Water filter system query

[tinman]

I'm currently planning my first trip to the Isle this summer. I have 2- 32oz sawyer water system from REI. The question goes out the experienced veterans of the Isle. Plain and simple what filtration systems work best in this region?I grew up in the mountains of west Texas and know the desert well. This will be a challenge; i need some tutelage.

[johnhens]

If you search the posts here on filtration and water treatment, you will find many approaches to treating water. If kayaking, I use a Katadyn Base Camp (w/ceramic filter) gravity system. Backpacking, I use a MSR Miniworks.
I am looking at the newer gravity filters to replace the MSR.

Welcome to the forums and Isle Royale!!
I think you may be the first visitor from Texas, at least on the Forums.

[Ernest T Bass]

Hey Tinman,
The recommendations for Isle Royale are that you either filter or boil your water. I have a Sawyer Point One Squeeze System that I purchased on Amazon last spring. It consists of the cartridge filter and three bags (32, 16, and 12 ounces). My wife and I made our first visit to IR last September. We each had an empty 32 oz Gatorade bottle that we used to carry and drink filtered water.
We did the Feldtmann Lake loop from Windigo. I thought the Sawyer system worked extremely well, and I plan to stick with this in the future. The system itself weighs about 3 ounces, I can't see how you can get much lighter than this. You just want to be careful in filling your bottle to not drip unfiltered water into the filtered water. The only problem I encountered was a little water tended to leak out of the cartridge when in my pack (there is a plastic cap that you can replace on the spout tip, but the end that screws on the bags still remains open and can leak). I plan to solve this by carrying the filter in a mini ziplock bag. We carried unfiltered water in the Sawyer bags with the caps that come with the bags, and filtered what we needed as we went. We also had some Mio (concentrated flavoring liquid) with us, which was really nice.
I did have a Sea to Summit camp sink, which I used to carry all the filtering equipment and water bags inside my pack. I also used it to get water initially, before transferring it into the bags (to fill the bags, I used a small plastic glass that my wife brought from the hotel we stayed at before coming over on the Voyageur II). This cracked and subsequently needed a duct tape fix.
For our next trip, I am leaving the S-t-S sink at home, replacing it with 2 or 3 two gallon ziplock bags, which will save a lot of weight. I plan to snip the corner off a smaller ziplock bag to use as a funnel in transferring water from the big ziplocks to the Sawyer bags. I do know that a few people have had problems with the Sawyer bags leaking. I found that they will flow water through the filter by gravity alone. I did squeeze them, but did so rather gently. It does not take much pressure to filter a reasonable amount of water pretty quickly. Personally, I think the system rocks and I plan to stick with this for some time to come.

Happy trails!

ETB

[tinman]

Thanks to johnhens and ernest t bass on your acute responses. I appreciate the help as i'm planning a backpacking to an entirely new region. A bit of contrast from the desert/mountain region that i'm accustomed to. Thanks again guys.

[LeftOvers]

I took an MSR Gravity Flow system on my last trip. It's heavy for solo use, but I liked that the water bag was easy to fill from open water and holds more than 4 liters of water. I was able to attach a shower nozzle for occassional brisk showers.

I bought a Sawyer System for a trip to Mexico last month, but never used it. I like the simplicity and lightweight and will probably take it on my next trip to IR.

To keep the filters from clogging and slowing the flow, you'll want to use some simple mesh to pre-filter the large junk out of the water you run through your filter system. I've used one of those gold mesh coffee maker filters - bulky, but light. Look for a system that is field maintainable - can be backflushed with treated water to clear the filter.

Both the MSR and the Sawyer filters must be kept from freezing once used (i.e. when wet). Not often a concern on IR in the middle of summer.

By the way, my thoughts on an ultra cheap and lightweight water bag are to use an empty, carefully opened, well washed, large potato chip bag. To carry it from the water to camp, use one of those mesh bags onions come in. It's light enough to bring a spare chip bag for longer trips. Hold it upright in camp with a short cord tied between the mesh and a tree branch or shelter part.

