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PikeChase	09/10/2018 08:42AM   Royce: " Pikechase... If you reversed your dirty and clean water lines, the flow would improve. The length of line after the filter doesn't affect the flow rate. The length before does. Longer = Better " Thanks Royce! I'll swap those around. It makes complete sense now that you mention it.
Royce	09/08/2018 09:18AM   I've used the Katadyn basecamp system converted to use with the Sawyer personal water bottle filter and it works fabulous. I've found that after setting it up, I allow the dirty water hose to run into the filter for just a moment before connecting it. Otherwise it is slow to flow. I find the flow to be great. Fills a liter bottle in 20-30 seconds at most. Never really timed it. Normally don't backflush, but sometimes just for fun since it only takes a few seconds. Pikechase... If you reversed your dirty and clean water lines, the flow would improve. The length of line after the filter doesn't affect the flow rate. The length before does. Longer = Better According to Sawyers flow rate report, the flow rate is determined by head pressure, altitute and the cleanliness of the filter. The head pressure is the distance from the top of the water to the filter. For example, if your head pressure is 14 inches the flow rate would be an estimated 10 gallons per hour. If the head pressure is 42 inches, the flow rate would just about double to 19 gallons per hour.
MisterKrabs	09/07/2018 12:45PM   I have a sawyer mini, with an evernew 2L bag. I almost always use it gravity style, hanging from a cord. 2L in the morning and 2L at night for personal use, though I've used it for a week with a group of 9. I'm experimenting with 4 feet of tube to increase flow rate for my trip in 10 days out of LIS (who's counting?) When the mini no longer backflushes well, I'll upgrade to a squeeze.
andym	09/12/2018 12:04AM   Our upper bag is from an MSR setup. It rolls at the top like a dry bag and is very easy to use. I've had platypus bags (not for gravity use) and found the zippers a bit tricky. But they do work.
HayRiverDrifter	09/12/2018 01:03PM   On my last trip, I used a sawyer 2L squeeze bag on the top with the Sawyer mini filter attached directly to the squeeze bag, then 5 feet of hose to a 2L Platypus bag on the bottom. To connect the tubing to the bag on the bottom, I widdled a hole in a soda bottle top just smaller than the tubing and worked the tubing through the hole. The soda bottle top screws right onto the Platypus bag. When you start filtering, squeeze all the air out of the bottom bag, then make sure to get all the air out of the tubing so you have as much water column as possible pulling water through the filter. I do not think it matters if the tubing is above or below the filter as long as you get all the air out of the tubing. I have two 2L Platypus bags to swap out on the bottom. This system worked ok for three guys. For a big group, I use a 5 gal bucket on the top, tubing from the bucket to a Sawyer mini, tubing from the Sawyer mini to a 3 gallon Coleman collapsible water jug. I down sized the tubing so I can work it into the spout on the Coleman jug. Here again, make sure you get all the air out of the tubing above and below the filter.
Rs130754	09/11/2018 09:39PM   I used Platypus 4L gravity bags and a Sawyer mini and it worked pretty well. Make sure you have a means to back flush. We occasionally had a bubble or something that stopped the flow but overall it worked great. I found that two of us used more water than expected, glad I had the 4L. I also used a life straw when out in the canoe. The minis are much cheaper than the Platypus filters.
andym	09/08/2018 04:53PM   We use the full size Sawyer filter in a DIY system based on some MSR bags and various parts and hoses, some of which came from the hardware store. It works great and filters a 4 liter bag in a few minutes.
HayRiverDrifter	09/14/2018 08:08AM   THEGrandRapids: "I ended up getting the Sawyer All in One- which appears to be the squeeze but with different attachments. I also picked up a 10L HydroBlu Go Flow gravity bag on amazon. I also have a 2L camelbak I was going to use for the dirty water side but wanted more capacity. I will report back on the HydroBlu bag- anyone else use it? Headed somewhere next week- either near Atikokan or end of Gunflint. " Where do you go by Atikokan?
