I see lots of people talk reference carrying a spare water filter, and it's making me wonder if I should. I do carry iodine tablets as a backup, and there's always boiling water of course, but those methods obviously have their drawbacks for any length of time.

Is taking a second filter along worth the extra cost and weight vs. what I currently do (granted, most weigh very little, but it's more than nothing)?

I carry a gravity filter system and also a Sawyer Water Bottle which has a mini filter, which serves as a back-up. I find it simple and convenient to use the bottle while traveling. No carrying liters of water, no stopping to filter more.

Gravity bag with In line sawyer mini filter, spare sawyer filter plus MSR Trail Shot in day pack to pump water on the go. Also have tablets and folded up water bottle in my pfd ditch kit.

cowdoc: "Gravity bag with In line sawyer mini filter, spare sawyer filter plus MSR Trail Shot in day pack to pump water on the go. Also have tablets and folded up water bottle in my pfd ditch kit."

Good idea. I'm gonna have to add those things to my ditch kit.

I always bring one. Can't go wrong with a Sawyer Squeeze as a backup. You could use the Sawyer bags or you could get a small Cnoc bag. I find the sawyer bags sharp and awkward and they dont roll up very well to stuff in my other filter kit bag.

I just use a Sawyer Mini with an Evernew bag. I've never carried a spare filter, just a spare white o-ring that comes with it in case I lose it. Never any issues. I just make sure I backflush it regularly.

Use the platypus in camp and befree out in the canoe.

We always take and use a back up Sawyer filter. One is the main one and the other is filled and ready as a reserve. We carry them in a 5 gallon bucket along with some fragile items to protect it all from damage, and keep it all in one place.