Best AT Thru Hike Water Filter?

[SwathHiker]

I used an MSR Hyperflow with no problems (9 oz) for about 900 miles of the AT, but I hear the Sawyer Squeeze is good too (3 oz). It seems to me there would be lots of places where you'd need the hose to extract water from hard to reach places like the Hyperflow has, where the Squeeze would not work at all. Anyone with thru-hike experience with the Squeeze or some other filter lighter than the Hyperflow? Thanks.

[Turtle-2013]

Just carry a small "cup" (many use the bottom cut off of a bottle) to dip water into the squeeze ....I've never found a place that i can't use the squeeze just fine ... been using for the past several years .... switched from a heavier MSR

[Starchild]

I used a steripen for the entire AT thru. Only one time did I need to resort to using a candybar wrapper to get water into my bottle were I could use it. Any reasonable water sterilization method can be used on the AT. It all comes down to preference, convenience and water weight carried per method (plus the weight of the purification method but that is minor compared to the amount of water one would typically carry due to the method chosen.)

[DownEaster]

If you've got a cookpot or mug, you've got a container suitable for scooping up shallow water. You're going to be heating that container up to boiling temperatures anyway, so don't worry about contamination. With the dirty water supply taken care of, the Sawyer Squeeze seems like a good solution. It's faster than most, and you can do the necessary maintenance (back-flushing) with the nozzle on a SmartWater bottle.

[mauiarcher]

The befree gravity is the bomb!!! You can also use as a squeeze. Not aware of a lighter option. Yes, you can scoop water on the rare occasion if needed. It may be an REI exclusive

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[SwathHiker]

Thanks for these ideas. The years I've done my 900 mile "Swath" they include definite water holes where there's no way to scoop water with a metal cook pot. In the summer in PA they plain run out of water for long stretches. And in VA there were spots where I remember throwing my hose attachment down a hole to get to water, so I was wondering how people managed without a hose attachment. And I see a candy bar wrapper came in handy. That is definitely lighter than carrying my MSR! I just looked at that BeFree, did you use that on a thru-hike? The reviews seem to say it is slow and it looks like it might take up a lot more space in your pack than the Sawyer and might break in the middle of nowhere. Wondering what is reliable for the long haul these days. Not a fan of Steripen. Seen too much beaver water. Sterilized beaver water is still beaver water!

[Venchka]

If you buy the BeFree filter and 2 liter HydraPak soft bottle from REI the week you start your thru hike, REI will replace any failures for 1 year. Long enough to complete your hike.
Walmart won't do that for a Sawyer Squeeze.
Personally, I believe NONE of what I see on the internet. The BeFree Filter & 2 liter HydraPak bottle are working just fine for me. I have about 6-9 months left in my 1 year trial period from REI. The filter & bottle fold up quite small. Filter & 2 liter soft bottle = Less than 4 ounces. As for speed, you can fill the 2 liter HydraPak bottle and drink from it. Saving the time that the Sawyer needs to transfer from the dirty container to the clean container. Evernew bottles don't last forever either. the HydraPak bottle may not last forever, but it is quite sturdy.
Wayne

[SwathHiker]

Thanks. REI sells the Squeeze too so either way it's guaranteed but the real issue is bothering with a fidgety filter since I don't want to bother hitching to REI multiple times and don't want to bother random hikers to borrow theirs three or four times a day while waiting for a replacement in the mail. Better to ask you all about it beforehand. Thanks for the input.

[MuddyWaters]

I used an MSR Hyperflow with no problems (9 oz) for about 900 miles of the AT, but I hear the Sawyer Squeeze is good too (3 oz). It seems to me there would be lots of places where you'd need the hose to extract water from hard to reach places like the Hyperflow has, where the Squeeze would not work at all. Anyone with thru-hike experience with the Squeeze or some other filter lighter than the Hyperflow? Thanks.

You use your cook pot to dip water, or a ziplock
From trickles your hose couldnt think of capturing
No need for hoses. And never complicated pumps.

You can fill bag. And drink straight from sawyer too if you want.
You can put the straw over end and drink straight from puddle if you like.

