Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System
I have been testing out the new Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration System
What’s Included
The Squeeze Water filter system comes with a screw-on filter, 4 plastic reservoir bottles sized 64 , 32, 16, and 12 ounces, and a syringe for back-flushing the filter for when the flow rate starts to drop. The filter weighs 2.4 ounces when dry and 4.0 ounces when saturated. The screw-on end is compatible with the included reservoirs, Platypus reservoirs and most plastic soda and water bottles.
The Squeeze filter uses a hollow tube technology that has been tested using EPA protocols to 0.1 microns and will remove bacteria, protozoa, and cysts including giardia and cryptosporidium. This is generally sufficient for backcountry use in the Continental US, Canada, and the UK and I’d use it without reservation in those regions. It will not remove viruses which are considerably smaller in size and should not be used in developing countries where viruses are known to contaminate water supplies.
The hollow tube filtering technology used in the Squeeze is not new and has been already used for several years in past Sawyer products. What is new, is the packaging of the filter as a screw-on bottle attachment with a pop-up top that you can drink from. I expect that this and and the inclusion of roll-up hydration reservoirs will make this product very attractive to day hikers, as well as backpackers.
Pop-up Top vs Gravity Style Filtration
There are two ways to use the Squeeze filter: you can drink directly from it by removing the external plastic cap, popping up the top spout or you can use it to filter a larger quantity of water in more of a batch mode by squeezing it from a “dirty” bottle to a “clean” one.
The problem with drinking the water directly from the filter is that it’s really easy to lose the external plastic cap when you are backpacking (it happened to me), and from then on, you can’t really trust the cleanliness of the pop-up spout if you’re trying to avoid bacteria, protozoa, and cysts. The danger of cross-contamination (you put your hands in a “dirty” stream and touch the spout) is simply too great on a multi-day backpacking trip to chance it.
From Dirty Bag to Clean Bottle in Gravity Filter Mode
A better way to use this filter is to use it like a gravity filter, where you have a dirty water bag containing unfiltered water, and a clean water bag or bottles containing filtered water which you know if safe to drink. When I run out of clean water, I fill the dirty reservoir with fresh water and Squeeze it through the filter and into my clean bottles again. That way, I know that my bottles and their top threads are always clean, and I don’t have to worry about the outside cleanliness of the filter’s popup top.
Pre-Filter Modification
When I tested the Squeeze filter on overnight backpacking trips, I found that it is incredibly easy for sand and grit to get into the screw-on end of the filter when you put it on the ground. There is also no pre-filter on the Squeeze which can remove suspended solids in turbid water and prevent the filter from clogging up.
One way to remedy both of these problems is to attach a pre-filter to the Squeeze filter module. To do this, I scavenged the pre-filter element from an old Aqua-Mira Frontier Pro filter and screwed it to the base of the Squeeze. This prevents sand and grit from getting into the business end of the Squeeze and still lets you attach it to a soda bottle, on of the included Sawyer reservoirs or a Platypus reservoir.
Sawyer Water Reservoirs
There are a couple of things I don’t like about the Sawyer water reservoirs included with the Squeeze filtration system. The first is that they’re not transparent, so you can’t really see how much water you have left by looking at them. The second is that they don’t really hold of amount of water they say they do. For example, the 32 ounce reservoir only holds 28.3 ounces. That kind of thing bothers me because I use my reservoirs to measure out water quantities for cooking and drinking during the day: an 15% error rate is simply not acceptable for me.
While I can understand the economy and convenience of using the included reservoirs, my preference is to use the Squeeze with the transparent 3 liter platypus reservoir and the soda-bottles I use for hiking with today.
No Break-in Period
One of things I really like about the Squeeze is that there is no break-in period. You can literally fill one of the included water reservoirs with water, screw the Squeeze filter onto it, and start drinking. There’s no activated charcoal to flush out of the filter and there’s no priming required. The first sips don’t have any particulate solids suspended in them and the water tastes clean. This is a problem with the Aqua Mira Frontier Pro which has an activated charcoal filter element.
Overall Recommendation
The Sawyer Squeeze is an excellent water filtration system if you’re looking for an easy and fast way to rehydrate on day hikes or backpacking trips, regardless if you use the reservoirs included with the system, or your own small mouth, soda-bottle compatible containers. It is also provides an extremely fast way to filter a large amount of water very quickly for small groups because it has such a fast flow rate or for individual use at the end of the day when you want to cook and get your water prepped for the next morning. The Squeeze filter and is the lightest weight, most economical (sawyer claims 1 million gallons) filtering solution I know of today for backcountry water filtration and I have already added it to to my 3 season day hiking and backpacking gear list.
