Hello, does any one have any experience to share of using filters for water. I'm sure you do. I'm looking at the Sawyer Mini Water Filter for a camelback set up. Aquapure water bottle for cage mounts. It's to cut down on the plastic bottles I'd have to buy on a trip. Good, bad experiences, fast glugging or squeezing water out of a stone?
Thanks

I have an Aquapure bottle and an MSR Trailshot. I used the Aquapure bottle quite a bit for my first US trip and it was easy enough to use. I’d carry two bottles, the Aquapure containing the ‘dirty’ water and a second regular bottle that only ever contained clean water.

The Trail Shot was a similar idea but I used it with a bladder. Easy to pump from any source, and the bladder was filled only with clean water. Again this meant that I never needed to worry about cleaning out the bladder as the water was always good in it.

For me the Trail Shot is more versatile and probably quicker to use once you get the hang of it.

Where are you intending to use a filter?

Edit: Trailshot not Trail Tap

I've the Sawyer Mini Filter and the MSR Trailshot. The latter is twice the weight but is much more practical: the intake hose can be placed in very shallow puddles or streams and still extract water whereas the Sawyer requires that you fill the pouch before you can actually start filtering. I've yet to achieve the stated flow rate of the MSR but that could be (lack of) practice.

Stu did some reviews:
MSR here - http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... water.html
Sawyer here - http://bearbonesbikepacking.blogspot.co ... eview.html

Obviously not a filter but could I put a quick word in for the Steripen for comparison purposes? Needs batteries of course, but put 500ml water in whatever container you like, stick the Steripen in, press a button, and 30 seconds later - no nasty bugs. Very simple and quick. An added benefit is you get to keep all those nice chewy sheep-poo bits! Having said that I also have a Sawyer, and really must get a Trailshot to have a bash with.

'R'

Maybe (most likely) overkill; however, I have an MSR Guardian
Screws directly onto Nalgene 1 litre bottle, or a Camelbak Podium bottle
Will purify 1 litre of water in about 50 seconds.

Not small though

Will be going with me on WRT

Asposium wrote:Maybe (most likely) overkill; however, I have an MSR Guardian
Screws directly onto Nalgene 1 litre bottle, or a Camelbak Podium bottle
Will purify 1 litre of water in about 50 seconds.

Not small though

Will be going with me on WRT

I have a katadyn Vario very much the same as above ,not light but fits straight onto a bottle and has served me well,will also be going on WRT with me

Hello, thanks for the replies.
Can the Sawyer mini filter not be plugged straight into your water bladder or am I reading the site wrong? I’m not too clear on that as it looks pretty good and would reduce lots of faffing about if it can.
I have a steripen brilliant bit of kit but bit wary of damage as only used it on climbing trips before and think it may be rattled about a lot more bikepacking.
I’m heading to Nepal so half the trip has filtered water available half or it not.
For simplicity I like the Aquapure. I’ll be able to get bottled water everywhere but just trying to cut down on the mounds of plastic bottles you see over there and save some cash.
Thanks for the replies.

You can use a Sawyer in-line but quite how good a suck you'd need to get water through the filter - I don't know.

I've always liked the Sawyer, especially the 'mini' but once I'd tried the Trailshot I realised how flawed the Sawyer is. I realise that the Trailshot can't be used in-line but as you'll need to fill the bladder regardless, it's probably not much trouble to fill it via a filter. As Bob rightly says, it enables you to use water that without would be difficult to access.

Another MSR Trailshot user here. Whatever you get make sure you know how to clean (backflush) it before leaving home.

Sawyer can be daisy chained direct to a bladder. Extra suck strength required though. ANd it too can be put directly into a mucky paddle to drink from

Another Sawyer Mini user here. As long as you keep it flushed, the flow rate is fine. Have drank from puddles/streams/rivers on 3 continents with it so far and it's been solid. I take the flushing syringe with me and use it every 3-4 days whilst out on a longer trip.

Greetz

S.

Pirahna wrote:Another MSR Trailshot user here. Whatever you get make sure you know how to clean (backflush) it before leaving home.

A nice feature of the Guardian, it is self cleaning

Asposium wrote: A nice feature of the Guardian, it is self cleaning

It's also £300 and weighs half a kilo.

My Sawyer froze on an earlier trip this year, I guess its screwed now. I find hard work to get a decent rate of flow through it so may try the trailshot on the WRT

MSR Trail Shot ordered. Thanks folks. Will try out over coming weeks. If I keel over I'll let you know.

I had the pure hydration bottle and inline filter for use with my camelback. Both work great, much quicker than sayers.

http://www.purehydration.com/all-produc ... traveller/

http://www.purehydration.com/all-produc ... -assembly/

Bumping a related thread to ask a question...

...anyone know if there's a way of testing these to make sure they're still filtering properly? My trail shot was in the garage (in a box) during the two severe cold snaps this winter and I'm concerned that it will have broken. I would just buy a new one to be sure, but I'm not made of money!

There's a video from MSR showing how to perform an integrity test, a quick search should find it.

Cheers.

Edit - Here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6dXj4_ZUvvo