BWCA 2L or 4L Gravity Filter? Boundary Waters Gear Forum
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01/29/2022 10:11AM  
Ok…So now that I have a permit it’s time to get serious.

On past trips my paddling partner and I both brought sawyer mini squeezes. While these work great, squeezing every ounce of water for a week through a 16oz bag gets old quick.

That being said, based on recommendations from this group I’ve decided to invest in a Platypus Gravity Filter. My only question is on which size I should get? 2L or 4L? 4 liters seems like a lot of water but the weight difference is not that much between the two. What do you guys do?
 
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WonderMonkey
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01/29/2022 10:41AM  
noahj: "Ok…So now that I have a permit it’s time to get serious.

On past trips my paddling partner and I both brought sawyer mini squeezes. While these work great, squeezing every ounce of water for a week through a 16oz bag gets old quick.

That being said, based on recommendations from this group I’ve decided to invest in a Platypus Gravity Filter. My only question is on which size I should get? 2L or 4L? 4 liters seems like a lot of water but the weight difference is not that much between the two. What do you guys do? "


It's going to come down to what time of the year do you go on your trips, do you move daily or basecamp, and how much water do you use in meals? Basically, it's the water consumption you will have while in camp.

I bring 2L when it's just me and 4L when I'm with a group. However, if you find yourself having to go back out and refill the 2L, then just get the 4L.
 
01/29/2022 10:44AM  
Absolutely get the 4L. You will be refilling it half as often as the 2L. I use the 4L when there's two of us and the 6L for groups of 4. I also bring a 4L Platy Watertank that stays near the kitchen for cooking needs. Lately we've taken to bringing the Watertank with us when moving so we always have plenty of fresh water available.
 
Minnesotian
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01/29/2022 10:59AM  

4 liter. No doubt.
 
01/29/2022 11:49AM  
4 liter Platypus Gravity unit here--won't go back to pump, and for the two of us the 4 liter is perfect. Might consider larger unit for group travel or smaller unit for solo.

TZ
 
01/29/2022 12:36PM  
I'd get the 4L if there's more than one of you. I can use a 2L solo. Either way I take a Sawyer Water Filter Bottle for drinking during the day while paddling.
 
WonderMonkey
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01/29/2022 12:47PM  
WonderMonkey: "
noahj: "Ok…So now that I have a permit it’s time to get serious.


On past trips my paddling partner and I both brought sawyer mini squeezes. While these work great, squeezing every ounce of water for a week through a 16oz bag gets old quick.


That being said, based on recommendations from this group I’ve decided to invest in a Platypus Gravity Filter. My only question is on which size I should get? 2L or 4L? 4 liters seems like a lot of water but the weight difference is not that much between the two. What do you guys do? "



It's going to come down to what time of the year do you go on your trips, do you move daily or basecamp, and how much water do you use in meals? Basically, it's the water consumption you will have while in camp.


I bring 2L when it's just me and 4L when I'm with a group. However, if you find yourself having to go back out and refill the 2L, then just get the 4L."


I'll say I'm going to agree with everyone else. When I say I bring our 4L for a group, what I didn't mention is that my main outdoors buddy ALSO brings his 4L for the group. If you are going to have just one, get the largest you think you will need. Also a spare filter.

On the spare filter ..... I take one and don't use it if I don't need it. In time that becomes my mail filter and I buy another to become the spare. If whatever filters you bring fail, go out to the middle of the lake, gather your water, and drink it anyway.
 
01/29/2022 01:01PM  
A note on the 4L Platy. On the "Dirty" bag it's printed: "Press to seal, Invert to test". Worst advice ever.
 
01/29/2022 02:05PM  
Banksiana: "A note on the 4L Platy. On the "Dirty" bag it's printed: "Press to seal, Invert to test". Worst advice ever."


BwaaaHaaHaa--you only do it once! Yep, bad advice.

TZ
 
schweady
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01/29/2022 04:56PM  
If you go out to platy.com, you'll see that they only offer a 4.0L and relatively new 6.0L. I'm sure some retailers still have the 2.0, but I can only see searching that out for a solo trip. Even then, gravity systems might not be on one's radar anyway.
 
Hammertime
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01/29/2022 06:39PM  
4 liter without question. You deal with water half as often in camp.

When I go with a group of 8 we bring two 4 liter systems. Works great!
 
