question on using the Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System on the jmt

google "sawyer squeeze site:backpackinglight.com"

for example http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/forums/thread_display.html?forum_thread_id=48335

I like a 1 liter soda bottle to squeeze from, second bottle for treated water, but many other ways to do it

i did read that post, i was a little confused on what bottle was used for what and if anything else needed to be purchased. so, keep a liter bottle for dirty water that's squeezable instead of the bag it comes with and fill the gatorade bottles directly. does this filter clog easier than other setups? i planned on bringing tablets just in case.

The problem with the bags, especially the older Sawyer bags, is people have had experience with them breaking. Supposedly, Evernew bags are sturdier, but I have this suspicion that maybe people haven't used them as much which is the reason there haven't been as many failures reported.

With a bag, you take two pieces of plastic and weld them around the sides to make a bag. And weld on the screw end. It seems like that's weaker than just making a soda bottle with one injection operation – no seams.

The Sawyer sometimes clogs according to some reports. I don't think it matters what bag/bottle you squeeze from. Make sure and backflush before your trip.

I got a 3 liter "Hoser" bag from Platypus. I didn't want the hose, but that's what it came with. I just use the bag to hold untreated water. I took the hose and cut off about two inches. This weighs 0.3 ounces – 2 inch hose + screw top. I can now screw this onto the treated water bag, attach the hose to the output end of the Squeeze, and backflush.

Another thing is, if you carefully select water sources on the JMT, and you have a normal immune system, you probably won't get sick, especially if this is just a backup in case the Sawyer filter becomes in-operable.

But your tablets as backup weigh so little that's not a bad plan B also.

"Supposedly, Evernew bags are sturdier, but I have this suspicion that maybe people haven't used them as much which is the reason there haven't been as many failures reported."

Nope. I've been using the same 1 liter Evernew bag with the original Sawyer squeeze for dirty water duty since last spring on numerous trips to the Sierra with no problems whatsoever.

I had a full two liter Evernew fall from a height of almost 6 ft, land on its side and not burst. Have had the same two liter Evernew "dirty bag" since fall of 2012 and am still using it.

Hi Christopher,

I used the Mini for a week on the JMT from Kearsarge Pass to Bishop pass about 3 weeks ago. Worked flawlessly, although I think the flow rate dropped ever so slightly the last day. might have been my impatience though. I carried a 2nd generation 32oz Sawyer bag for my dirty water and then filtered into a 20oz plastic bottle. You should be fine as long as you use clear water sources.

Ryan

after hearing from everybody, i think i'm going to try it out with a 900ml evernew bag instead of plastic bottle.

Don't neglect to backflush. In my experience it's easier to keep it from slowing down than to fix it once it does. I've started getting in the habit of backflushing my filter daily. Overkill, probably, but it can't hurt.

how do you backwash the unit?

Use the supplied syringe or other method to force water backwards though the filter

:)

>> "Use the supplied syringe or other method to force water backwards though the filter"

To clarify, you must force CLEAN water backwards through the filter. That's why even if you filter on-the-fly you want to have a container of clean water on hand.

Normally, when the filter clogs, it happens slowly.

So, when it starts getting too slow for you, filter out another cup or so, then use that to backflush