I purchased a Sawyer Squeeze Filter with the intention of modding my Katadyn Base Camp filter to work with it. Not a new mod by any means. The Squeeze filter has threaded fittings and adapters can be purchased for a few dollars that make it suitable for this application.

Got out the hacksaw....


Cut some tubing a cable tied the ends in place for good measure. Some of the tubing wasn't real tight... While I was buying the filter and adapters I saw a Platypus carbon element, had to have it. Hooks directly up to my Platypus tank. Slick.





But what if I need water away from camp you say? Well as cool as the squeeze thing is I can't imagine it being easy to fill one of those pouches from a canoe. Pumping has to be less frustrating, well if your filters not clogged anyway.

I bet a Katadyn guide filer with no paper wouldn't clog very fast. Hacksaw is to much of a blunt instrument, used a utility knife this time.


A couple more adapters and the Sawyer is now a pump filter!


No paper translates to crazy good flow. I was actually able to keep up with the drinking water tap on my sink!

I could have gotten by with less adapters if I wanted to switch hoses around but with them all locked in place there is no chance of hooking anything up backwards, which I did a couple times working this all out.

The whole kit...


All packed up... The Sawyer is in the black bag with the Guide. The carbon filter and inlet hose for the gravity rig are in the green sack wrapped up on the Platypus tank. The outlet hose from the gravity bag is in the bag.

Very cool mods. Been lookin at them Sawyers as well. Love my Vario, but so many positives on the Sawyer. I think I could mod my Vario like this. Needs a new filter anyhow, maybe time to fiddle with it.

Is there a way to hook the Hiker up to back flush the Sawyer? That would be the ultimate touch: a reliable way to back flush in the field!

Looks good.

I haven't gone the pump route but did buy one of the Squeeze filters and am also setting it up as a gravity filter using some bags i already have. Sawyer makes hose adapters for their filter cartridge to use with a hydration bag that are handy for that project.

The one thing I have read in reviews about the squeeze is that some people have problems with the bags breaking. It could be that they are squeezing too hard rather than taking the time to backflush.

quote mogos: "Is there a way to hook the Hiker up to back flush the Sawyer? That would be the ultimate touch: a reliable way to back flush in the field!"

Because the pump is on the "clean" side of the filter it doesn't matter which way you hook it up, just switch the hoses and your in back flush mode. You just need a bucket of filtered water to back flush with.

This is exactly what I will do the first time my filter plugs up. I also will install a MSR prefilter before the Sawyer filter. Then it should be golden.

quote andym: "Looks good.

I haven't gone the pump route but did buy one of the Squeeze filters and am also setting it up as a gravity filter using some bags i already have. Sawyer makes hose adapters for their filter cartridge to use with a hydration bag that are handy for that project.

The one thing I have read in reviews about the squeeze is that some people have problems with the bags breaking. It could be that they are squeezing too hard rather than taking the time to backflush."

I have the squeeze bags too but I really went that way to get the filter in the format that they provide the adapters for. I cannot imagine the bags being easy to fill from a canoe. Also you have to be careful to dry the outside of the bag or dirty water can run down the outside of the filter and into your bottle.

If you are planning to use the bags I'd do a little testing first to make sure they'll work out for you. All Sawyers videos show the bag being filled in a stream.

quote Savage Voyageur: "This is exactly what I will do the first time my filter plugs up. I also will install a MSR prefilter before the Sawyer filter. Then it should be golden. "

The MSR prefilters clog pretty fast IMHO and backflushing doesn't bring them back to 100% becuase they are after all paper. I wanted to get away from those as well. You'll have to let me know if that works out for you.

quote Merganser: "

quote Savage Voyageur: "This is exactly what I will do the first time my filter plugs up. I also will install a MSR prefilter before the Sawyer filter. Then it should be golden. "

The MSR prefilters clog pretty fast IMHO and backflushing doesn't bring them back to 100% becuase they are after all paper. I wanted to get away from those as well. You'll have to let me know if that works out for you."

Yes they do clog fast but just take them appart and peel the outer layer of filter and reassemble. You can do this about three times.

quote Merganser: "

quote mogos: "Is there a way to hook the Hiker up to back flush the Sawyer? That would be the ultimate touch: a reliable way to back flush in the field!"

Because the pump is on the "clean" side of the filter it doesn't matter which way you hook it up, just switch the hoses and your in back flush mode. You just need a bucket of filtered water to back flush with.


"

Brilliant! I'm now in the market for an old Hiker pump so I can back flush my Sawyer effectively in the field!

Thanks for posting this!

I pretty much bought the squeeze for the filter in an easy format, too.

It is a good idea to test it before we go in and I intend to do that. As for needing a stream, perhaps a moving canoe works. In camp, it will be a gravity filter. I'm also tempted to try it with a platypus bag with the big opening on the bottom as a squeeze filter.

If it doesn't work out then we'll have a steripen and iodine crystals with us.

Funny I did some retrofitting myself. I color coded my lines for clean water and installed shutoff valves. The blue shutoff valve was installed to make backflushing easier (quick release). The white sock is the prefilter I use. Supposedly it will filter down to 1 micron. Tested this setup at home at it works slick. One question how do you properly backflush this filter. MSR gravity.

Nice work Tim,

I think Katadyn needs to improve their filter system. I had mine plug on my last trip and it was a NEW filter. I even had a diesel fuel pre-filter iwraped around the Katydyn filter. used the steripen. But tired of shelling out $40 for filter so bought a platypus filter system instead.

Good stuff here folks

SunCatcher

Me thinks Katadyn has designed & constructed their basecamp/hiker pro filter to their liking: selling inventory.

quote nelsonone: "Funny I did some retrofitting myself. I color coded my lines for clean water and installed shutoff valves. The blue shutoff valve was installed to make backflushing easier (quick release). The white sock is the prefilter I use. Supposedly it will filter down to 1 micron. Tested this setup at home at it works slick. One question how do you properly backflush this filter. MSR gravity. "

That's a pretty snazzy valve, where did you find it?

quote andym: "As for needing a stream, perhaps a moving canoe works."

Huh, it just might. Now why did that not occur to me?

Thanks for your info and photos Merganser.