Sawyer Squeeze @REI for $31

[hooky]

http://www.rei.com/product/858764/sawye ... r-32-fl-oz

It only includes one bag, but I'd rather use a couple of 20 oz bottles anyway. Coupon code ANNV13 gets it to you for $31. Throw in an ENO Double Nest on sale for 49.99 and you get free shipping, since you're over $50. I'm not saying I did that, but I'm not saying I didn't either.

It's also been rumored that I have enough noseeum and sylnylon ordered to sew a couple of bug nets and cat cut tarps...

[Ernest T Bass]

The Sawyer Squeeze system is the BOMB! I highly recommend it!

Cheers,

ETB

[sgatz]

I got mine online with the 3 bags and a backwash syringe for about $30.
Here it is for $40
http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-SP131-Poin ... ter+filter

Just used it this weekend on a canoe trip. I worked great. We had to back flush it (it was a muddy river).
I took along a empty 1L "soda" bottle and it was handy at refilling the pouch (which can be hard to fill from a lake) or attaching directly to the filter. When attached to the filter, we filtered about half of the water then tilted it back level and slightly unscrewed the filter to let air fill up the bottle. Then with a 1/4 turn it was tight and easy to filter the rest. A definite buy!

[nebelwerfer41]

I would caution those new to backpacking to realize the difference between a filter and a purifier. A filter will get most of the junk out, but only purifiers remove viruses. Luckily, we don't have to worry too much about viruses in water of North America. Just food for thought.

[Tightlines01]

I would caution those new to backpacking to realize the difference between a filter and a purifier. A filter will get most of the junk out, but only purifiers remove viruses. Luckily, we don't have to worry too much about viruses in water of North America. Just food for thought.

I'm not so certain about purifiers. During the LNT talk at the isle they specifically caution against things like the Steri Pen and other purifiers as they will not kill the Tape Worm eggs.

[Ernest T Bass]

BINGO! That's why you need to filter, to strain them out, or destroy them by boiling.

[Midwest Ed]

Even though there have been several threads on water treatment, I think it is very good to bring it up again from time to time. A slight amount of misinformation or differences of opinion regarding trail food, gear or even scenic views won’t harm anyone but getting water treatment correct is unique.

Park recommendations are either:
1) Rolling boil for 1 minute
OR
2) Minimum of 0.4 micron filtering AND treatment for viruses.

Only boiling or filtering will remove Tapeworm eggs (and most bacteria).
Only boiling or chemical/UV treatment will kill viruses.

As previously mentioned, viruses are not nearly the same risk on Isle Royale than were I to dip a bucket of water from the Mississippi River near my house. But I would still be concerned about viruses on Isle Royale whenever the source was near to any human activity (outhouses, potential boat bilge, etc). Previous human activity can sometimes not be so obvious.

What really makes Isle Royale unique is the symbiotic wolf-moose relationship. It allows a complete life cycle support of the Hydatid Tapeworm. Drinking untreated water allows you to play stand-in for a moose. The risk involves ingesting an egg and then developing a cyst filled with larvae in an organ (lung, liver, brain, etc). You will not develop an intestinal tapeworm. For that to occur you would need to ingest a cyst by eating moose.

Life is filled with risks, most can be mitigated, some are intentionally sought out for thrill. I’ve never seen an authority actually quantify this risk on Isle Royale so I too will not offer an opinion. This risk is easily controlled. Sometimes we see in print that people believe they dodged the bullet because they did not become ill a day or two after drinking improperly treated water, but the latency of symptoms for tapeworm cysts can be many many years.

CAUTION: PG-13 ALERT FOR THE SQUEAMISH
http://youtu.be/A4fGXLjHgxQ

http://youtu.be/iktGGMHH1Hg

[Ernest T Bass]

Cool find Ed! I especially enjoyed the Kenny G as the background music in the one video.

[alexanderwyoung]

I just bought 2 Sawyer Squeeze filters at Walmart for $29ish a piece... looking at walmart.com there were only 2 stores in Wisconsin that had them, though... but it looked like you could buy online also...

[JerryB]

I just used my Sawyer filter for the first time on a trip a couple of days ago. I have some mixed feelings about it.

First, does anyone else have trouble filling the bag? I could manage to do so in a moving river, but not easily in a lake. I saw one note about using an empty pop bottle. But carrying an extra bottle kind of defeats the purpose. Any ideas?

Second, I see clear advantages on hikes along water sources, where you can fill as you need. On other hikes, where we need to filter a lot of water at camp before heading out (in addition to cooking water), my gravity filter is tough to beat. Scoop up four liters, hang the bag, and clean water available on demand.

Third, it is really easy to use and back flush. The bag and filter is not much more weight than a standard Nalgene, so it is worth considering as a back up filter on any hike

[NancyT]

We use the Platypus gravity filter and it too is a pain to fill the dirty bag. We bring two ziplock bags (gallon size) to scoop the water.

[hooky]

The bag is a pain to use, unless you've got a moving water source. Even then it's tough. I've taken to carrying an empty 1 liter pop bottle. It takes up some room inside the pack, so I use a little piece of paracord looped around the neck and attached to the outside of the pack.

[killendino]

I noticed the Sawyer Point One Squeeze filter is $31.11 on Amazon right now. I've had it on my wish list for a couple of days, and when it dropped $10 to this, I had to jump on it.

Question: Do you guys typically carry a backup water filtration device?

This is my first post! I've been lurking for about a week now. There is a lot of helpful information on this site!

[JerryB]

Welcome to the site. Speaking only for myself, I either carry a back up water purification system (another filter, drops) or make sure I have enough extra fuel to boil water, if needed. It really depends on the length of the trip. For a short trip, added fuel is no big deal. For a longer trip, I will usually have a second filter, especially if travelling in a group. As I mentioned in a post above, I do see the Sawyer as a good backup option.

[MikeT]

We bring a "spare" Platypus gravity filter. Very little weight and a lot of peace of mind just in case.