I bought a Sawyer inline water purifier about a month ago, hoping it would replace my General Ecology First Need water filter which is about 12 ounces heavier. Both the Sawyer and the First Need are the only EPA approved filters on the market capable of filtering giardia, cryptosporidium, and viruses. The Sawyer (model sp125) weighs 2.9 oz. dry and 6.7 oz. when saturated with water. It has an maximum life time of 3000 gallons with regular back flushing and is designed to be compatible with gravity feed bags and hydration systems. The Sawyer uses a fast flow hollow fiber membrane to filter water. When water is drawn though the membrane, it flows through the sidewalls of fibrous tubes that have holes in them and trap any organisms or impurities greater than 2 microns in size.
I field tested the Sawyer with two different hydration systems using Platypus bladders and Nalgene Wide Mouth Cantenes
In my first field test, I connected the Sawyer filter about 6 inches from a 96 oz. Nalgene bladder which I filled with unpurified water. In this configuration, dirty water flows from the bladder through the inline filter where is it purified. From there, the clean water travels through about 2 feet of plastic tubing to a hydration system bite valve. Both the filter and the bladder are stored in the backpack and the hose is threaded through the backpack’s hydration port. In this configuration, I was able to suck some water through the system but only enough to wet my mouth, not slack my thirst. With each draw on the hose, I also swallowed a lot of air and the entire system was marginal. Gravity filtration in this configuration was also very poor and it took about 10 minutes to filter 2 cups of water. That really sucked because I had to do it at night on top of a cold mountain.
In my second field test, I connected the Sawyer filter about 12 inches from a 3L Platypus bladder and attached the inline purifier outside of the backpack onto a shoulder strap of my pack to test the effect of having a very short tube between the clean end of the filter and my mouth. I tried this variation because I thought that placing the suction closer to the filter might improve the flow of water through it.
I filled a 3L platypus bladder with water in my kitchen and attached the Sawyer to the shoulder strap of my pack. It was a little awkward but not bad. I sucked on the tube at home and the flow was much better, so I packed up the car and drove to my local testing ground for a 9 mile hike. About a half mile into the hike, I took a sip and nothing happened. I couldn’t pull any water through the filter. I stripped off the pack and checked to see if I had any kinks in the hose. Nope. So I removed the entire system from my pack and held the bladder over my head to check if I could at least get a gravity feed to work. Nothing again. I checked the filter lock, and that wasn’t an issue either. So I broke down the entire system, removed the Sawyer, threw it in a mesh pocket, and continued my hike. When I got home, the Sawyer filter went into my big box of unloved, rejected hiking toys.
My conclusion after trying these two different hose configurations is that you need the pressure that can be generated by a pump-action system to push the water through a 2 micron filter if there is any distance between the water source and the bite valve. This is the reason why a filter like the Aquamira Frontier Pro, despite its ecological deficiencies and 3 micron pore size, works with a soda bottle reservoir. But if you use an inline filter with a hose-based hydration system and refuse to change, I’m convinced that you are SOL and need to stick with pump filters given the current state of the art in inline water purification.
Disclosure: The author owns this product and purchased it using their own funds.
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For those who live in places where it gets below freezing (most of us), here is an important point of interest that I just discovered on the "Lifetime Warranty" sheet that came with my Sawyer Point Zero 2.
"WARNING: DO NOT FREEZE. Freezing may harm the filter in a manner such that the damage cannot be seen. If you suspect that the unit has been frozen, replace it. FREEZE DAMAGE IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY!"
I understand that some filters will not function when frozen, but are they rendered junk and potentially dangerous to use after having dipped below 32F? So if you store this bad boy in the garage between trips and the garage temp dips to freezing, you've just voided your warranty and according to Sawyer better throw it away! Just one little accident and it's toast? I know there is a lot of collective knowledge on here, which is why I'm reading what you guys/gals have written. Do other water filter makers have such warnings? I mean I can understand how if a ceramic filter had enough residual water left in it between uses that the water could expand when freezing and damage it. But would it be safe if it was drained as well as possible? I do have a First Needs XL, and at least I can test it with the blue dye for damage. I really want the inline filter concept to work, because it sure is nice to be able to scoop up water, hang it, and let the system do the work while I tend to other camp chores. Just not sure at this point.
