Gravity water filtration system

[Webguy]

One of the last things I need to sort out soon, is a lightweight, effective water filtration system. I have looked at pumps, and UV etc, but liked what I read about a 2 filter, 2 bag system that just gravity feeds the water from the dirty bag, though a first filter to remove all particulates and nasties and then through a 2nd carbon filter to remove chemicals etc into the final clean bag.

Does anyone use a similar system? Where did you source the 2 filters? I can get them from the USA, but thought there may be a local source that does not cost the earth etc.

I liked the bag idea as when it is empty, if rolls down to nearly nothing apart from the filters and would be reasonably light.

Open to suggestions as well.

Cheers

[Moondog55]

Millbank bag as the primary
Buy from disposals or make your own

[Bluegum Mic]

Not specifically a gravity filter but can be set up that way (and several other ways) is the sawyer squeeze. I have one and find it awesome. Weighs nothing and rolls away to a tiny package.

[alanoutgear]

Here's a Sawyer filtration system. I've got a similar model and it's great. They make bucket filters too in 0.1 micron, and 0.01 micron.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sawyer-Bag-to-Bag-Gravity-Flow-Filtration-System-Great-Camping-Water-Filter-/300657930093?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item46009bef6d

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[Mark F]

My own choice is a Steripen but the Sawyer squeeze system comes a close second for me. My main reason for this is the desire to deal with viruses and you need to use the Sawyer ZeroTwo filter to achieve this. The PointOne filter doesn't do viruses. There are also many reports of the Sawyer bags failing soon after purchase but the threading does fit other brands so you should have a backup pressure bottle. There is a very recent 6 part review of water filteration systems on backpackinglight.com if you are a member.

I always carry some puritabs as backup but I really don't consider that chemical or pump systems meet my primary needs.

[Webguy]

Does anyone use the Sawyer squeeze setup? If so, how do you find it?

[LandSailor]

Have heard good things about the Sawyer squeeze although the default lightweight bags you get with it can be fragile.
Apparently the Evernew water bags fit perfectly with the squeeze filter.
Dont know if available in Aus though.

[Webguy]

Thanks for that link, I had a read. Even with a Zero point two filter, it does not remove anything in the way of chemicals. Would a charcoal filter sort those out? Walking primarily in the Blue Mountains, what do other walkers up there use?

[Onestepmore]

This is a squeeze filtration system I stumbled upon (not sure how - I was researching Powermonkey chargers!) called Seychelle Advanced Water Pouch 2L
The blurb says it filters out chemicals and heavy metals (which was what Webguy was after)
Not sure if it comes in other sizes, but it claims to be widely used by aid agencies and peacekeeping forces
Has anyone experience using these?

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Seychelle-Ad ... 2ec13e43b2

Wait - there's more!
5L hanging gravity feed water pouch

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Seychelle-Ad ... 2c67ae900c

Here is a US based site
http://store.seychelle.com/Products-Pure_Water_Bag.html

[Aushiker]

I have recently used a Sawyer Squeeze water filter and had one start leaking at the seam where it is glued to the outlet. I contacted Sawyer about this and this is the response I received from Susan Glick at Sawyer Products:

Sawyer filters offer the highest level of filtration available,
therefore they are removing more seen and unseen particulates than you
are used to filtering. Even water that looks sparkling clear can
actually be loaded with very fine particulate - which is what makes the
water sparkle.
Depending on the quality of the water you may need to clean the filter
more often and we have supplied this lightweight syringe to make field
cleaning simple.
Before the pouches leave the factory they are 100% air tested, and while
they are rugged, these low cost pouches are not indestructible. They
tear as a result of too much pressure being applied and this happens
when you try to force water through the filter too fast, or your filter
needs cleaning and is creating more resistance.
To avoid breaking your pouch:
1. Do not squeeze the pouch as hard or wring the pouch.
2. Backwash the filter more often and with more force. You should bring
the syringe with you on your trip, especially if you are on a multi day
trip. It is important that the first backwash is strong so that it
cleans out all of the fibers rather than creating paths of least
resistance. The filter and syringe together weigh 4 oz which is still
much lighter and more compact than other filters.
3. Don't over tighten the filter on the pouch. Over tightening can
cause the o-rings to embed into the threads or lodge into the opening of
the pouch. If the o-ring is out of place you may not a have a tight
seal and water could leak out the bottom of the filter.
With all new technology, it takes time to learn how to best use it.
Until you learn the perfect balance of force and cleaning, we recommend
bringing a backup pouch with you on your trip.
Spare pouches come in packs of 3 and are available through http://www.REI.com
or http://www.Amazon.com.

My email to Sawyer was:

Dear Sawyer

I purchased a Sawyer Squeeze Water Filtration system from Moontrail.com in
January 2012. On a recent bicycle tour here in Western Australia I took the
2 litre bag and filter with me. Unfortunately after about three uses of
the 2 litre bag it started leaking near the output making the bag unusable
It seems that the bag itself has become unglued from the output unit. I
understand that others have reported similar issues which is disappointing
given that one needs this sort of gear to be reliable.

Can you please advise what can be done to address this issue with my faulty
2 litre bag.

Lesson learnt: Never trust Sawyer Products. Very disappointed as I thought this was a cool idea and good solution for me.

Regards
Andrew

[Moondog55]

Link though Roger Caffin although it is hidden well

http://www.permaflate.com/tinyfilt.htm

Might be worth trying although these days film cans are much harder to find

[ChrisJHC]

Resurrecting an old thread...

On my last trip with my Sawyer gravity filter it was really slow.
It was taking about half an hour to filter a litre of water.

When I got home I did a thorough back flush but there was effectively no flow.

I noticed that when the filter was horizontal that there was some flow, whereas when it was vertical there was no flow.

I did another back flush then blew all the water out of the filter with my mouth.

When I put it all back together it was all back to normal and proper flow had been re-established with the filter hanging vertically as per usual.

Don’t know why, but it worked.




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[Gadgetgeek]

My question with any pressure back-flushing is, can you know that you are only backflushing, and not bursting the tubes, or membranes? And as long as sawyer keeps selling venom suction kits, I won't be buying any. The fact that they claim longevity, and price at disposable just adds to that.

[slparker]

Am I missing something here? I just use a sawyer squeeze straight on the bottle of water that I have collected. Why would you need to filter litres of water at a time when you can just suck it straight through the filter from your bottle? Or squeeze into your pot from the said bottle....

[ChrisJHC]

Am I missing something here? I just use a sawyer squeeze straight on the bottle of water that I have collected. Why would you need to filter litres of water at a time when you can just suck it straight through the filter from your bottle? Or squeeze into your pot from the said bottle....

Because it’s a Sawyer gravity system not a squeeze.
The idea is that you filter enough each night to last you through the next day.
Assuming the filter is working properly, you filter a couple of litres while setting up camp, then another couple of litres during the night and (if required) enough to top up in the morning before you head out.
Neither one is “the best”, just what suits you at a particular time.


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