were kind enough to let me test drive their new Sawyer
Mini Water Filtration System ($18-$25/2oz).
The “mini” was a bit of a surprise to me because Sawyer seemed to
already be leading the industry with the Sawyer Squeeze Filter which received
quite a bit of press in the last year.
The beauty of both systems is that they are reliable, effective, and
flexible enough to offer a variety of configuration preferences (i.e. squeeze,
inline, straw). Both also come with a
straw as well as squeeze bottles. The squeeze
bottles have been improved from the first release of the Sawyer Squeeze and
both filters continue to fit Evernew
bottles and likely other options.
the Sawyer
Mini Water Filtration System is that it is physically smaller, lighter and
less expensive – but the effectiveness remains the same. At 2oz and roughly $20 for a .01 micron
absolute filter capable of removing 99.99% of bacteria, protozoa and cysts for
up to 100,000 gallons – this is a product that comes with its own cheering
section.
The filter is essentially a cluster of micro-fibrous tubes. Water is drawn through the side walls of the
tubes into their hollow center and out of the end of the tubes. Harmful bacteria and protozoa is trapped on
the outer walls of the tubes delivering fresh and clean drinking water.
Lightweight backpackers, almost by necessity, are fairly meticulous
about the gear they carry. Making
decisions based singularly on grams and ounces can quickly yield to a declining
fun-factor. As a result, there is a
middle ground between weight and overall comfort. In my quest for lightweight water treatment,
my personal backing history has run the gamut from pumps to chemical treatments. Looking back, using a pump nowadays is like
continuing to carry an Army cot and gas lantern. They are bulky, expensive, and prone to
failure. Anyone who has had their hand
slip off the pumping feature will quickly
look for an alternative solution once their hand recovers from being pinched
(or worse) and dealing with a clog is an unfriendly nightmare. UV options are pricey, prone to easy damage and depending on the model, batteries may be hard to locate. UV options are also only effective in water that is already clear and only for a set volume. A pre-filter is a good idea, but adds another step and element. Lastly, UV options may kill water nasties, but it doesn’t remove them. Personally, the knowledge of chugging “dead” nasties doesn’t make me overly thrilled. More often than not I’ve relied on chemical tablets. Tablets are
effective and lightweight, but gram for gram they are fairly expensive and do nothing
to filter out floaties and other nasties. Usually I use a biodiesel bag or tulle as a prefilter. Personally, I’m not thrilled about
putting chemicals into my body or their cumulative effect.
Fortunately with the SawyerMini Water Filtration System, weight, cost, nor effectiveness are reasons
to leave it at home. It is lightweight,
affordable and effective. I’ve used it
repeatedly for the last three weeks in several different environments,
temperatures and in conditions of varied turbidity. Out of the box, my first use was dipping the
bottle into a stream. I turned the
bottle over and expected it to take quite a while to prime the filter. To my surprise, clean water flowed out almost
immediately. A second misconception was
put to rest when I noted that I didn’t need to squeeze or suck on the nozzle to
get a sufficient water flow. Basically,
it worked like a charm without additional effort.
option than other physical filters, I like the fact that the drinking nozzle
has an effective cap cover. While this
comes into play to keep grit out of the drinking end, I quickly learned that it
avoided cross contamination when the bottle and filter fell off a rock into a
stream while I was photographing it for this article. Verifying that the filter wasn’t compromised
because of my own carelessness was a nice unexpected benefit. Having reviewed other water filters on this
blog, the protective cap on the Sawyer
Mini Water Filtration System is a rarity on other filter options as either
they are missing entirely or are manufactured without expectation for them to
last more than a few uses.
The SawyerMini Water Filtration System comes with a large syringe to back-flush the
system, but it is a little bulky. Others have found a compatible cap to work with a spare bottle and
detailed its use at BackpackingLight.
for $10 as well as a screw
top for the Sawyer Squeeze for $15 which I prefer and own.
I enjoyed the flexibility of using it as a gravity filter or with a
straw, but most commonly I simply drank straight from the bottle.
Aside from a smaller, lighter and equally functional back-flush option
as described above, I would personally like to see see-through bags and bags
with a means to hang them upside down (i.e. hung from a tree) or stand-up on
their own.
When all things are considered, the SawyerMini Water Filtration System is simply the best overall lightweight filter on the
market whether for lightweight backpackers or anyone looking for an
inexpensive, lightweight and effective water filter in a very reasonably-sized
package. While there are other more effective filters, they are also more costly, bulky and inconvenient.
For general information about water nasties, below is part of an
article I previously authored which helps illustrate why a .01 micron absolute filter is critical.
shelled, single-cell parasites which include Giardia and Lamblia and range in
size from 5 to 15 microns. This also includes Cryptosporidium Parvum which is 2
to 5 microns in size. Giardia occurs in the small intestine where cysts hatch
and give you diarrhea, gas, nausea, and/or cramps and symptoms appear within 1
to 2 weeks and can last 4-6 weeks or longer. Those with weakened immune systems
could be more heavily impacted. Cryptosporidium can give you similar symptoms
and can also include loose stool, cramps, slight fever, and an upset stomach.
These systems generally appear in 2 to 10 days and typically last 2 weeks.
Animals and humans carry Protozoa.
BACTERIA – Bacteria are smaller
organisms which can include E. Coli, Salmonella, Cholera, and Campylobacter
Jejuni. They range from .2 to 10 microns and symptoms include diarrhea with
appears within 6 hours or 3 to 5 days and last 4 days or longer. Animals and
humans carry Bacteria.
VIRUSES – Viruses represent the
tiniest of organisms ranging from .004 to .1 microns. They include Hepatitis A,
Rotavirus, Norwalk Virus, and even Polio. Although these are the least commonly
found pathogens in the wilderness water sources, they represent often the most
harmful. If you were wondering, most waterborne viruses which affect humans in
the backcountry come from human fecal matter.
CHEMICALS AND RUNOFF – As the name
implies, another water-nasty includes agricultural runoff (herbicides,
pesticides, etc.) and industrial runoff (metals, mine tailings, etc.).
(Disclosure: This product was
provided to me free-of-charge for the purposes of this review and is owned by
me. However, any information contained herein is my personal opinion
without bias.)