Originally Posted by
Maui Rhino
I've found that Source and Camelbak hoses are very close in diameter. Any hose hardware, such as quick-disconnects will be interchangeable. One of my favorites is Source's UTA. The Universal Tube Adapter comes with a QD, and a rubberized fitting that fits over any standard sized water bottle. It lets you refill your bladder without removing it from your pack. All you do put the fitting on the water bottle, remove your mouthpiece and hook the bottle up in its place. Turn the bottle upside down, and the water will flow into your bladder. It has a one-way valve to release air as the bladder fills, and the bottle empties. My son says it looks like I'm giving my pack an IV.
I use the full size Sawyer, which I loosely screw onto a 1L bottle using a homemade Tornado Tube....a female-to-female adapter made by epoxying two bottle caps together and drilling a hole in the middle. I filter water into the 1L and then refill my bladder using the UTA. This way, my bladder always has potable water in it and cleaning is less an issue. The other "hardware" in my system is a pair of cut up 1L water bottles. One is cut just below the cone at the top for a dirty water scoop, and the other is cut just above the bottom so that the top becomes a large funnel that screws right to the dirty water inlet of my Sawyer. The two cut-up bottles nest together, and everything fits inside: the Sawyer, back washing plunger, Tornado Tube, and UTA. I'm not sure just how different the Sawyer Mini fittings are from the full size Sawyer, but this should give you some ideas.