Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System

UPDATE: So I recently added the CNOC Vecto 2L bladder to this rig and got rid of my Survivor collapsible canteens. I don't think I'll be going back. The Vecto has a large opening to fill, and a 28mm bottle cap to dispense. The Mini screws on perfectly and now I can filter 2L at a time with no issues. Loving this. I also have gotten rid of all my Nalgenes from my backpacking/camping setup. I use them for the office now. I have replaced them with Smartwater bottles. The SW bottles weight less than 2 ounces each, cost $1-2 each and fit the Mini. I have also found I can get two 32 oz SW bottles into a single water bottle pocket on my pack. That means I can either carry 4 liters of water without affecting my internal storage. I have come to really value that decision. When a SW bottle wears out or breaks, I can replace it at pretty much any grocery store for less than $2. ORIGINAL REVIEW (May, 2017): Did some back country camping this past weekend and took the Sawyer Mini out with me for the first time. Reviews on it were good and I was looking for ways to cut down on weight and footprint on my old filter system (a pump). The mini is excellent. I've seen a few reviews complaining about the bag it comes with and the time it takes to squeeze "x" amount of water through it. All I have to say is, yes the bag is too small. 16 oz is kind of lame. The quality of the bag? Seems decent enough. I'll end up replacing it anyway with a pair of Survivor Filter collapsible canteens (32 oz each). As far as the filter goes, I tried it on just some regular old tap water to function test it and get familiar before taking it out. I filtered two liters of water through it (2 Nalgenes) and then back flushed it. I was shocked to see the brown much it filtered out of the tap water! I may get a second on and just screw it onto a SmartWater bottle for drinking at work! The system was easy to use. I don't know what kind of rush others are in when backpacking, but I'm not. I move at my pace and take my time. i'm not in a race when I'm backpacking or camping. I don't mind taking a couple minutes to filter some clean drinking/cooking water. The Sawyer Mini works great. I have zero complaints. I appreciate that it comes with the syringe to back flush it and keep it working well. The 16 oz bag is too small, but it works, and unless you're Hulking out on the thing, it should last just fine. That's one piece I'll upgrade, but the filter alone is well worth the cost of the set.

Used this on a backpacking trip this past weekend at Gem Lake in WA state. I was very try surprised how well this worked and how easy it was to use. It’s small and compact easy to fit in a small zipper, the water capacity I got is 16oz and worked will for me, the speed of it was depending on how your squeezed the water out, and I felt that the quality was pretty good for what I paid for. I would like to get a larger water bladder as it took me a good 15 min out es to fill up a 3L bladder. Also, I was worried about a weird taste from the filter and surprisingly I did t have an issue. If you do a little liquid iv or gatorlite can help with the taste if needed.

Wow. I've been hiking the Appalachian trail solo as out-and-back day hikes this year. Over the summer, I started taking 2 water bottles with me for my 12-mile and longer hikes. And I would refill them, unfiltered, from water sources along the trail. My brother pointed out that I as certifiably insane to do such a thing. After some thought, I decided to agree with him. After some searching, I ended with this setup. I wanted something I could take with me that was ultra-light and ultra-small. I usually have my iphone and some trail mix in one pocket of my running shorts, a water bottle in my hand, some backup carbs on the other pocket, ID and cash in the back pocket. That's it. While it's reasonable to do 5 miles this way, or even 8 if you have water at your destination, 12-15 miles requires a refill. And this is how you refill. The filter is tiny, and if you're using clear water from a moving stream or spring, the flow is pretty fast. As fast as my Katadyn hiker filter that I've had for years. After a few trips with this baby, I'm hooked. A couple tips and things I've learned: 1) You're carrying 2 water bottles anyway - one to fill from a water source, and one to drink from. I fill the clean bottle with filtered water, and fill the other bottle with unfiltered water. 2) The bags are unreliable. I haven't had one break yet, but it's a common thing. So don't rely on 1. Bring a backup. Or, 3) Use another bottle with a cap that fits. The package says the filter fits on most water bottles. I have not found that to be the case with 2 different house brands of water bottles. I did find that the house brand 0-calorie clear soda (it comes in peach, blackberry, etc, you know what I mean) bottles did fit. So for 68 cents, I have an unfiltered bottle I can use. I think that soda bottles will reliably fit, but that's just a guess. 4) lastly, because the equipment is so small and light, it is easy to lose. I started off on a 15-mile hike last week and 3 miles in discovered that my water bag was gone. I assumed I had left it in the car accidentally or it had dropped on the trail. I went ahead and did the hike anyway, refilling at a clear spring, right at the source, without filtering. I found the bag on the side of the trail on my way back. So use a zipper pocket, bundle the items to something bigger with a rubber band, do something to protect yourself. I have not used this for a camping trip yet, but I would not hesitate to do so. It's amazing. I would make sure to take the backwash plunger with me if I was backpacking, though. I love this system - it simply can't be beat.