Randy Cain-I was able to get a store credit with the company I bought it from, but sawyer (john smith) did not even want to work with them. In the end I went with the MSR mini works because it is to me the easiest to maintain in the field. and yes I did have a problem with it, but the guys at MSR are great and the turn around time was very fast. Just like Earlylite said, buy from REI just in case you have to return any filter you buy.
I have had great success with the following Sawyer.
http://www.rei.com/product/801824
I attached it very close to a 2L Platy bladder with the longer piece of tubing exiting the top to the mouthpiece. Just fill your bladder and sip. I made a short piece of tubing with the male/female connection reversed so I can reverse and backflush in the field. You do have to remove the tubing from the top and "burp" the air out of it on the 1st use of trip or it does not flow. I had previously used the Platy Cleanstream with great luck but you must burp the air from it too or it will not flow at all.
Good advice on the burping. Thx!
I can not speak to the useablity of the SP125 since I do not own one. I do know that your post says your filter can filter out virus. That would be probably a .02 Micron filter not 2 micron as your post reads.
I have the sp149 which is a a little bigger pore size than that at .10 micron absolute which does not filter virus but does handle everything else. With it hooked to a 3 Liter cabelas bladder it filters 1 liter of water in less than 3 min. Here's a video of it doing just that. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3l9ZqIMVyk
That was a riveting video Ted. Do you watch football without the sound on, too?
I know I am late to this discussion, but I see one issue in the filter testing…Early was testing the purifier…not the filter made by Sawyer. The filters work ok as an inline, especially their brand new light weight "sqeeze" version. The Purifiers are used mainly in storm damage areas and third world countries to filter out virus etc. Yes they do take a while to filter out that small. I have two different models of Sawyer filters and have used both hiking with great results. In fact, I am usually the envy of the shelter when I am on the AT. Using the 2L version I filtered water for about 5 people in the time it took one guy to pump up just for him, with out the sweat.
Oh, and yes, if you do not prime the gravity setup, it will not work properly. Once it is primed I usually get a flow rate of around 2L in less than 3 minutes.
Hope this helps. Good Thread.
Looking at different filtration devices. So far I have used ” First Need XL. Campmor has the best price. As of 2/22/12
The ” Katadyn Mini , with the ceramic filter.
My findings are , the First Need XL ! Why ? You food color to check if the filter is working. The Katadyn had the dye come through.
When I travel , I use the Berkey ” Sport Bottle ” Make sure it is empty when you board the aircraft.
At home I use the Aqua Cera and the Big Berkey . The tap water in New Jersey , Burlington.. The worst I ever see.. I pay for the water too !
A quick test for your tap water.. Buy two one gallon jugs of distilled water. Use one. The other will be saved as your ” Control ” Fill the empty gallon jug fill with your tap water. Compare side by side.. Look at the color.. You will be amazed !
Good Luck. Please filter your water. The best that you can.
There is really no standard on drinking water.. Look up the EPA. Look up ” The World Health Organization. You will find every country has a certain standard they use.
As long as the USA, as ” Frackin ” and MTBE in Gasoline. All water will suffer.
To Life !
Mort
had none of the problems you folks had.i got the best water filter money can buy! i looked at peachtree creek Atlanta water under a microscope cause i got a badass microscope, Wil kill ya.! ran it through 3 dif filters the one that starts with a K and the saywer.cleaned it all,.but..my New pump broke NEW pump Broke !!! that can kill ya ! as the store i got it at is not on my fave trail.And that shit light pen dont kill shit !!! the microscope dont Lie Use a saywer and you wont die.
john f. – “that shit light pen dont kill shit !!!” You might want to read up on how the UV light is used in water treatment. You’re right, it doesn’t “kill shit.” It doesn’t need to kill anything in order to work correctly. It renders the organism unable to reproduce, and that’s all it needs to do in order to prevent you from becoming ill.