Hammertime
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01/29/2022 06:41PM  
Banksiana: "A note on the 4L Platy. On the "Dirty" bag it's printed: "Press to seal, Invert to test". Worst advice ever."


LOL

Does anyone ever zip the dirty bag shut? We haven’t attempted for several years
 
01/29/2022 07:07PM  
I bring a 2L and a 4L dirty bag for my MSR micro gravity filter system. I just drink a lot of water when I'm out there.
 
LarrySw45
member (46)member
  
01/29/2022 07:26PM  
I've used Sawyer Filter systems since 2013 and made my own Gravity
Bag system in 2015 I think using a 2L Sawyer Bag.
2L does come up a bit short when Canoe Tripping so I found this:
https://www.sawyer.com/products/one-gallon-gravity-water-filtration-system

I haven't used it yet on a trip but I'm sure it will be fine and 1 gallon
will suit me fine.
Larry S
 
rogerl123
member (17)member
  
01/29/2022 07:53PM  
I have just started looking at filter systems for my trip. I saw both the Sawyer and the Platypus systems. The Sawyer system is less than half the price as the Platypus system. What is the major difference between the two systems?

Thanks
Roger L
 
RodPortage
member (49)member
  
01/29/2022 09:53PM  
Every time I use my 4L, I think about how much I love this piece of gear. I have been tripping in a group of 3 and would buy the 6L if I were doing it again, as 4L means refills for cooking and cleanup in the morning and evening. But I could not recommend the product more strongly.
 
01/30/2022 03:38AM  
For many years I traveled with a group of 4 and we used the 4L system which worked fine. Would fill the dirty bag as we arrived at our campsite and would always have 4L of clean water available after setting up camp. This system really beats using the MSR mini hand pump which I still have with several new spare filters.
 
01/30/2022 07:07AM  




Highly recommend the Platypus 4 liter system. Ours has worked flawlessly for many years and is definitely one of the best equipment upgrades we have ever made.

This is our customary water setup wherever we camp and includes two MSR 4 liter water storage bags which gives us 12 liters of available fresh filtered water. One thing that is sometimes a problem for folks up there is that they don't drink enough water and get somewhat dehydrated. If it is available and this easy, that tends to not be an issue. It's amazing how much water you can go through...
 
Savage Voyageur
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01/30/2022 08:39AM  
4L is what you want. Otherwise you will be filling it more often. The Beauty of a gravity filter is set it and forget it. If you are filling it all the time it will get old. Especially with a group, you will be constantly filling it with a 2 L bag.
 
01/30/2022 09:51AM  
The Sawyer Mini tends to slow after it's initial honeymoon phase - I got to the point that mine needed backflushing after every 2L filter.

Upgraded to a Sawyer Squeeze, bought the coupling and rigged it to gravity filter...so much faster. Can easily backflush with the clean bag instead of a syringe.

5oz & what I take for solos and two-person trips...I am not aware of a lighter gravity option other than the mini.

Bigger groups I would just take two of these to have some built-in redundancy & very low weight.

 
01/30/2022 11:04AM  
4L, or maybe even the 6L since that is now available. If I were to buy one new, I would get the 6 L.

We are usually trip as a group of four or six. The 4 L is sufficient but I recommend back flushing every time. If you use the clean bag part its easy, just turn it around and back flush for 5 seconds. We then dump the water into a collapsible water container. Frequent back flushing will significantly improve the life and performance of the filter. Just keep filtering water when you can remember to do so, with a little back flush each time. We always bring an extra filter, and sometimes we even bring an extra 4 L platypus setup. My experience is the filters usually last us about 2 seasons (5-6 trips or 30-40 days in the wilderness) before they get where they no longer work efficiently. When you get home, clean the whole setup with tap water and a small amount of bleach (I think the manufacture suggests a couple drops per 4 L) and then let air/drip dry. I'm using a 4 L system that I bought over 10 years ago...bags, hoses, and connectors all working fine.
 
WonderMonkey
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01/30/2022 11:44AM  
lindylair: "



Highly recommend the Platypus 4 liter system. Ours has worked flawlessly for many years and is definitely one of the best equipment upgrades we have ever made.


This is our customary water setup wherever we camp and includes two MSR 4 liter water storage bags which gives us 12 liters of available fresh filtered water. One thing that is sometimes a problem for folks up there is that they don't drink enough water and get somewhat dehydrated. If it is available and this easy, that tends to not be an issue. It's amazing how much water you can go through..."