Disclosure: SectionHiker received a complementary Sawyer Squeeze Filtration System for testing.
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I work for REI and we have a new, tester Sawyer Squeeze. I took it out on a short backpack last week. It’s lightweight. It filters water. That’s about it. The bags are hard to fill without some sort of a “dirty” cup or canteen. We’re required to return tester gear dry and clean. The bags have no built-in loops or whatever on the bottom that would allow them to easily hang upside-down. I’ll stick with my MSR Sweetwater.
99% of the AT thru-hikers I’ve seen this year (dozens) are using the Sawyer filter. It appears to be a hit. I’ve been using mine all summer and it works great with a platy.
Well, Sawyer’s rep got back to me and tells me I squeezed too hard and therefore the damage is not covered by warranty. Seems poor business to me. For probably less than a dollar they could have replaced it. The bigger concern is that this was a filter that had only been “tested” in my kitchen with tap water once before I took it out in the field and the rep’s response was that I need to backwash the filter more often(??!!). My experience is that the bond between the bag and the adaptor is inadequate. If they do not remedy this flaw ASAP they will crash and burn as backpackers need tough, reliable equipment, particularly when it comes to filtration. At the very least I believe Sawyer should be more forthright in disclosing the weak link in their system, and give consumers a sense of the appropriate pressure the bag can withstand.
Next time, I recommend you buy your gear from someone like REI where you can return it for a full refund. Manufacturer warranties are often bullshit.
Dave, I appreciate hearing your feedback on the Squeeze bags. I will make a point of emphasizing this to my customers. I haven’t had any complaints about the bags from my customers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have them. I’ve only been selling them for about a year. But I sell a lot, especially the Squeeze.
I’d make sure I carried multiple bags if going on an extended trip. Or better yet, go with the Platypus.
Then there is always the inline filter if you use a hydration bag.
I personally guarantee satisfaction on my products. You are right. I think taking a loss can be much better than having a dissatisfied customer. I just had a customer return the Sawyer SP194 purifier because he said it didn’t work. The flow rate was low. He said water just dripped out. This wasn’t exactly accurate as I tested it and there was a steady flow, although quite the stream was very thin. I got 1.5 quarts in 15 minutes. This is quite a bit slower than Sawyer claims it will do but they told him it was normal. I tested another one and got similar results. This was without squeezing the bags.
Hmmm…. Well, I recommend and sell water filters so this bit of non-support will be mentioned often. That’s way too bad. Most outdoor equipment manufacturers will back their products all the way. And no piece of outdoor gear should be that delicate.
Dave
I got the same results as you with the leaking through the seal of the bag near the adaptor threads.
Before I purchased the Sawyer I had read yours and many other’s reviews and knew that the bags were extremely delicate. Therefore I was treating it VERY carefully and being patient when filtering water. On the third day of a five day hike the seam busted out.
I was getting my water from streams coming directing from snow fields with nothing above me to contaminate the water so not a big deal for this trip.
This was a test to see if I could get it to hold up for my 2013 PCT thru hike ….. the bags do not pass the test ….. I’m looking for a platy bag to use instead.
You “squeezed to hard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” You got to be kidding me! How did they test it with 1st graders or a bunch of marketing weenies with no strength in there arms? Oh man, this takes the cake….This will be spread throughout the Backpacking world and I will see to that…..well at least 150 people on my list….
Be AWARE!!!! WARNING!!!! RED ALERT!!!!! and as some people are finding out via severe episodes of the backwood Trots, Beaver Fever, Montuzuma’s Revenge etc. etc. etc……
Those O.R .water devices at Walmart in the BLUE AND ORANGE PACKAGING in the Camping, Hunting and Hiking Section at Walmart ……DO NOT CLEAN DIRTY WATER OR MAKE THE WATER BIOLOGICALLY SAFE!!!!!! They are to be used for making bad tasting TAP WATER not WILD WATER taste good…….Read the Label….Same with the Squeeze Bottles they are selling,,,they do not clean Wild WATER only TAP WATER!!!!
This is not accurate at all. Carbon filters are for removing chlorine from tap water. I am not sure what filters from Wally world you mean. I think perhaps the Frontier? The Sawyer Squeeze is not for tap water. It will filter out bacteria in the wild.
And it is true that squeezing too hard can cause leaks. It isn’t that shocking. I think you are way overreacting.
Please don’t spread misinformation. Take a few deep breaths. Do a little research.
Highwater…learn to read, I di dnot mention aything about Sawyer Squeeze…in my comments about the Walmart product in fact I identiried at the O.R. in the Orange and blue packaging…So who is spreading misinformation?