I bought this back in 2015 and tried it out with some tap water at home to see how it works. I followed the instructions and had no issues using the product. It is more complicated that LifeStraws, but not by much and I like the fact you can fill a container with it. The squeeze bag worked well and the flow rate was good, I was worried I'd be squeezing it for 20 minutes to get the water through, but it only took a minute or two. It is difficult to get the last little bit of water out of the bag, but you can just top it off with more to keep going. I cannot speak to the effectiveness of the filter as I have not developed the nerve to try it on my local stream. It says it takes out 99.9% of bacteria and protozoa, and can filter 100,000 gallons of water. I'm unsure what it would do to remove chemicals contaminating water, which is a concern of mine as I live in a populated area sandwiched between farms and industry. This is not something i have a great desire to test, but based on reviews from various sites no one has seemed to die from using it yet. It is compact and light weight, but it could stand to come with a carrying case of some sort. I put all parts in a Ziploc bag and it fits nicely in my backpack. +5 Stars for functional product as advertised. Bonus for being able to fill up a container with it. -1 Star for complexity and portability, takes a little bit to figure out how it works. Also no case for all the parts

This is a tried and true product. This is my third purchase. I have a winter pack setup, a summer pack setup, and a car, get home bag setup. Each one has a Sawyer filter. Each one has been used effectively. No issues whatsoever. If you want peace of mind, and purified drinking water while on the trail, then don't hesitate. I trust my life on Sawyer. More than I trust my wife. Just buy it.

I'm far from an experienced long range hiker or backpacker. I'm fairly comfortable out in the woods, do about 8-9 miles a day in about 2 hours, and have common sense, but I am not a backwoodswoman (unfortunately). A conveniently-sized filter has been on my "that'd be cool" list for years, and while planning a mountain day hike with my sister I went for it with the Sawyer Mini. This was a 2,500' elevation gain hike that was expected to clock in around 9 miles round-trip, trail reports said the average run time was about 4h 45m. No problem. I'm one of those who needs to hydrate excessively- I routinely go through about 2 liters of fluid on a 9 mile route. My hydration pack takes 2 liters, so I figured I probably wouldn't even need the filter but the trip made a good excuse. I even tossed in a lightweight disposable 28 oz bottled water before leaving our car, thinking "No way is that filter getting used!" Man am I glad I had the Sawyer. My hiking partner is not anywhere near as active as I am, which resulted in hours longer on the trail than expected, and surprise, the route clocked in closer to 15 miles than 9. So we were out there, including a break at the spectacular turn around location, for about 10 hours. The Sawyer performed beautifully. I didn't have to stress about trying to conserve water, which was a real relief on the way back, now knowing how long the route actually was and how fast my partner and I were likely to move. The available watersources were mountain streams on a *heavily* trafficked trail (it was like a traffic jam in sections), so the water looked, smelled, and felt clean and cold already, but I sure wouldn't have risked drinking it unfiltered (as we saw several other groups doing- just say no to unfiltered water folks, seriously, not worth it). Okay, the actual review stuff: I'm ashamed to admit I'd never actually used a filter before, though I've seen other people do so. I'm also *not* kinesthetically intelligent. But the Sawyer mini is super easy to understand and use, lightweight, and doesn't have a lot of tiny parts or really much you can do to screw up. I did a test run when it was delivered, found it easy and obvious, and left the flushing syringe in the cabin because we were on a day hike. On the trail it was 100% slick. The included 16 oz bag for untreated water is a little small, and can be challenging to fill in still water, but performed well despite those limitations. As mentioned, the water was already very clear- no visible particulates, and I was able to filter about 1.5 liters in around 8 minutes, including the water-gathering. I assume that dirtier water with more particulates would filter slower- for the water I was filtering, the flow rate was just as fast as my tap water test run, and it was easy to speed up with some gentle pressure on the bag. I should note that I found an actual water bottle *much* easier to filter into than my hydration pack bladder with its floppy body and wide mouth (the last minute extra tossed-in bottled water was useful on two fronts!), so I'd highly recommend carrying a lightweight bottle for filtering into even if you intend to eventually drink it out of an in-line system. The filter, straw, and backflow syringe fit easily into a clean ipsy-type zip case and were light and easy to pack and carry. I will invest in some screw covers or other capping solution so as to avoid water leakage in the future after use, but this wasn't a big deal for me. I'll likely also toss in some alcohol wipes for future trips to ensure clean surfaces after the parts have been jumbled together. Overall, while I imagine that folks who actually are backwoodspeople have better, higher-volume/higher-flow filtering systems and solutions, I'm 100% satisfied with my little Sawyer mini and its totally accessible price point and feel confident it will perform when needed.