I agree with plenty of water being available encourages people to drink more. That's a fine point.
 
schweady
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01/30/2022 05:10PM  
schweady: "If you go out to platy.com, you'll see that they only offer a 4.0L and relatively new 6.0L. I'm sure some retailers still have the 2.0, but I can only see searching that out for a solo trip. Even then, gravity systems might not be on one's radar anyway.
"

Huh. I just dug into the equipment box for our men's group basecamp trip and realized that we had upgraded to the 6L system and brought it along last year. No wonder we spent a lot less time filling and refilling... Feels like it takes up no more pack space than the 4L. Highly recommend.
 
AirPrex
senior member (92)senior membersenior member
  
01/30/2022 10:26PM  
WonderMonkey: "
lindylair: "




Highly recommend the Platypus 4 liter system. Ours has worked flawlessly for many years and is definitely one of the best equipment upgrades we have ever made.



This is our customary water setup wherever we camp and includes two MSR 4 liter water storage bags which gives us 12 liters of available fresh filtered water. One thing that is sometimes a problem for folks up there is that they don't drink enough water and get somewhat dehydrated. If it is available and this easy, that tends to not be an issue. It's amazing how much water you can go through..."



I agree with plenty of water being available encourages people to drink more. That's a fine point."


Definitely second this notion. Go as large as you can, this is a canoe trip not a backpacking trip after all. We have a DIY Sawyer setup with a 15L dirty water bag that fills both a 10L and 4L MSR Dromedary clean bag. Being able to collect 14L of water in one go and have that around camp has definitely improved our trips and led to us staying much more hydrated than when we were collecting 2L or even 4L at a time in the past.
 
kenpark23
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01/31/2022 08:04AM  
Bigger is better. I have a platypus and it is a good system. I've never had problems. Having said that, I recently started using a CNOC bag. I like the closure method better and i find the bags easier to fill. I screw my sawyer filter straight on to the cnoc bag. It is simpler, lighter and much cheaper than the platypus system.
 
scottiebaldwin
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01/31/2022 12:12PM  
lindylair: "

Ooo! Same setup as me but I love the addition of red cord to extend from a branch! Thanks for the great idea, Lindylair!
 
01/31/2022 12:57PM  
noahj: "Ok…So now that I have a permit it’s time to get serious.

On past trips my paddling partner and I both brought sawyer mini squeezes. While these work great, squeezing every ounce of water for a week through a 16oz bag gets old quick.

That being said, based on recommendations from this group I’ve decided to invest in a Platypus Gravity Filter. My only question is on which size I should get? 2L or 4L? 4 liters seems like a lot of water but the weight difference is not that much between the two. What do you guys do? "


My wife and I use the 4L. Your cooking methods and daily trip time/distance probably dictate your water usage and thus which size is truly best for you.

Our strategy is to filter enough water the night before so that we have the 4L clean bag full, plus two other 3L platypus bladders full, plus our Nalgene water bottles full. We tend to drink a lot of water and cook one meal per day. I would guess we are an outlier since many people would not want to portage the weight of that volume of water.
 
02/01/2022 07:15AM  
We have the older Sawyer 4L gravity filter. We have used it with groups of 4 and just 2 of us. I can say that I have never thought it would be better to have a smaller system even with just 2 of us. For a group I would go no smaller than a 4L and if buying new again I would actually go with the 6L now that it is an option. Weight difference in the systems would be minimal.
 
02/01/2022 11:00AM  
Kendis: "we have the 4L clean bag full, plus two other 3L platypus bladders full, plus our Nalgene water bottles full. We tend to drink a lot of water and cook one meal per day. I would guess we are an outlier since many people would not want to portage the weight of that volume of water."


Am I misunderstanding, or are you saying you start out the day portaging 20+ pounds of water?
 
02/01/2022 01:56PM  
I have the 4L and often borrow friends' clean & dirty bags so I have extra capacity while in camp. I saw the 6L bags hit the market and am considering getting them to add to my kit.
 
ockycamper
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02/01/2022 05:34PM  
noahj: "Ok…So now that I have a permit it’s time to get serious.

On past trips my paddling partner and I both brought sawyer mini squeezes. While these work great, squeezing every ounce of water for a week through a 16oz bag gets old quick.

