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Mini has its place on a weekend trip where a reduction in flow is minimal, and using a few tablets (or gasp, some diarrhea) isn’t a big deal.
Not commenting on the Mini but just in general — there are many things I would do to save an ounce, but incurring diarrhea isn’t one of them…
Hey! don’t misquote me, then pretend that you are responding ;)
1. The mini has to clog, not likely on a weekend, with care.
2. You need to not have a backup, a few tablets in your first aid solve this. Also could boil or use a friend’s.
3. That source would need to be suspect. People hike 1,000’s of miles without any issue (I filter everything, so I hear ya).
The odds of all that adding up to diarrhea is basically zero.
Where does one find one of these black Sawyer filters?
this one? https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-pointone-one-filter/
I had one but it ran way. It was drying on my van and my son drove away with it on top. One would figure it would have been easy to find on the road nearyby, but no luck. I have a mini but have not used it enough I guess to be disappointed in it yet.
It’s the filter that comes with the “Personal Water Bottle with Filter“.
Seems like strange marketing to me, but what do I know?
“this one? https://sawyer.com/products/sawyer-pointone-one-filter/”
No, that is what people here are generally calling “the Squeeze”. It’s bigger and heavier than the black filter in the video, which comes in a Sawyer water bottle (SP140). I still prefer the 3-way filter as it has built-in quick disconnect fittings and the flow rate is even better, but the black one looks like a good ultralight option!
Casey,
On the SP122 (3-way), is the dirty side quick disconnect the type that seals when no fitting is installed, i.e. will dirty water escape when no hose is attached?
It looks like the clean side will leak, but I’m not concerned about clean water? :)
No, the valve does not have auto shutoff. If it did you would not be able to shake out the filter, so this is a good thing. What I generally do when finished filtering is to detach the hose from the dirty bag but keep it attached to the filter, then holding the hose, whirl the filter around quickly, which forces any remaining water flying out the clean end.
For those looking to purchase the all-black filter (SP121 is the official designation), you can go here:
But if you search ebay, you can find it for about $35 shipped. You have to be careful. Some of these water bottle filters include the Mini. Also some of the 3 in 1 filter kits are shipping the SP122, which has the quick disconnect on either side. I personally don’t prefer the SP122. It’s heavier. I should say, though, that Casey seems to like it. I personally haven’t tried it.
My SP121 filter (the one in the youtube video) is weighing in around 2.38 oz WET. I think the squeeze is around 3.1-3.3 oz wet.
In summary, I don’t think there is a lighter/better option for gravity filtration than the one I have. Of course, time will tell if the flow rate slows. But even if I get 2-3 min / L, I’ll be happy.
(from another thread)
The two fittings for the squeeze (blue and grey screw in/on pieces) weigh an additional 12.3g bringing the Squeeze weight up to 106g, and then there’s the weight of quick-disconnect fittings and short pieces of tubing if you want to add that functionality that I’m not even counting, which is already built-in to the 3-way.
There’s a pretty widespread consensus that the Squeeze filter is a better choice than the mini, but considering the above, the weight isn’t really higher for a 3-way, and it adds convenience and increased flow rate.
The black filter’s wet weight is about 67 grams, and clearly works a lot better than the mini, so it seems like an ideal balance – the best choice for someone really prioritizing low weight while wanting something that works well. While I can say that the Squeeze filter has much better throughput than the mini and the 3-way has even faster flow rate than that, it appears from the video that the flow rate of the black filter is quite good and should be perfectly adequate, which I don’t think the mini delivers.
I don’t think the added throughput of the 3-way is necessary, though I imagine it takes longer to clog. I do like having secure fittings which the black filter does not have provision for, but that’s a preference formed from using a mini where I had to squeeze water super-hard to try to get it to trickle through, then having the hose pop off the filter and making a mess of dirty water everywhere. If the filter consistently performs as well as in the above video, that probably isn’t much of an issue.
Casey, lack of auto shut off is a definite negative for me. I keep the entire dirty side of the system (dirty bag, hose, and filter) connected, and thus sealed, after the first use. This keeps dirty water from getting on anything. Having the inlet of the filter auto-close would have simplified things and allowed the dirty side to be disassembled a little more. As for draining the filter (whichever model I use) after use, I just suck it dry from the clean end :)
BTW, I found the SP140 here on eBay for $26.94 delivered (unless you live in Florida then add $1.54 sales tax).
Yeah, I saw that too and just picked one up to have one as a backup in case they ever discontinue the filter. It’s the best kept secret when it comes to Sawyer filters.
Slightly off topic…Does anyone have any suggestions for a nozzle cover for my Sawyer filter? The flip cover that came with my Mini has long since broken off and has disappeared. The primary function is to cover the clean end. I’m thinking maybe something from the hardware store? I’m just not sure exactly where to look.
I also lost the cap the very first night in the field, was shaking it out and never saw the cap again. I called Sawyer and they sent a replacement no charge, and I tied it onto the filter with some 1mm polyester cord, and it will never get lost again.
Maybe those vinyl end caps that are sold for the ends of tent poles?
JR, Do you realize you’ve just added another gram to the total weight of the filter?!?!?
I know, it has kept me awake many a night… =)
Actually that cord weighs only 0.5 oz for 50′ and I’m using less than a foot of it, so if I trim my fingernails before heading out I’m about breaking even. And, as you can see, I peeled the label off the filter so I’m saving a ton of weight there.
Or get a haircut? :)
Back to my original question–I actually don’t plan to bring the cap with me on trail. I just want to use it to capture the bleach solution at home as Sawyer indicates. They state that one should backflush, then rush bleach through it and let it sit in the filter for 1 hr, then drain. I just need to find a way to close off clean end to trap the bleach.
I’ll try contacting Sawyer about this–it’s for my all-black filter, not the Mini, but I’m hoping it’ll work.
Hey JR, where did you get the cord that weighs only 0.5 oz for 50′. What kind of cord is it?
Zpacks sells 1mm spectra cord. I think it was called Z-line, if I recall correctly.
Yeah, I called it polyester but it’s the Z-Line from Zpacks. They do have a polyester cord that’s even lighter and is good for drawcords and such.
I’m sure somebody else has tried this, but last week on a five day trip with my wife, I used the SP121 with Smartwater flip caps as a kind of squeeze/gravity hybrid.
I was surprised how well the nipples of the SP121 fit in the Smartwater flip cap, no leaks at all. I can actually hang the system in air for about a liter before I start to worry that the clean bag might slip off. Usually though, I was just squeezing directly into drinking bottles and not using it as a gravity system. As a squeeze system, it works fantastic, from both the Evernew and Platypus.
In gravity mode it supplies a nice trickle for washing your hands or scrubbing out a pot.
I do wish the Smartwater caps fit the Platypus bladders a little better, but it does work, just have to visually inspect that it is straight before squeezing.
(Tried this experiment with a Mini, the loss in flow rate was not worth the weight savings to me. The similar caps from Propel Water are not as solid a fit, and leak a little.)
When I first got my Mini, I thought “wow, this flows faster than my Squeeze (used but we’ll cared for).” The mini flowed well throughout my first trip, after which I diligently back flushed with water and bleach and let it dry out per the instructions. On the next trip I noticed it was much slower. After reading here about people restoring the flow with vinegar, I tried that and had decent flow again, but it didn’t last very long at all on the next trip. I repeated this a few times and got the same result. It seems like the first drying out really does something to these filters. I’ve considered buying a new mini and never letting it dry out to see if a reasonable flow could be maintained.
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