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Building a Super Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System, by Pretty in a Blue State
The Sawyer Squeeze filter has become very popular with backpackers. The filter threads onto a variety of soft-sided bottles and hydration packs. By squeezing a bottle or bladder of dirty water you generate the pressure to push the water thru the hollow fiber filter. Here’s one review.
The biggest advantage of the Sawyer Squeeze filter is that it does not require a pump. This removes the potential mechanical failure of a pump and the hassle of tubing as you balance on the edge of a stream or lake. Just scoop up water, pour it into a bladder, and filter it elsewhere. Other benefits are the small size and light weight.
It filters faster than many other designs (about one minute per liter) and can also be used as a gravity or in-line filter. It is very simple to back-flush. It is rated for 0.1 microns and is effective for bacteria and protozoa. It is not rated to remove viruses – so if that is a concern in your area then many other treatments will be more effective after the suspended organic solids have been filtered.
Note that the Sawyer Squeeze filter does not include an activated charcoal element to remove dissolved chemicals. You can add an in-line activated charcoal filter, available from Katadyn or Platypus or you can make your own if you have any concern about chemicals or taste.
Sawyer guarantees this filter for one million gallons. Just for fun, let’s say their claim is only 5% correct – that’s still 50,000 gallons. For 4 people this equals one gallon per person per day for 34 years.
A shortcoming of the Sawyer Squeeze system is the included mylar bladders for dirty water. They are more prone to leaking than other brands. (The kit comes with three bladders, I’m carrying one as a free backup). A bladder or bottle will require flowing water or some type of a cup to fill with dirty water.
I’ve adapted the Sawyer Squeeze filter to plug directly into a Camelbak Hydrolink bladder in my backpack for quick and easy “on the go” refills and have a system for backflushing without using the syringe included with the filter. My approach also adds a pre-filter as well as protection from cross-contamination. With so much flexibility I’m going to be listing a lot of options along the way. Make the system work best for your needs.
Reminder: You should always have more than one way to treat water – I carry Katadyn tablets separately from the filter kit. And protect all filters from being dropped or frozen.
Here’s what I purchased and how I built my system:
1. Sawyer Squeeze Filter – the latest packaging includes a gray dirty water end adapter cap which has a semi-permanent cap on the hose barb. Includes a 60cc syringe for back flushing, 3 mylar bladders, and sport-style pop up drink cap.
You may need to purchase a Sawyer adapter set. If your Sawyer did not come with the gray male adapter you will need to buy one to seal the dirty water end so that water doesn’t drain out in that direction when you disconnect the dirty water bladder.
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