[Ernest T Bass]

I like the idea of the mesh onion bag for carrying things. I was using a Sea to Summit camp sink, but decided to swap that out for 2 or 3 of the two gallon ziplock bags (taking more than one since they are not nearly as sturdy, but they save a bunch of weight). I used the camp sink to get water from the lake, then would fill the individual Sawyer bags, taking care to not let any particulate matter in. The Sawyer bags are nice to transport the water since they have screw tops. I had an idea about taking a smaller clean ziplock an snipping off the corner of it to use it as a funnel to fill the Sawyer bags. That way we can just filter what we need as we go.
My wife and I each take an empty 32 oz Gatorade bottle for the filtered water. So this, combined with the three Sawyer bags (64, 32, and 16 oz), allows us capacity to carry about 5.5 liters between the two of us. We have not done extensive time on some of the trails where little water is available. I did pick up a three pack of extra 64 oz bags that I could always bring if a trip dictates that.

Cheers,

ETB

[alecto73]

I have used the MSR Miniworks with a collapsible bucket and a Platypus Big Zip/Sawyer SP122 setup. The MSR worked fine but I love the Sawyer setup. I've also used the Katadyn Basecamp (for solo packing no less) in the U.P. but not on the island. It would work also. If you use the Basecamp keep an eye on the glue around that filter fitting at the bottom. I had to do some serious McGuyvering to make it through my Pictured Rocks trip when it failed.

[hooky]

I've been using a MSR Sweetwater and it worked fine on the island. I'm moving to a sawyer squeeze though based on it's versatility and ease of use.

[shelb]

I, too, have read about the Sawyer bags leaking. Several people on the White Blaze (Appalachian Trail) forum said to "roll" the bag when filtering rather than squeeze it. They said the bag would last longer that way.

Other than that (an the need to take care not to cross-contaminate through dripping water), the Sawyer Squeeze is getting GREAT reviews! I hope to get one this summer.

[Ernest T Bass]

I, too, have read about the Sawyer bags leaking. Several people on the White Blaze (Appalachian Trail) forum said to "roll" the bag when filtering rather than squeeze it. They said the bag would last longer that way.

Other than that (an the need to take care not to cross-contaminate through dripping water), the Sawyer Squeeze is getting GREAT reviews! I hope to get one this summer.

I did try "rolling" the bags like you would a tube of toothpaste and that did seem to work allright. I just made it a point to squeeze them gently. I think the system rocks, especially when mine weighs in at about 3 ounces.

[HikerJen]

Has anyone used a Katadyn water filtration system on the island? That's what I'm bringing this summer and I want to make sure it's going to catch all the nasties in it's filter.

[drobarge]

Hi jen and welcome to the forums. If you already have a Katadyn filter and plan to use it on the island it will work just fine!

[Gimp]

Has anyone used a Katadyn water filtration system on the island? That's what I'm bringing this summer and I want to make sure it's going to catch all the nasties in it's filter.

I've used one for about 15 years and have been very satisfied with it. It will work perfectly well on IR. If you've used it before, I recommend that you take it apart and make sure that the filter is clean. After you read enough trip reports here you will notice people reporting clogged filters that gave them problems through their trip. You don't want to have the worry of an 'iffy' water supply because it's critical to your health and safety. If you haven't used it before, try it out before you go. The important thing to remember is to try and keep the 'contaminated' intake hose separate from the clean output hose. Once I'm done filtering I always make it a point to pull the float out of the water and pump until all the remaining water clears through. Then I shake any remaining drops from the hoses before putting them away. Apparently a couple of the lakes (Richie is one) seem to have annual algae bloom problems when you can't even filter water from them. The Rangers will warn you about that if you visit IR then. Once you return from your trip, take it apart, clean it out and let it air dry before you pack it away.

[Vandy]

Prior to my last trip I had read about wrapping a coffee filter around the intake hose to help keep sediment out. While I didn't have any issues with the water filter clogging, the coffee filter was fairly brittle, and I kept having to reapply it. I'm thinking of using a piece of thin material next time.

[hooky]

One little trick i've picked up and have been happy using is I to wrap a coffee filter around the prefilter, holding it in place with a rubber band. It's cut down on the need to clean the filter in the field and a couple of extra coffee filters weigh next to nothing.

Edited - Scooped by Vandy!

Vandy, I use the non-bleached filters. They last a couple of days at a time for me. i'll see if I can get a picture posted of how I attach it.