That being said, based on recommendations from this group I’ve decided to invest in a Platypus Gravity Filter. My only question is on which size I should get? 2L or 4L? 4 liters seems like a lot of water but the weight difference is not that much between the two. What do you guys do? "


We bring a 4 litre and a 6 litre for each camp of 6 men. We go through all of that and more each day. If it was just me and one other guy I would go with the 4 litre.

 
02/02/2022 02:16PM  
rogerl123: "I have just started looking at filter systems for my trip. I saw both the Sawyer and the Platypus systems. The Sawyer system is less than half the price as the Platypus system. What is the major difference between the two systems?


Thanks
Roger L"

I'm not seeing that Sawyer is even offering their two bladder gravity filter system anymore, to I don't think there currently an apples-to-apples comparison between Platypus and Sawyer. However Sawyer's old two bladder system received high marks for the filter proper, and the main complaint was that the bags were opaque so you couldn't see how much clean water you had on hand. That being said, the price for the Platypus 4L and 6L systems tend to fluctuate quite a bit. You should be able to grab one new somewhere sometime for about $80.00. Be sure to pick up a Platy Water Tank as well!
 
chessie
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02/03/2022 09:41AM  
We bring the 4 L Platy for a party of two, and it is NOT enough. I don't like making an extra trip out for a 2nd bag of water. We will add another "dirty" bag at the least. More is better, stay hydrated. The Platy is a good system, so far, no problems.
 
02/03/2022 09:46AM  
Ended up buying the 4L platy based on all your recommendations. Thanks
 
ockycamper
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02/03/2022 09:49AM  
As others have said, watch pricing. I bought two 6 litre systems last October for $65 each.
 
foxfireniner
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02/04/2022 08:43AM  
i used the 1 gallon Sawyer gravity on a trip a 2 years ago. I didn't like it.

Maybe I did it wrong but trying to fill the bag by dunking it only produced irritation and about a half gallon of dirty water. To get a full gallon, I had to dedicate a nalgene as a dirty fill bottle. I used a sawyer squeeze as well but blew out one of the squeeze bags. Speaking of bags, the Sawyer 1 gal bag developed a hole in it where Sawyer folded it for shipping that I had to patch with tape.

I also didn't like having to wait for gravity. I had a group of five in July. After portages, we would run out of water and would have hang a bag to get more.

I moved to katydyn vario and bought the soft sided nalgene bags and issued everyone their own hard nalgene bottle. For me, I wouldn't go back to a gravity system. It seems easier but I felt more in control and less frustrated with a pump system.
 
ockycamper
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02/04/2022 08:56AM  
We do a hybrid. When paddling everyone has Sawyer or Lifestraw filter bottles so they take care of themselves. In camp we use two Platypus gravity filters. . .a 4 litre and a 6 litre. The key is that no one paddles back to camp thirsty as they have their own filtration bottles. The other key is the two gravity filters. One is always full of clean water while the other is filtering.
 
Hub
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02/17/2022 04:07PM  
I think bigger is better. I have a DIY version I made using an 10L Dirty water bag (repurposed Katadyn gravity filter bag that gummed up to easily) and inline Sawyer mini filter feeding a 10L MSR Dromedary bag for clean water. It's pretty bomb proof and works for groups up to 6 pretty nicely. I have a second 10L MSR Dromedary, that I occasionally bring as well. Its nice to get water at most once a day. My setup seems a lot more durable and easy to use compared to what you can buy.
 
iCallitMaize
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02/18/2022 12:06AM  
I use the red 4L Wally World dry bag to make mine. Kinda diy I suppose. Then also like mentioned above keep a sawyer mini squeeze with me.

 
LarrySw45
member (46)member
  
02/18/2022 07:01AM  
Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S
 
schweady
distinguished member(8070)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished memberpower member
  
02/18/2022 08:56AM  
LarrySw45: "Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S"

Lots will show up via a google search for 'gravity filter shut off clamp,' or some such phrase. Here's one. And, I'm sure there are less expensive solutions, too.
 
02/18/2022 07:23PM  
LarrySw45: "Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S"


I think both Platypus and MSR use them in gravity systems. Contact them and ask where you can get a replacement.
 
campnfish
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02/19/2022 12:51AM  
I really like the platypus system, however the last few trips I have struggled to get good flow out of even a New filter. I try to get water from away from shore, but still have had a terrible time. Bring it home clean out the filter and works great on tap water at my sink. I'm just really surprised how sensitive the filter seems to be to dirty water, I've tried backflush, etc.. in the field and just never filters like it does at home. Maybe I'm not careful enough with where I fill the dirty bag, but it just seems I'm my opinion you really have to be very selective where you fill the dirty bag at.
 
