Sawyer Squeeze: What am I doing wrong?

Your not the first one to be frustrated with the Mini (and Micro I think).  Many go back to the slightly larger Sawyer Squeeze and say it makes a big difference.  I find when my mini or squeeze are dried out it takes some time before it starts to flow, so maybe hang the platypus from a branch and let gravity soak through the filter if you have time by your water source before filling your bottle.  If you have a sports cap for the Smart Water bottle you can leave the backflush syringe at home.

I recently tried a Platypus gravity system and that filter seemed to work really well, but it was demo conditions, not in the field.

Others swear by the Katadyn BeFree (but some report problems), and I’ve heard good things about the HydraPak, but those require 42 mm squeeze bottles.

From my experience and use-full size Sawyer Squeeze or Befree filter. Always backflush, maintain per manual after each trip AND make sure to presoak 24hrs before trip and test as you are walking out the door. When dry both will hardly let any water through. Usually a overnight submersion will bring them back to full flow.

The other issue is water clarity.  If you are at all concerned about even a tiny bit of algae or sediment in the water you are filtering, prefilter with a bandana or something else.  It makes a huge difference.  I’ve used the Sawyer Squeeze for many years now, without any problem,  but I do prefilter when the water is sketchy.

I’ve been using the same Squeeze for 10 years with no problems

backflushing after each trip and using clean water, like you did, should work.  It’s inexplicable why yours didn’t work.

The mini is supposed to clog faster than the squeeze if you use it many days, especially with silty water, but it sounds like yours clogged on the first use – weird.  That’s not the use case that makes people switch from mini to squeeze.

Maybe there’s something wrong with that filter.  Maybe try another mini.  I think squeeze or befree would be even better.

I always shake out the water from inside of the filter, outside of the hollow tubes, to minimize carry weight and prevent it from dripping water into my pack.

I don’t think it’s possible to remove the water from inside the hollow tubes, it’s too small a diameter.  This contradicts the theory they can dry out, so I’m confused.  Maybe I use mine more often so it never dries out, but if I stored it for a few months it would would.  That makes sense it wouldn’t work as well if it dried out.

I used to follow the instructions and not let it freeze, but I screwed up a few times and let it freeze and it continued to work fine.  When I squeeze water through it, it requires quite a bit of pressure to produce a moderate flow, about the same as before, so I don’t think freezing it hurt it.  I think water inside the case, outside the hollow tubes would crack the case if it froze, maybe that’s the risk.  Water inside the hollow tubes shouldn’t matter if it freezes because the hollow tubes are designed to stretch out a little when it’s backflushed.

I used the Sawyer mini for many years before the O-ring finally gave out on a trip and I replaced it with the full-size Sawyer. What a difference the full-size makes! But anyway, at first I could not get the Sawyer mini to work at all. I thought I was going to pop my platypus bag. It turned out the user interface of the filter was confusing to me. I thought the little water droplet meant one thing when it meant the opposite thing. I was trying to squeeze the water through the wrong direction.

Mine have for sure dried out. My Squeeze and Befree would go from not allowing 1 drop to full flow after an overnight soak in some RO water.

I’ve not gone out a long trips, but I’ve had reasonable luck with the mini. I was out for three days last month and the water had a bit of sediment (creeks were shallow), but I was still able to get a good flow on the third day. It’s maybe five years old? I didn’t back flush until I got back home and a lot of dirt came out when I did. I’ll probably get a full-sized eventually.
I’m not sure I buy the “pre-soak” thing, but I certainly believe in testing it at home before leaving. That would pre-soak it indirectly.

I have used a Platypus gravity system (for two person trips) and a homemade gravity system using the Hydroblu Versa (for solo trips) for many years, and both work flawlessly with no particular effort. Obviously I can use them in squeeze mode if necessary, but I usually don’t.

I imagine that the Sawyer would also be fine since many people are satisfied customers, but I read enough questionable reviews about the Sawyer filters that I just decided to go with the others.

If you soak overnight in RO (reverse osmosis?) water it could dissolve minerals clogging up the filter.  As mentioned in previous threads.  A common problem

Not arguing that filter didn’t dry out, just over analyzing :)

Maybe more sawyer failures because there are more sawyer users?  That’s not confirmation bias or survivor bias but one of those cognitive errors us humans have.

Ive had both the Mini and Micro.. both are pretty terrible.  The extra couple oz’s for the regular Squeeze is well worth the time and headache savings.

We actually tried going filterless this summer in the high sierras..  worked out.. and very liberating. brought a few aquamira tabs that we used for a source near the JMT, but the rest of the time we were off trail and with all the snow felt like it was pretty safe

Joe,

I did a video about comparing the Mini and the regular Sawyer filter many years ago.  It basically explains why the Mini is a terrible filter.  My 2 cents.

As well as elaborations

I find that a great pre-filter is a coffee filter.  They are pretty strong, weigh nothing.  Cut one up at home and bring a small rubber band to attach the coffee filter paper to the hose as a pre-filter.  Have one tested at home before you head out.  A bandana then becomes the backup to the coffee filter paper.

I haven’t used the Sawyers, but I watch folks struggle with them a lot. I love the BeFree. I’m on my second; the first just got slower and slower over several years and many trips, even after a lot of swishing. It was worth paying even the higher current price for a new one. When you think about all the other things you are willing to pay for convenience, getting a new water filter now and then isn’t a bad deal. Just do it.

