After experiencing typical slowing of the sawyer, a terrible summer with the befree (very fast slowing with water I was getting on the CT) I tried the platypus for 5 days on the foothills trail over New Years. Holy crap, this is a great refinement and totally worth the extra $$ over sawyer. Love the closable system, soooo easy to backflush, and that integrity test gives me incalculable comfort. The only further refinement I can imagine is a way to keep the dirty side cap attached. Can’t do a flip cap like the clean side and still support their beefy external threads but a rubber bungee that goes around the body and attaches to a swivel button on the flat of the cap would do the trick while still being optional for those who don’t want it. Heck, they could even sell it as aftermarket.
I have that filter and live in Florida so anything in a airtight package will mold / grow things. A easy fix is make a bag out of Muslim cloth and store it in that with the caps off also you use the bag as a pre filter for the water. Even the very expensive ceramic filters with silver grow Mold / fungus with any locked in Humidity so store them open and all is good. Your mileage may vary. Another tip save a old dirty side cap and pit holes on it to let the filter breath and protect the fibers at the same time. Hugs yes I am a 60+ old Explorer so I find ways to make do with what's available. Have fun and enjoy the great out doors.
Another good gear review, dude. Since I got my Grayl filter, I will never buy anything else. All of these lower-priced filters, like the Platypus , do not filter out all viruses, little or no heavy metals, herbicides, and pesticides. That’s a dealbreaker for me. When I purchased the original Grayl, I rationalized forsaking pack weight for potential health problems. Grayl has recently added an ultralight version of its original model. The newest version costs just $69 US. To date, I haven’t had one issue with my Grayl. It works so well that the filtered water actually tastes better than any tap water I have ever drank. Cheers.
Greetings. As a hiker who puts a premium on my health I find filters like The Sawyer and the Quick Draw as adequate when in almost all hiking venues. Most of the water sources I encounter are deep within mountains. The Sawyer specifically has been used in putrid water all over the globe by many hikers without issue. You're not going to have to worry about heavy metals on the trail because your exposure would be extremely limited.
I have been using other Platypus water bladders and carriers for years. Really like them. I need to replace my Sawyer. I love that it will work with my other C standard threads. I have a CNOC raw water bag so will skip the bag. Great review with real world experience. I still use my MSR pump filters in really nasty places.
Great review as always! Thanks. I’ve only filtered about 100 liters so far but love this thing! Super versatile and like the bag for scooping. Got it really mucky in a poor water source, back flushed it and it bounced right back to great flow rate. Love you, my Sawyer, but move over for a minute. :)
The filter is great but like you, my bag sprung a leak in the same area. For me, it was only after a week long trip, also rolling it around the filter for storage in my pack's pocket. That was really disappointing because I expected it to be a high quality and very durable bag. They told me I will have to send them a pic of the bag all cut up and destroyed before they send me a new one. Like they don't trust the pictures I already sent them of the leak or they don't want me attempting to try to repair it myself. I've never had anyone require that for a warranty service.
I just saw a video showing the integrity test showing the air bubbles. However, that test indicated producing bubbles meant the filter was compromised and not to use it. Your test showed air bubbles appearing once the bottle/bag was squeezed indicating the filter was usable. Which is it? Are air bubbles bad, or are no bubbles good?
Thanks for the review. I’ve been considering one for winter scrambles and camping. Being able to check the integrity is a big selling point for me. Section hiker mentions it can be used even after going through a freeze thaw cycle but I haven’t seen anyone else make that claim. Any idea there?
I saved up treated myself to Kat. BeFree, filtered about 10L water, took it out for day plod at weekend, very hard to filter the water, strange I thought, then water forced out of seal to the dirty bag. So think its somehow damaged in my pack, but very disappointed as I'm very careful wrap it up and keep in top lid. So this filter looks just job as looks lot more protected, and fine for here in the UK. Anyone come across similar issue with BeFree
I have a hard time believing that the QuickDraw & BeFree are only rated to 1000 liters while the Sawyer is 100k liters. Looking at the designs between the three, they should all be about the same(ish), depending on use.
Based on my conversations with Platpyus, the 1000L is based on flow rates, not filtration. The fibers inside are not drastically different technology, like you said.
I’m picky, and try to do everything I can to insure that I have clean water. So, my response to your question is, “No, I wouldn’t rely on this water filter, nor ANY OTHER filter. A filter, like boiling does only a partial job. Filters are just very fine strainers. They strain out particulate matter. They are not designed to address liquid contaminants mixed into water. Toxins such as wastes from agriculture, industry, homes, plus blood, urine and body fluids from a decomposing carcass nearby in calm waters or upstream. Getting sick at home is bad. Getting sick out in camp is much worse. Spewing both top and bottom takes the fun right out of camping, quickly and pretty much completely. I prefer using a water purifier. They start out with a filter, but don’t stop there. In addition, they then process filtered water through a matrix - sometimes iodine - and then through activated charcoal. Clean water is worth my investment of money and time. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
@@bradgauger1596 G’day, Brad. I’ve never hiked the AT Trail. I’ve hiked canyons in the Sierras 50 years ago. I’ve canoed all over Michigan, and 6 or 7 times in Canada. I’ve also canoed the Brazos River in Texas and the Suwannee in Florida. I’ve paddled and camped bayous in Louisiana. I’ve used a First Needs purifier. The water comes out odorless, clear, and tasteless. I’ve never gotten sick in camp. It has removed sulphur from the water, and also results of where cows were wading and peeing and dumping into the rivers. Courtesy of Half Vast Flying
