Sawyer Mini/Squeeze review and experiences

[hikerbrian]

Two years ago I saw a review for the Sawyer Squeeze as an alternative means of filtering water vs. the Katadyn Hiker/Pur I'd been using for 20 years. The Squeeze was mechanically very simple, lightweight and cheap. What's not to like?

I used the Squeeze on a handful of trips last summer and the prior fall. Two weeks ago, I tested it in my kitchen sink to make sure everything was working fine in advance of a trip and found the flow rate was extremely slow and required a lot of pressure. (Note: I was pretty meticulous in backflushing after each trip) No biggie, I thought, I'll just buy a new one. They're cheap.

So, I bought a Mini 2 weekends ago and took it backpacking with my kids last week. On day 3, the bottom joint loosened and that coupling fell apart. I THINK the filter was still functioning ok as it was the joint at the tail end of the filter. So I continued to use it for the next two days, rather than using my backup tablets. Still, I can't backflush it now, so it's basically done.

This means I've gotten fewer than 10 backpacking days combined out of two Sawyer filters.

From a cost perspective, the Sawyer is now more expensive than my Katadyn, for which I replaced the filter insert maybe every couple of years, at most. From a weight perspective, the Sawyer still wins. Convenience is a wash - you can filter a liter quickly with the Sawyer, but if you need to filter 3-4 liters, the Katadyn is faster and easier. In terms of durability and confidence in the product, well, I think I'm done with the Sawyer. Too bad. I wanted to like it.

Does anyone else have any substantial experience with the Sawyer? It's a new-ish product and EVERYONE seems to have one, but not so many folks seem to have put it through the paces.

Also, I'm planning to take the family out West next summer, and I'm concerned the small filter elements in the Sawyer filters will clog quickly with even the slightest hint of glacial till. The Katadyn filter element must have at least 100x the surface area.

Thoughts/experiences?

 

[JoshandBaron]

I've been using the same Squeeze for 4 years or so. Probably close to 300 nights worth of water treatment. Only while out last week did I notice a decrease in performance even with backflushing. I figured I got my $35 worth at this point.

 

[Trail Boss]

Have one. Paid $20 @ Walmart. I haven't used it very often so my mileage is well below yours.

Backflush it (at home) after use in the field (maybe not every time but often enough). I typically only filter water that's clear and not obviously cloudy.

So far so good; flow rate is fine and unit is intact. Can't say the same for the supplied bag which burst after a dozen uses in the very first season. Like Bullwinkle said "Ooh! Don't know my own strength!" (or the bags aren't sufficiently robust).


FWIW, a new alternative is the Katadyn BeFree. Based on customer videos, it has a faster flow rate (than Sawyer Mini) and easier maintenance (no backflush, just swirl it in clean water). Soft squeeze bottle has a large mouth so it's easier to fill with a scooping motion. Rated to filter 1000 liters. That's a tenth of what Sawyer claims for the Mini but maybe it's more realistic? Anyhow, worth a look if one is in the market for personal water filtration device (with a larger bottle it might be useful for 2+ people).

 

[DayTrip]

I used the Sawyer Squeze model for several seasons before switching to the Katahdin Hiker Pro. I had no mechanical problems with the Sawyer but found the bags irritating to fill sometimes. It is also not an option in some situations like tiny brooks, etc. The Hiker Pro definitely has a weight penalty but the speed and versatility for me make it worth the extra weight. I kept the Sawyer as a back up.

 

[JoshandBaron]

Rated to filter 1000 liters. That's a tenth of what Sawyer claims for the Mini but maybe it's more realistic?

The sawyer claims 100,000 gallons.

 

[hikerbrian]

I'm right now wondering if I froze my Squeeze and that's why the flow rate decreased? I keep my hiking stuff in my unheated garage - it's under our living room, so it's much warmer than ambient, but still possibly below freezing. Maybe that's the problem.

 

[egilbe]

I've used a squeeze for 4 years now. No problems with it other than blowing out a bag around where the bag is sealed to the threads. I find the flow rate perfectly adequate on the squeeze. Not so on the mini. I backflush my squeeze after 4 or 5 days of use. Sterilize with bleach and rinse with filtered water after is starts to smell musty (bag and filter). Small puddles and streams, use a cut off plastic water bottle for a scoop. Easy to use. Simple, no moving parts.

Sawyer reccomends NOT using the filters if you suspect they may have frozen.

 

[Trail Boss]

The sawyer claims 100,000 gallons.

Ouch! Right you are! My mistake. So a fraction of Sawyer's claimed volume (264 gallons vs 100,000).


As for freezing the filtering medium, that's a no-no. Expect it to be compromised .

From here:

Take care that you do not let the filter unit freeze, as this can damage the hollow fiber membrane.

 

[iAmKrzys]

I'm right now wondering if I froze my Squeeze and that's why the flow rate decreased? I keep my hiking stuff in my unheated garage - it's under our living room, so it's much warmer than ambient, but still possibly below freezing. Maybe that's the problem.

I would guess that water freezing inside of capillaries would cause them to crack and become more porous rather than more constrictive.

Did you consider a possibility that you got mold growing and clogging the filter which might be hard to clean with backflushing? I'm just speculating here, but if you think your filter is already a loss and you are not planning to use it anymore, why don't you cut the outer layer open and see what it looks like inside?