I used a sawyer mini on CT, due to livestock. Usually use AM. Its a bit slow for me. Never gave me any trouble. Available any walmart.

Use with platypus, not sawyer bags

[moldy]

Ain't no " best " filter on the trail. Sort of like shoes. There are good things and bad things about all the systems out there. The odd thing is that we don't know for sure if the system you will pick or any of us picks even works. What we are after here is "you no get sick from da water". In theory water cleaning should remove the bad guys and prevent sickness. No one has ever done a scientific study on the AT that compares sickness rates of the different water systems to those who do not treat the water at all. Which system is best? Who knows. Each individuals immune system probably has more to do with who gets sick and who don't. For me, I'm a risk taker who relies on a guardian angle to follow me around most of the time, yet I use a steripen. My first line of defense is my nose. I'm not drinking stinky pond water unless I boil the crap out of it.

[Slo-go'en]

The Sawyer comes with a large syringe for back flushing the filter when it gets clogged. If you had a couple feet of hose which fits the end of the syringe, you could use that to suck water out of holes. I've never really encountered a situation where that would have been good to have, but I avoid dry times of year and places like PA. I've done PA three times now and I think that's 3 times too many

[CoolBobby]

I love my Guardian... with its UL crushing beefy-ness..I can drink from any source found on the trail. I have.

[SwathHiker]

Thanks. These are great ideas. I know exactly which cow field in CT you are talking about. I drank that "water" and also the beaver water in Mass between the two springs. Note that, thru-hikers. There are two springs at one point where there's another "Spring" that is actually a wash spring from a beaver pond directly above it. Don't drink from the "warm spring." There's a nice spring both before and after it. Anyway, thanks, all fabulous ideas. I love my Hyperflow and it is only 9 ounces. But that 3 oz Squeeze sounds awesome and now I have ideas on how to extract water from difficult sources. I am not a person who bothers carrying a Big Zip. 2 gatoraide bottles worth is plenty outside of PA. Ya those rocks suck. I had a much easier time of PA in sandals like Chacos/Keens than I did in regular shoes, oddly enough. But then you have to worry more about the snakes. Oh, the snakes! So many snakes!

[tflaris]

I used a MSR Trailshot for 270 miles on the AT this year and I found it had some advantages and disadvantages like any other hiking/camping choice

1. I could use it on puddles
2. Super easy to backwash
3. Relatively light
4. Small Form

Disadvantage
1. Your forearm muscle on one arm is significantly larger than the other due to having to squeeze to use the filter.


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[Venchka]

I totally agree that the BEST word should be stricken from the vocabulary!
Wayne


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[fastfoxengineering]

Big fan of the sawyer squeeze. I carry two 700 ml smart water bottles. I also carry the blue backflush adapter. I keep one of bottles dedicated to clean water only and keep the sawyer on the other all the time.

Fast light efficient.

Diy gravity systems are awesome as well. My gravity setup adds 4 oz to my pack.

Because I'm an ultralight nerd. It typically stays at home.

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[Venchka]

BeFree filter.
HydraPak 2 liter soft bottle.
3.82 ounces. Total weight.
Gram Weenie enough?
Wayne

[SwathHiker]

Yes. Thanks. Everybody likes the Squeeze and the BeFree so at least I know I can hang up my MSR Hyperflow for good. I already had actually! Thanks for the replies. That's great. Another 4 or 5 ounces cut from my weight.

[Venchka]

It only took me several decades to retire the MSR WaterWorks and PUR Hiker. In round numbers, savings are 15 and 11 ounces respectively.
The savings in bulk in my pack are even greater.
Wayne

[KCNC]

I totally agree that the BEST word should be stricken from the vocabulary!
Wayne

BEST introduces opinion, and we all know how those are! Some are more aromatic than the most fragrant cow pond!

When I'm Emperor of the Universe all such queries must be phrased in the form;

"What is your experience with your preferred method of water purification?"

Anyone who adopts my decree prior to my rise will be granted favored status among my subjects when I'm enthroned.