If you dont have one of these, you should. Excellent piece of gear for around 20-30 bucks.
I have used both of Sawyer's larger versions, the .1 and .02, quite a bit in the past. I love their filters. But i just found out about the mini a few weeks back and its hard to NOT add this to a kit.
Im not sure how lifestraw will stay in business now though.
Id recommend it. 100,000 gallons is A LOT of water.
I got mine today and i have no doubts in its performance as i used their other products quite a bit in the past. But ill still be testing it out at the end of the month.
Filters are an important part of any woods kit or survival bags. It doesnt take a survival situation or end of the world for these to be useful. I have decided at the last minute to extend a camping trip from 2 days to 7... Now without a water filter i would of had to go home as planned but with the filter i had no issues staying out for a week.
Now in a survival situation, or after a huge storm when there is a lot of run off, i suggest digging an Egyptian well next to the river/lake and then filter that water as an extra precaution.
I also recommend learning to make water filters from sand, rocks, grass and charcoal. Its easy and a very valuable skill to know.
Thanks for sharing worldwood, this thing is awesome. I just bought one. In the US they´re so cheap... I got one for 31.75$ (23€)*includes shipping to germany. Here they go for 36-40€ (55$) without even shipping
Go USPS! Go USPS!
Last Edit: May 7, 2014 13:08:49 GMT -8 by HunterHype
"Without EDC is wirklich Everything für the Katz!"
The filter is GREAT!! But the water collection bag it comes with is less than perfect... I prefer water bottles personally so ill just screw mine into a water bottle most the time, but if you do like the option of using bags id suggest looking into another collection bag... Like the platypus bags or similar.
Not that this bag wont work.. But its small and stiff, and not easily filled unless you have nicely flowing water. Which is not always the case.
I prefer water bottles personally so ill just screw mine into a water bottle most the time, but if you do like the option of using bags id suggest looking into another collection bag... Like the platypus bags or similar.
I own a few Minis and they work fine. I also own a Katadyn Pocket and Hiker Pro. For the money, you can't beat the Mini. That said, they do not fit all water bottles. Lots of YT and internet reviews say they can, but you need something that has the same threads as a standard Coke bottle and most new water bottles, especially the ones with very short caps, have different threads. Same thing with the Platypus bottles, the threads are different than the Sawyer Mini's.
Now, can you get a good enough seal on bottles that are not threaded like the Sawyer? Maybe, but I wouldn't personally risk three weeks doubled over in pain in the "office" on a seal that isn't 100% GTG.
I have used Katadyn pocket and another one called a various? or something like that.. Neither were mine, both at survival classes, same place i used the larger Sawyer PointOne and .02 the very first times. Also used the lifestraw of course.
Yea i have already noticed the threads will not fit on some water bottles. Like you said the ones with shorter caps and it seems the thinner plastic bottles have those threads as well. But it has been pretty easy to find different bottles that do fit. And i always have a pepsi bottle close by, We have two cleaned out 2-liter pepsi bottles in a bin specifically for water, they were the first bottles i tested and fit very well.
I have read older platypus bags wont fit but i read that the newer ones should... I dont know that for sure though, i dont have a platy bag here to test it. Do you have a newer platy bag from 2014? Id like to know if the newer ones dont fit because i was going to order one after i read the thread were changed.
And i agree, i wouldnt use a bottle with a weak seal, water would run all down the thing and its quite possible youd ingest some. But I always suggest digging an Egyptian well next to your water source if you think the water is sketchy, regardless of what filter or bottles you have. Better safe than sorry.
But like you said for the money you cant beat it. Even if your lost without a bottle or bag to use and have to use it like the lifestraw, Its still a great filter.
Well, I don't know how to determine date of manufacture for a Platypus, but the two most recent ones were purchased around Christmas and they don't work. The sales kid said it would, as I was getting the new bladders specifically for use with the Sawyers I was putting in everyone's bags.
Almost every review I've seen or read, including the propaganda directly from Sawyer claims it will work on all sorts of stuff, but my experience is it won't. That's not a knock against the product, dust against the promotional department at Sawyer and the reviewers who don't really offer objective reviews.
True, you can always find trash bottles almost everywhere, sadly, even in the woods.
I've had my Katadyn Pocket since the early '90s. Excellent filter. Never given me a lick of trouble. But it is heavy and expensive and the price hasn't come down in twenty years. So, knowing what I know now, I'd go with the Mini. I liked the first one I got so much I purchased a four pack to put them in wife's and kid's daypacks.
They're cheap, light, simple and they work. What more need to be said?
Yea i have seen a lot of review that say they work with most water bottles, they need to actually test things out before saying that, as i had thought it would work with any water bottle when i got it. But im still very happy with it.
Ill go ahead and pass on the platy bag then, dont wanna waste the money. Have you found any bags that do work well? Ill mostly use a pepsi bottle, but bags will be smaller and take up less room when folded up, so id like 1 bag that will work good that i can put with my kit in case i dont have room for the bottles.
And just for fun, I slid it in my survival sheath setup and it fits great on the side of the pouch.
Sawyer offers their own bags in various sizes and my kids brought home some bags they got for picking garbage up off the side of there road- the town has certain day when they encourage the community to be a community and the participants get swag- but I don't know the brand name as there was no retail packaging, just the bag in the town's color.
I will say, that for all I know, Platypus may have redesigned their bags in the very recent past, but that would make all of their own accessories incompatible, so I doubt it. But, hey, what do I know?
Right after ordering my mini i decided id get a better bag for it and wanted to go with the platy bag, so i started checking to see if it would fit and found those 2 sites, so i was going to order one...But im reading conflicting things all over now... SO who knows.. I wish people didnt talk out their asses.
With all the conflicting reports i wonder if there are some bootleg platy bags being sold, or if some people are selling off older stock mixed with newer stock or something.
Regardless i dont have extra money to throw away hoping it fits.
I do have a Teton Oasis1100 hydration pack on the way, but when I ordered it there was a wait period and i dont have it yet... But i also have the adapter kit coming so i can put the mini inline with the hydration pack and it can be easily put on or taken off... So my plan now is to get an extra bladder for the Teton Oasis1100 and have one for use with unfiltered "dirty" water and one for use with clean water i bring with me.. This eliminates the need for the bag/bottle to fit the threads on the Sawyer. And i can fill the "dirty" bladder straight from the source and it be filtered on the way to my mouth.. Or swap the bladders and use it on day trips with clean water that i bring with me.
Thats the plan anyways. Ill still likely keep a pepsi or Smartwater bottle around just in case.