![]() ![]() Screwing a Platy into the filter could be bad for long term life of filter's threads. In the photo at left, the blue bag is the Sawyer, and the white one is a Platy. Next I tested the compatibility of my 1L Platypus "Bottles." They seemed to screw in fine, but on closer inspection, the threads don't match. Someone suggested creating an adapter to allow use of the squeeze bag for back-flushing. I'm unlikely to hike 5-6 days without the ability to effectively back flush. If I put the 33g/1.16oz syringe in a bounce box, the total Sawyer system is cut down to 157g/5.54oz. My Aquamira water purification system includes the two bottles at 84g (full, w/o mixing cap), my premix bottle at 7g, and two platys at 35g ea, for 161g/5.68oz. My whole Sawyer-based water filtration system (filter, squeeze bag, Platy & syringe) now weighs 190g/6.70oz. The Sawyer Squeeze bag weighs 27g vs 35g for my platy, and I can leave one platy behind for an 8g saving. After filtering, when I shake excess water out of the filter, it weighs 95g/3.35 ozs. So I took a look at my total water purification system's field weight. ( Update) In discussions here (thanks Hiking Dude), and on WhiteBlaze forums, it was noted that the Squeeze bag is significantly lighter than my Platys, and can certainly replace one when greater water hauling capacity is needed. However, except on the first day of a hike, no one is going to put this filter in their pack dry, and I'm planning a longer hike in which I need to provide for effective back flush. ![]() For any system, drops or tablets included, you need some type of water bottle, so that is not part of the filter's field weight." He may be suggesting that you can attach a bottle to the input side, and drink directly from the filter - A valid and lightweight configuration. Ron at MLD told me "The filter dry by itself is 2.5 oz, that's the field weight. After backflushing the filter and letting it drain, the filter weighed 3.63 ozs alone, and the entire system weighed 5.75. I weighed the system on my scale and found it to be 4.75 ozs dry. I'm not sure how Sawyer defines that, but the filter and bag seems minimum, and the instructions admonish the owner to pack the syringe to avoid problems. The box says "total field weight" is 3 ozs. In the box is the filter, a 1L squeeze bag and a 60CC syringe to backflush the filter. That addressed my biggest concern, and pushed the button. Ron at Mountain Laurel Designs recently posted that the 2013 version includes a new, improved, "super tough" 1L water bladder. I had also read that Platypus Bottle threads didn't fit into the input side - leaving out my current inventory as possible backups to a failed squeeze bag. Fortunately, the threads are pretty standard, and I saw other bladders and even a big Mountain Dew bottle employed as a squeezable source. I saw a lot of rigs requiring judicial uses of duct tape. The supplied squeeze bag had a reputation for bursting, forcing hikers to improvise on the trail. Sawyer Squeeze vs Aquamira after the break. With an advertised 3 oz field weight, I was pretty excited about them, and I vowed to look into them when I got home. They squeezed into water bottles, they placed them in-line with their pack's bladder system, and they set up gravity systems to work while they ate. Folks used different bags and bottles to feed them. Later in the season, I started seeing these Sawyer Squeeze filters. ![]() On the other hand, it seemed a shame to bespoil pure mountain spring water with it, and treating nasty tasting, tannin-stained water out of slow-moving streams made me pine for a filter. A few times I was running low, and had a hard time finding it in town, but I never ran out and it never failed me. It adds a slight flavor to the water which I did not find disagreeable. It weighed a lot less than my filter, and had no moving parts to fail. ![]() I left my old, heavy MSR filter at home and used Aquamira to treat water. ![]()
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