I find the coffee filter works well with a Gravity Works but is really slow with smart bottles and the Quickdraw.  Huggies Natural Care (no additives) wipes work well for this.  I carry a few dry ones (2g ea) for dirty clean ups anyway, dual use as a pre-filter.

When the lakes turn over later in the fall and get loaded with organics, I sometimes bite the bullet and use an MSR Trailshot with it’s in-built pre-filter.  Its small hose-end intake is handy for directing to clean pockets of water without disturbing the bottom which would stir up a pile of mung.  Something not possible with a cnoc bladder or a smart bottle.

@Jerry I have soaked with RO water and tap when I didn’t have filtered. Both brought it back with similar results. Our tap is incredibly saturated with dissolved solids-400-600ppm.

FWIW I was against the Befree movement and at some point got one. I filtered maybe 8 liters of pristine Sierra water, followed the instructions for storage and sure as … 2 months later I pulled it out and it wouldn’t allow 1 drop through-this was before I figured the soaking method. I knew I couldn’t have ruined the filter with 2 gallons of clear water, minerals or not. Tried soaking in luke warm water and within a few hours it was back to full flow.

I think a lot of the hubbub about the Quickdraw being bad out of the box is actually a dried out filter.

Re: a “dried out filter”…

Assuming that a brand new Squeeze is as dry as it will ever be, why does a new filter flow perfectly?  If a new filter is not completely dry from the factory, then how is it “lubricated” and would such a substance then be a good pre-storage treatment?

There is no way to know how long a new Squeeze has been on the shelf so somehow it is retaining it’s performance pre first use.

I have no answers, only questions.

I had a similar experience. I had mine in storage due to a move. I took mine with me, and it failed. Defaulted back to my aqua mira drops. Doesn’t get the grit out. But I find it more dependable.

Been using the same Sawyer Squeeze since 2011, never had any problems with it. I tried the Mini once to save weight, and while I didn’t have any problems per say, it just didn’t flow as well as the full sized Squeeze and I was having to backflush more often, so I don’t use it. The full sized one is the way to go IMO.

If you accidentally let it dry out, do the vinegar soak and it gets it right back into shape.

Gonna give the vinegar soak a try this weekend to see if I can revive mine.

I don’t have experience with the Sawyers; I’ve used a Hydroblu Versa filter for 4 years, with trips up to 12 days, and have had no problems with it clogging or drying out. However, I do backflush it after every trip just to be safe.

Like Dan, I use it in a gravity setup. I have a Platypus reservoir and a CNOC Vecta reservoir. The first thing I do when I get to my campsite is fill the Vecta, screw on the filter and the Platypus, and hang it from a tree in a gravity setup (I keep a bit of nylon cord permanently attached to the Vecta for this). By the time I have my tent up and my pad inflated, I have 2 L of filtered water in the Platypus, with no effort. This approach should work with other filters and reservoirs, too, as long as they screw together. Just remember to roll all the air out of the lower reservoir first (not sure how to do that with hard bottles).

If I let my Sawyer dry out without back flushing, there’s a good chance it will clog. A drop of dish soap in the syringe followed by a good rinse will clean it out. With murky water, I’ve used a Thermarest bag inside my CNOC. I tried a charcoal fish filter at the bottom, but decided it was too heavy for what it did.  A small foam paint roller will fit in the opening as well. If you trim it down, it leaves a small tube that rises above the sediment.

I like the foam roller idea and I’m pretty sure I’m picturing it correctly. Can you post a photo?

I’m sorry I don’t have pictures or a fresh roller. A 4” foam paint roller will squeeze into the neck of a water bladder. There’s a tube in the roller where the handle usually goes. It will stick up about 3” into the bladder, leaving a small area for sentiment. The foam is compressed inside the neck, so it doesn’t filter as fast as I was hoping. Most of the water goes through the tube. I wanted to try it with some alum, use a roller that wasn’t as dense, but I just kind of forgot about it.

Joe, all the other posts are spot on regarding hollow-fiber filter cleaning/prep.  I also noted the same issue as you when filtering from one bottle to another until I realized that (in my case) it was a pressure issue.  I had TOO MUCH air in the receiving container so there was no way for the water to enter – think of trying to pour water into an air-filled balloon – the air pressure of the receiving container fills the entire container and is just too much to allow water to flow into it.

I changed my hydration system to a bladder-system only for water filtration because the water bottles hold too much air.  My CNOC ballder collects my water, then connects to my Sawyer filter which then connects to my Sawyer bladder.  My Sawyer bladder is about 25% full of air so that the water can expand the rest of the space.  I also slightly loosen the filter on the threads of the receiving bladder so that a small amount of air can escape as the water drips into the clean bladder.  Sometimes I have to open the connection to force addtional air out of the bladder, but it works.  For me, it was all about allowing the physics of vacuum to work.  BTW, I always gravity filter…I have more important things to do than watch water flow into a bottle.  ;)-

Of course, if you are just free filtering into an open-mouth contianer, then it is likely a filter and/or user issue.   I will say that the Mini really is not a good filter and should be dropped from the Saywer family (or at least signifigantly inproved).  The regular and gravity filters are solid.

I’ve done a video on my hydration system that may help a bit.  It does not directly address your issue but, it does offer a visual.  Hope that helps.  (https://youtu.be/7bJ4tibPDFQ)