TacoOverland
senior member (80)senior membersenior member
  
02/19/2022 07:25AM  
After using the Platypus for a few years and generally likening it, it started to fall apart. I switched to the MSR version and have found it to be more durable. As to size, I would definitely recommend the 4L. The filter is the same so it’s really only a larger bag which weight wise in negligible. I also have a MSR Dromedary bag that I use as the filtered water receiving bag. I put a twist spigot on the Dromedary bag and when full hang it from a tree. (Closed loop strap around trunk and carabiner to close loop and attach bag ) this way I have basically a hanging faucet to fill things from. This setup also allows me to pack the filter system away and still have water ready. Whichever brand you choose, I strongly recommend get a new filter element every year and back flushing your inuse filter regularly. All the gravity filter elements are pretty much interchangeable between brands.
 
TacoOverland
senior member (80)senior membersenior member
  
02/19/2022 07:38AM  
campnfish: "I really like the platypus system, however the last few trips I have struggled to get good flow out of even a New filter. I try to get water from away from shore, but still have had a terrible time. Bring it home clean out the filter and works great on tap water at my sink. I'm just really surprised how sensitive the filter seems to be to dirty water, I've tried backflush, etc.. in the field and just never filters like it does at home. Maybe I'm not careful enough with where I fill the dirty bag, but it just seems I'm my opinion you really have to be very selective where you fill the dirty bag at."


I can’t recall, but the MSR version has a pre filter screen in the dirty water bag, does the platypus have the same?
 
schweady
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02/19/2022 09:26AM  
One other, semi-related item: I have occasionally tried to obtain replacement Platypus filters on Amazon; I've seen them at a decent price at times. Every one that I have ordered from there, I have returned, as they all have failed the integrity test right out of the box (blowing air backwards through the filter produces a steady stream of bubbles), obviously due to rough handling in warehouse or during shipping. Buyer beware.
 
campnfish
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02/19/2022 02:04PM  
I think the last platy filter i purchased was at cabelas, i remember because it was like $50+.

It's possible i have a bad filter, but i can get it to move a lot of water when done at home, there is no pre screen on a platypus, so maybe something to check out, or switch filters from another brand. Also need to invest in a syringe, maybe that will help with the problems i have encountered recently.

I am also curious about air-lock, this seems more plausible for what i have seen, as i cant get water to flow at any high rate forward or backwards in the wild. again at home i can backflush by lifting clean bag above dirty and it flows very fast.
 
Vinny123
  
02/20/2022 08:04AM  

For larger groups, we use the 2.3 gallon size of this and rig up a sawyer squeeze or mini. Got tired of constantly filling up smaller bags or having the sawyer bags blowing out on us.
 
02/20/2022 10:18AM  
We use the same bag as above for the dirty bag and one of the 5 gal collapsible jugs from walmart for the clean bag. All you need to do is buy some tubing and use with a sawyer inline filter. Works great. Hardest part is filling in the middle of the lake and lifting into the canoe. Tie dirty bag up to tree and let it filter into clean jug.
 
iCallitMaize
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02/20/2022 04:29PM  
LarrySw45: "Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S"


Amazon I think Larry. I will look.
 
AirPrex
senior member (92)senior membersenior member
  
02/21/2022 09:06AM  
LarrySw45: "Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S"


Check eBay as well. I got a 6 pack for $4 including shipping a few years back.
 
iCallitMaize
distinguished member (203)distinguished memberdistinguished memberdistinguished member
  
02/21/2022 07:57PM  
LarrySw45: "Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S"


 
02/22/2022 12:24PM  
LarrySw45: "Where did you get that Clamp flow cutoff thingy ?
Larry S"


Homebrew supply stores and websites also sell hose clamps that you could use for camping. Homebrewing is full of small diameter hoses that can benefit from clamps so you should be able to find something that suits your needs.

In my experience, hose clamps are a mixed bag. They can be difficult to get on, and don't always completely stop the flow of liquid. You can get adequate results simply by raising the outlet of the discharge tube above the water level in the clean water bag/container.

Source: I've brewed 100 gallons of homebrew.
 
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