I ordered this little beauty January 1st and got it 2 days later because I got free fast shipping. Now for all of you who say "The pouches are so weak at the seams they break so easily". Well I tried to take a very important picture that actually came with the Mini Sawyer filter, and I quote (because I couldn't get a good pic) "The Sawyer squeeze pouches are rugged but not indestructible. They can tear as a result of to much pressure being applied....." There are three helpful tips telling you what "Not" to do and what you can do. So for all of those who are to impatient to gently apply pressure. Well you Sir or Madam aren't very smart. Now for all of you who say "This water filter is way to slow" well that is a good thing because if it was fast then your filter is probably broken. Slow means its doing it's job. They also state to bring the back washing plunger to boost the speed, it is very light weight so don't complain about it taking up so much space. Put it in your pocket it for all we care. Plus if you are scared of viruses just boil the water after you filter it. Common sense. Lastly the is a good small filter. It does filter up to 0.1 micron which most filters don't actually achieve and the surprising part is it's very small. Which is fantastic for backpacking, you could care all the water you need in your pocket. Main also say the pouches are "too rugged" well if its new of course its going to be "too rugged" you are just using it for the first time. After a few weeks or so of constant use I bet you it would be able to hold the amount it says on the pouches you get. (just a small edit here) If you do complain about the speed of the filter you could easily create a gravity system and attach it to your pack so you make water as you walk so you have plenty when you set up camp. All you need is a water bottle that can screw on to the filter, a small rubber tube (could even use the straw it comes with) and a collection point (a water bladder) (you are all pretty smart you could figure something out to make it gravity feed while your walking. So stop complaining I like this little thing. I am using it in my bug out bag as well as camping. With its small size, it life span of 100,000 Gallons of water, and its light weight it is an A in my book. The rest of the One stars can chill out and use the brain a little bit better and make a real review.

The Sawyer MINI is a top pick for ultralight backpackers, travelers to remote destinations, or anyone building an emergency kit where weight and pack space matter. It hits a great balance of filtration performance, portability, and overall value. However, if you’ll be filtering large quantities of very silty water, or you need faster output, or you’re treating water with virus risk, then you might want to look at a bigger system or supplement it with another method. In short: lightweight, capable, versatile—just know its modest flow rate and application limits.

