry 2.0 L of water at any given time for the dry stretches of the trail. So between the Nalgene and a Squeeze bag I should be able to carry 2.0 L or 3 L depending if I carry a 1 L or 2 L Squeeze bag, as there isn't much of a difference in weight between them.

Anyway, that is the theory for me at this point.

@ Greg Maybe it is me getting older, but I want to simplify my setup and fiddle with less gear. I have been carrying a 4 L water tank in the past for my gravity filter in camp. I just have found that is slows me down when it comes time to break down camp and to get onto the trail. When I am hiking with Jeremy, I feel like I am always last to get packed up and slowest to get back on the trail after a water stop/break. Simplicity hopefully means more speed.

@ David…..please let us know how your setup works. Maybe post up a picture of the completed setup.

Tony

Anybody made progress on a new system? I too have been using the black filter for the last few years with varying sizes of Big Zip Platypus bladders. I use it in-line to drink from on the trail and as a gravity setup in camp. I've never had any issues with flow and I think this is about a simple as I can get the system.

That being said: I am trying to get my setup a little lighter and I now have a Sawyer Mini and am considering switching to a Hoser over a Big Zip for the weight reduction. However, the Hoser is seemingly more difficult to fill up over the Big Zip.

Adrien

About 35 years ago, all we used for water treatment was a little iodine. Then little by little, problems with iodine came up, so we moved over to arm-pump filters. Those worked good for some years, and now we've found ourselves moving over to gravity-fed filters. This is where I've been for several years now. In general, I use a 2L Platypus for the raw water, a hose segment, a filter, another hose segment, and another 2L Platypus for the clean water. I think that I have three different brands of filter element that I've tried in there. If there is a nice one-foot waterfall, then it is simple to fill up the raw water Platypus. However, if there is no waterfall, this gets difficult to fill. Submerging it into a lake to fill it is very slow, since it collapses. Apparently the accepted tool is a water scoop made out of another Platypus that is cut off at an angle, and I may have to go there. I think somebody tried to use a large Tyvek mailing envelope for the same way, but I didn't hear how that worked out. Maybe the stiffness of the Platypus plastic is necessary.

The water problem I got into last August bothered me. The only water I could find for miles was one small stream that had a flat gravel and rock bed, and the water was only an eighth of an inch deep over the gravel, and it was too shallow for any scoop. So, I dug a hole in the gravel and rock and let the water fill that so that I could scoop out an inch of water with my cook pot. Even that took a long time.

Has anybody found the perfect water scoop tool? Lightweight, of course.

–B.G.–

Bob, I use the platy on both ends also and filling the dirty bag can be problematic.

I fix it by cutting the bottom out of the dirty bag (the pleated part). I tried thinner string but with a full bag it cut through (even though I ran it through the thickened sandwiched part, that is why the thckened part is now cut off). It works great now.

It weighs 1 oz exactly (minus the white cap; I don't use it with a gravity setup.)

It was a 3L bag

Tad, I have always been inclined to keep both of my Platypus containers intact and not cut the top one like you did. Once in a while, I need to expand my water-carrying capacity, and I can do that with intact Platypus containers. My drinking water is in a Gatorade bottle, but clean Platypus is often my reserve tank. Once in a while, the raw water Platypus is thrown into action as a reserve also.

I do have mine set up with thin cords similar to the one you show. Sometimes the entire gravity filtering process is slow, so I just hang it from a tree branch in camp and let it flow. Was anything ever established as to the length of tubing necessary for this to work properly?

The only problem I've had is when there is a big air bubble inside the filter, and it will block most water flow. The solution is to invert the entire rig and let the water flow in reverse for a bit to clear the bubble. Then put it all back to normal and then it will flow correctly.

California is heading into a drought situation, so we are expecting to find less and less water running off high in the mountains. Therefore, we need to better manage the water that we can find.

–B.G.–

I use a platy big zip for my dirty water bag and remove the drinking tube and the blue plastic clamp thingy. A lot of the weight of the big zip is in those parts (will weigh soon). I can use it as a scoop/squeeze bag to filter water into my clean platy (hoser), or just drink straight from the clean end of the filter. I can even use it as an inline filter using the drinking tube from the hoser. And I can use the big zip to carry extra water if I ever need to.

The 2L Platypus Big Zip is nice, but it apparently weighs 5.5 ounces. That is high. I agree that the blue plastic clamp seems unnecessary. Those manufacturers don't seem to learn.

I get 2L+filter+2L for about 6.5 ounces. The extra ounce that I carry is some liquid chemicals to treat water in case the entire gravity filter goes belly-up (like from freezing or something).

I lightened up a Platypus one time. Through age, one was delaminating. So, I peeled off the outer layer of plastic and discarded it. The rest of it worked fine for several more years.

One guy advocated the use of a simple plastic bag for carrying water. You see where that will go. He kept the plastic bag protected by a warm jacket, and that was all in his backpack. One day the bag failed and he got a backpack half soaked in water.

–B.G.–

I use a 3 liter platypus hoser, Sawyer in-line, and a plastic cup I made from a 20 oz Coke bottle for my scooper. Works great so far and with my 1 liter collapsible platty bottle (use for lemonade, etc.) weighs about 8 oz. By converting to the Mini, I can save a couple ounces and get things down to 6 oz. Bigger thing for me is just switching to water bottles and just screwing the mini onto them.

Tony,

I too have been entertaining the Nalgene canteen and Jetflow adapter for use with my Sawyer mini. I love the idea of avoiding scooping water with the wide mouth opening. I wish I would have stumbled on this thread before I purchased the canteen and Jetflow adapters because I too experienced leaking between the canteen and adapter. Did you ever come up with a way to make a better seal?

Brian

Does anyone have a possible solution to stopping the leak? This set up is near perfect for me. It is fairly light, easy to fill, the right volume and would work great in gravity or squeeze mode. If only it didn't leak!!!!

Brian,

Sorry that I missed your posting and was delayed in getting back to you.

Regarding the Jetflow and Nalgene canteen…..I tried to use a type of telfon "string" that is used for wrapping around faucet threads and jammed it into the deep channel in the jetflow cap to make it air tight and that did not work.

I have to go to Home Depot to buy a rubber gasket for a bathtub drain.

It was on a youtube video I came across a while back.

The guy cut down the gasket along the outer edges so it would fit inside the jetflow cap.

Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQETu708Jss

I just have to get one and cut it down and see if it works…no reason why it should not.

My only concern would be losing the gasket while dunking the Nalgene in a river to scoop up water.

Maybe I just need to be careful and get it nice and snug….worse case, remove it before dunking in a river.

But that is my plan.

I toyed with the idea of using silicon caulking inside the jetflow cap to create a permanent, but decided against it because if it failed, I would have to cut out the caulking and possibly damage the cap.

Hope this helps.

Tony

Thanks for the link! It seems like it should work. I will give it a try and post the results.

Brian

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000GM6LWS/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

Blue Desert Smartube Hyrdration.

They have a wide mouth cap that might provide a better fit than the Jetflow.

Also seems to be a good option for using a Smart Water Bottle, connection the tubing, and using the Sawyer Mini as an inline filter.

Tony