I have Sawyer Mini filter, but I was concerned that it could have some manufacturing defect that I would have no way of detecting (same issue would apply to any kind of filter), so I decided to switch to SteriPen instead - at least I will know when the UV lamp is not working. I still carry my Sawyer Mini as a backup but I consider dropping it in favor of weight reduction, at least when travelling with other people who also have some means of purifying water.

 

[Trail Boss]

If you look at the photo of the Mini's filter here, ice could damage the microtubes by either rupturing or crushing/compacting them. Neither is good but compacting the medium (the pores are 0.1 microns and less) could impede water-flow.

Or it's just clogged with silt or other crap.

 

[hikerbrian]

My Squeeze has not put in any hard time. I'm fairly certain there isn't any silt in there - the water I've filtered almost certainly didn't even need to be filtered. Mold? I guess it's possible, but the trickle of water that came through did not smell and didn't have any chunks in it. The filter itself doesn't smell. The flow rate was fine when I last used it (last fall).

The Sawyer lit says that sometimes you need to 're-wet the pores' by backflushing to restore flow rate. I guess that has to do with fluid dynamics and surface tension. For this past trip, after fiddling for 10 or 15 minutes and squeezing the bag hard, I decided to just get a new one since I was going to be out for 5 days, and me and my two kids would all be relying on it. I thought it worth the $35. But now that the second one has broken, I'm questioning the product reliability. Also, reading other reviews, decrease in flow rate over time seems to be a pretty common complaint, and I've read a few other instances of joints breaking, like my Mini. Many of my backpacking trips are of the multi-night variety, and now they're often with my kids. Filter failure needs to be a VERY low probability event.

The fact that the filter cannot be frozen under any circumstances is a bit problematic too. That means you really can't use the filter in shoulder season - days in the 40's, nights in the upper 20's. That's also a liability for climbs outside the northeast that start low but spend a night up high.

Glad to hear others have had positive experiences - my confidence in the Sawyer product is shaken, unfortunately. The limitations in durability and ambient temperature offset the advantage of weight savings for me. If I end up cutting it open I'll take pictures!

Edit: the bag robustness issue is also well known. On this last trip I took two bags, but again, that negates a lot of the benefit of being less bulky vs. the Hiker.

 

[Trail Boss]

I always thought all filtering mediums, not just the hollow-tube membrane used in the Sawyer Mini, should not be subjected to freezing. Porous solids (like ceramics) can crack. Does anyone know of a filtering device whose manufacturer doesn't warn against freezing?

Have you contacted Sawyer and requested a replacement? I know they wouldn't replace the bag that burst in the first season (not under warranty) but perhaps they'll stand behind the filter. Having one come apart sure seems like a manufacturing defect. Even if you no longer have confidence in it, at least you'll have a functional one on hand to lend or donate.

Good luck!

 

[hikerbrian]

None of the Katadyn Hiker lit warns against freezing. It's a fiberglass filter medium, so maybe it's a bit more robust/flexible on the microscopic scale than the hollow tube membrane in the Sawyer, which I assume is plastic?

I have NOT yet tried to contact Sawyer. I hope they'll replace it, but I haven't yet had time to take a picture and send an email. The internets tell me it may be a slow process.

 

[alexmtn]

Brian, check out http://www.vftt.org/forums/showthread.php?57386-Checklist-for-winter-trip-to-Baxter-(bunkhouse-cabin)/page2, posts #16, 17.

I take the squeeze as a negligible-weight backup for a more industrial strength filter, or as my filter on hikes where it's more likely than not that I won't need a filter. Its flow rate is annoyingly slow, especially when trying to be gentle with the squeeze bag -- but fine for a liter or two in a pinch. Correspondingly: in any trip whose description includes "family", adding "Sawyer squeeze" to the narrative creates an oxymoron unless "backup" also appears.

On a related note: the new MSR Guardian filter is nothing short of amazing. Effective against viruses, freezing, and 2.5 liters per minute! IMO, a no-brainer investment if you routinely backpack with 4+ people for a significant number of nights per year. Sadly I don't -- so I just suffer pangs of lust when a compatriot whips one out and goes to town.

Alex

 

[hikerbrian]

Alex, I don't see 'Swedish Masseuse included' anywhere in the Guardian lit, but someone must pop out of the housing and rub your shoulders while you're pumping water for that price. ;-) Sadly, I'm also probably not out frequently enough to justify the investment.

Kidding aside, thanks for the link to the prior discussion and for contacting Katadyn. Very useful.

 

[DayTrip]

Alex, I don't see 'Swedish Masseuse included' anywhere in the Guardian lit, but someone must pop out of the housing and rub your shoulders while your pumping water for that price. ;-) Sadly, I'm also probably not out frequently enough to justify the investment.

Kidding aside, thanks for the link to the prior discussion and for contacting Katadyn. Very useful.

I gave that a serious look when I got my Hiker Pro but not even my delusional lust for cool, "must have" gear was able to get to me to buy it. If a Swedish masseuse was included.....no brainer.

 

[alexmtn]

I don't see 'Swedish Masseuse included' anywhere in the Guardian lit, but someone must pop out of the housing and rub your shoulders while you're pumping water for that price.

I gave that a serious look when I got my Hiker Pro but not even my delusional lust for cool, "must have" gear was able to get to me to buy it. If a Swedish masseuse was included.....no brainer.

Marketing 101: Understand the product features most important the target audience. And as MSR is not a company to shy away from a challenge, I look forward to seeing what they come up with . . .

Alex