Okay, eddie. Sorry if I misunderstood. I don’t know what O.R. filters are. Are they carbon filters? Activated carbon removes chlorine and other volatile organic chemicals.
I wasn’t trying to spread misinformation. Just clarifying something. I’ll check out the O.R. filters.
All is forgiven, thanks for “Manning Up” usually not a something one sees from Marketing people..
The O.R. Units are the same thing as putting one of those PUR Units in your Refrigerator or on your Faucet Sink outlet, it removes a lot of chemicals and bad tastes but does not PURIFY or make that water any safer from Pathogens than what the City system made it.
The ONLY Water PURIFIER out there on the Market for Backpacking, and it is approved by the FDA or EPA I forget which right now, is the 1st Need Deluxe…All the rest are “Filters” and filter out a lot of bad bugs and and some Chemicals but 1st Need is the only one who makes water not only biologoically and Pathogen safe but Chemical as well…Been carrying one since they first came on the market that many years ago and have never suffered any ill effects from using it, whereas my buddies over the years have had some hit or miss episodes which made them wonder to where they also now carry the 1st Need Deluxe. And not I do not work for them or have any money invested in their company and am a just a end user of many years standing…
Thanks eddie. I was definitely out of line with my first comment. I’m truly sorry about that.
The First Need purifier is a tried and true product. It’s got a great rep. Sawyer does make a gravity drip purifier that is light enough for backpacking, the SP194. I have also started to see other purifiers pop up. I think they are made in China. There are ones called “Military Water Purifier” “Soldier Water Purifier” Pureeasy”. I wouldn’t trust them, but who knows? They are dirt cheap and may be effective. I haven’t seen any tests or reviews done on them.
MSR also makes portable purifers.
Have a great day!
eddie, I checked out the filter you are talking about. It looks like you are absolutely right. The Outdoor Recreation Squeeze bottle claims to filter out debris and improve taste. That would be a carbon filter, I think.
Carbon filters are generally used for tap water but they are good to use in tandem with a microbial filter in the outdoors as well. Some carbon filters like carbon block filters can remove much more, including microbes.
Here’s what activated carbon can remove: Bad tastes and odors, including chlorine. Standard 53-certified filters also can substantially reduce many hazardous contaminants, including heavy metals such as copper, lead and mercury; disinfection byproducts; parasites such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium ; pesticides; radon; and volatile organic chemicals such as methyl-tert-butyl ether (MTBE), dichlorobenzene and trichloroethylene (TCE).
Thanks for the tips. By the way, I bought the filter online from Moontrail. I haven’t contacted them and don’t really care about the leaky bag anyway. The Coke bottle idea sounds worth a try as they’re pretty lightweight and will fill up underwater much easier than the bags do. I’d guess you fill the Coke bottle and squeeze out what you can, but will not be able to force all of the water from the bottle. So it may take a couple full Coke bottles to get one liter of filtered water? I assume the threaded connection between the bottle and filter
cap is stronger than the bag is to its adaptor, but maybe not. I’ll find out soon enough…….
The thing about the leaky bag that is a little concerning is that I did not notice it right away. While I’m squeezing I’ve got the bag directly above my clean water bottle, so the water that is leaking out is going straight into my clean water!
Overall, I like this filter. I just have to work out the kinks.
Here’s what I do. I cut an old platy in half and use it to scoop water into a full platy. I attach the squeeze to the full platy. I filter the water into the coke bottles. This lets me drink from them directly because their threads are NOT contaminated with “dirty”water. The full platy rolls up when empty.
Have seen a ton of these on PCT 2012 as well. We ditched ours, but was great for the first half of the trip. Honestly just got tired of squeezing. Have been using a Steripen classic for last month and it has been great. Although a lot of them are out there, I hope the product improves in future iterations (better back flushing system and better bags/bladders). At $50-ish and returnable at REI, great system to try.
I could definitely see why you would. It is a tiny bit annoying to have to wait for water to be ready, but it would get even more tiresome after a few months! LOL
In case people are wanting to use this and are curious if it’ll fit with the platy, the answer is apparently yes and no.
Yes, I’ve heard of it fitting with a few folks, no in that the platy I bought doesn’t fit.
You can tell easily however if the threads will match up with a platy or whatever… You’re looking for two sets of screw-grooves: this will mate with the sawyer. The platy I bought today only has one set of thread ridges. It gets about 60% into the sawyer and jumps threads.
So check bottle heads for thread count. If you need a reference, it’s the same as a coke bottle.