Tomo mucha agua, hasta 4 litros al día. El garrafón de agua de 20 litros cuesta 38 pesos en la tienda. Con un consumo diario de 4 litros estamos hablando de 228 pesos al mes y 2,736 pesos al año. Con este producto tomo agua limpia gratis. Tomando agua de la llave ya no me preocupa que me voy a enfermar ya que este producto filtra 99.99999% de las bacterias y protozoas existentes en el agua. Lo que no filtra son los virus. Pero es raro que haya virus en el agua de la llave. Tampoco filtra sustancias químicas como fluor, etc. Para filtrar virus y contaminantes químicos, uno necesita otro tipo de filtro. Cuando mejore mi presupuesto, pienso comprar otro filtro que filtra todo. Pero por ahora, este filtro Sawyer Mini Filter me sirve de maravilla. Este producto es para uso de toda la vida ya que tiene garantía para 100,000 galones (378,000 litros). Con mi consumo diario de 4 litros, este filtro me duraría por 258 años!

What a great little product, small lie weight and practical, that's what you want any day of the week on the trail. The only downside is, I found the squeeze bag (16 oz) a little too small for my liking, constantly need to fill up and filter. A large squeezy bag would be ideal.

I am very happy with my purchase!

Ce filtre est surprenant. Il filtre a 0.1 microns alors que des filtres a 350 euro sont encore a 0.2 microns Une capacite de filtrage hallucinante (378,5 m3 ca represente une duree de vie de plus de 378 000 litres...). Il y a un pas de vis qui permet de visser dessus des bouteilles de type Coca/Soda et ces bouteilles, vides, se compriment super facilement dans un sac. Cela permet donc d'emporter une bouteille qu'on ecrase bien, et on peut visser le filtre dessus sans probleme. Apres chaque filtrage, utiliser un peu de l'eau filtree pour nettoyer le filtre avec la seringue fournie. En mecanisme je l'utilise avec deux poches Platypus (celles que l'on peut ouvrir au sommet, et qu'on peut nettoyer facilement puisqu'on peut glisser la main dedans pour bien nettoyer dans les coins la poche interne). Dans une premiere poche de 2L je recupere l'eau. Le tube de la premiere poche va jusqu'au filtre Sawyer et sa sortie va dans une seconde poche de 2L. En fixant sur un arbre la premiere poche et par simple gravite, en 10 minutes je filtre 2 litres d'eau sans aucun effort. Le filtrage retire protozoaires et bacteries, et il ne me reste plus qu'a faire bouiller les 2L pendant 3 minutes en faisant 1 litre a chaque fois, et je depose chacun de ces litres dans une gourde 1L pour un emport total de deux litres : 1L de chaque cote du sac pour equilibrer la charge. Permet de se construire facilement avec du Platypus un mecanisme de filtrage par serie de 2L. Une duree de vie incroyable et un filtrage vraiment impressionnant. Attention : ne supporte PAS du tout le froid. Il faut absolument preserver le filtre du froid donc a conserver dans une poche interne de blouson pendant l'hiver pres du corps et a garder au chaud. Ne pas laisser le filtre tomber en temperature negative, car il est alors "foutu". Si vous randonnez l'hiver il faut faire attention sur ce point et proteger le filtre.

Amazing filter at an amazing price. So far I have only used this filter for a canoe camping trip for the three days in the backcountry. Devised my own gravity feed setup using a backpack hydration bag to collect lake water, through the filter down a second tube into our 15L folding water container...WOW!! Hang 2L walk away, turn around in 2-5 min and clean drinking water. Filled 10L in no time flat for the family's drinking requirements for the whole day. Backflush, and it is good to go again. Don't know how I will keep track of when I reach 100,000L, but I don't think that will be of concern. Haven't used it with the squeeze bag yet... I am sure it works like a charm. Fast enough flow that I could bring the backpack bag dip it over the side of the canoe to fill, then use the filter inline in the drinking hose for clean water. Storing in our home emergency kit when not camping. Have used the pump kind with replaceable filter and this thing kicks its output hole :) SOOOOO easy and convenient and small, at this price just buy one in case you might need it while camping or for home emergency kit.