WATER PURIFICATION: SAWYER INLINE FILTER

 

As we backpackers all know, getting sick by a waterborne microorganism can make a trip go from amazing to horrible. The upset stomach has a way of causing us to all forget about the mountainous beauty in which surrounds us and focus only on the momentary pain. I have never fell victim to waterborn illnesses but have heard horror stories. Not only can it affect one's trip but days back home also. Water treatment is crucial in the backcountry. Everyone has their only techniques and products they depend on and so do I. A pre-hiking goal on all my trips is to fully hydrate myself and give my body a kick of electrolytes starting three days before the adventure.

First off I evaluate the landscape I will be backpacking into. If the the planned base camp has a known water source then my Camelbak bladder will be more than enough. If the basecamp has no known water source then i will bring one or both of my water bottles, 24 oz plastic bottle and a .6 liter aluminum Sigg bottle. Another fact to think about is how many miles and how hard are those miles into basecamp. If water cant be found along a strenuous trail then a bottle is taken even when water can be found at basecamp. Being without water at any point on the trail should never happen as your only setting yourself up for a problem. I use the bladder alone as my destinations usually are home to a water source. I have combined my water treatment and my trailside water source into one. My Northface backpack has a pocket on the backside which perfectly stores my bladder and can be pinched down tight.

 

The Camelbak bladder holds 100ml of liquid. On the bladder I have my purification system, a Sawyer inline water filter. The filter is cut into the bladder tubing and secures onto the tubing with two hose clamps. It only takes minutes to install or uninstall. The filter does not remove viruses but all bacteria, protozoa, cysts and all other microorganisms are removed. Other uses can include a pump pre filter and a inline filter in your gravity bag filter. The package states that the filter handles 1 million gallons. I wont be doing that test, but have owned the sawyer filter for four years with no problems. 

Once the filter is removed from the tubing line it is easily cleaned. The filter unscrews from the black casing. The package comes with a faucet adapter. This adapter is used to back wash the filter from any faucet. Once this is done cleaning the filter can be done with 10 drops of chlorine to  one quart of water after reassembly is done.
The Sawyer can be bought at REI for $60$. Since i bought my last Sawyer in 2008 the filter has a new face lift and looks different but the basic system is the same.
Disadvantages for this system is that additives to your water like Gatorade powder or flavor enhancers will clog the filter. I speak from experience. At first this sucked but as i left my additive habit i realized that when your thirsty your thirsty!!! Flavor doesn't matter, pure 100% quality h2o quenches any depth of thirst. The filter is on the outside of my pack which could get damaged by weather or extreme use of the backpack. Nothing has happened yet, fingers crossed! Because the filter is in my bladder line i can't filter water through it for cooking. I don't need to as i always boil my water first before any cooking is done therefore this disadvantage just got undissed. OK, so what if the water i am going to store in my bladder has alot of precipitates. Then a simply trick will work. A cheap paper coffee filter works to remove the precipitates.
The advantages far out weight the disses. Most water treatments are larger and heavier that this filter, therefore I weight less and am carrying less. So, $60$ has turned into $15$ per year. Not bad and each year that I go closer to 1 million gallons, definitely planning on backpacking when I'm 80, the per month cost decreases!