boonie	09/07/2018 02:57PM   I have and have used both the Squeeze and mini in various configurations, including both in gravity systems. The mini weighs about an ounce or so less than the Squeeze and filters a little more slowly. Both can be screwed directly onto a bag or bottle and you can drink directly that way. The mini is the one that is inside the Sawyer Bottle, which I like for drinking on the go. You can convert the mini to gravity a couple of ways - you need a clean and dirty container with the filter between. Same for the Squeeze. You can screw either directly to, say a Sawyer bag, either 1 or 2 liter, connect to the clean bag with tubing and hang. You can also attach the filter to the dirty bag with tubing to increase head pressure for faster flow. You may need fittings with male ends to make some of these connections work. Some people get wrapped up in how fast it filters in various configurations; I don't since I use the bottle to "dip and drink" on the go. Once I get to camp I just hang the gravity system and go about my other camp chores. When I'm done I have 2L of clean water, which is usually sufficient for needs until I leave the next day. The Squeeze filters faster than the mini in gravity mode. The 1 gallon system is the same thing with a bigger bag. You can use the bigger MSR bags on either end. You just have to make the necessary connections between dirty, filter, and clean. There are a ton of YouTube videos out there you can watch. You can use anything you can hang and attach a filter between it and the clean container. Hope that long winded explanation helps.
PikeChase	09/07/2018 04:30PM   I use the Mini with a gravity setup. It doesn't filter all that quickly but as boonie mentioned just hang it and go about your business. I've tried pumping in the past and hated it, this is much simpler. I felt like with the pump we were drinking less water than we should have because nobody wanted to pump, and the pump plugged up on a trip once which was the final straw. I've used this setup with a group of 4 and when it's just my wife and myself. Served our purposes just fine.
boonie	09/08/2018 08:40PM   proepro: " I bought one of these for my clean water container. It worked well and packed up small. It never leaked (we were base camping not transporting water in it.) Smartbottle They show it used as a dirty water also but I am not sure how to fill it. What do yall use for the dirty water bags? I have seen posts here abou modifying dry bags but what about off the shelf options?" I have used the Sawyer Squeeze bags and Platypus bottles for dirty water bags, but hard to fill the small openings. A Platypus 2L (there's also a 4L, I think) dirty water bag from their gravity system is easier with the zip top. I have seen YouTube videos of people using a cut off water bottle. I have used my Sawyer Water Bottle to fill their Squeeze bags - works better than trying to dip them in the lake.
mschi772	09/09/2018 07:41AM   The Mini and the 1-gallon appear to be the same filter. The squeeze is the same 0.1 micron, but a little bigger. The 3-way looks to be basically a squeeze-type filter with options unnecessary for our purposes. The purification filter is a 0.02 micron filter. Mini's and squeezes are the most popular for gravity setups. I use a purification filter followed by a Katadyn carbon cartridge in my setup.
Ragged	09/09/2018 08:07AM   The one I have 1000+ gallons through was out of a water bottle setup, well before the mini and squeeze type rigs came out. It’s probably considered full size. Here is a pic I took of a few different units I have. From left to right: Sawyer purification filter, Sawyer full size, Platypus full size, Sawyer Mini (I think, again came in the blue water bottles) , Platypus Carbon
Cedarboy	09/13/2018 10:03PM   Ragged: "The one I have 1000+ gallons through was out of a water bottle setup, well before the mini and squeeze type rigs came out. It’s probably considered full size. Here is a pic I took of a few different units I have. From left to right: Sawyer purification filter, Sawyer full size, Platypus full size, Sawyer Mini (I think, again came in the blue water bottles) , Platypus Carbon " We have the Sawyer large attached to the Sawyer 4L bag with 3 feet of hose. Worked fantastic for 5 days last weekend for group of 4. Love it. CB
oth	09/13/2018 01:49PM   andym: "We use the full size Sawyer filter in a DIY system based on some MSR bags and various parts and hoses, some of which came from the hardware store. It works great and filters a 4 liter bag in a few minutes." Same here 11 years and running
THEGrandRapids	09/13/2018 05:03PM   I ended up getting the Sawyer All in One- which appears to be the squeeze but with different attachments. I also picked up a 10L HydroBlu Go Flow gravity bag on amazon. I also have a 2L camelbak I was going to use for the dirty water side but wanted more capacity. I will report back on the HydroBlu bag- anyone else use it? Headed somewhere next week- either near Atikokan or end of Gunflint.
mirth	09/13/2018 05:14PM   Woah, the hydroblu filters look really affordable. Same hollow membrane technology as Sawyer and Platypus, and they claim to have a virus filter too. Hm....
THEGrandRapids	09/07/2018 09:44AM   I've read through a handful of threads, including the great debate water filter thread going on now. But wanted a more concise thread for Sawyer water filters, specifically the gravity fed. Which filter do you actually have? Their website shows a number of filters that can be used (and maybe some are new and thus the confusion when going from old threads on the topic to their website)- the 1 gallon gravity, the mini filter inline (assuming a DIY), the All in One Filtration System, 3 way inline water filter, and Water Purify Bucket System. The website doesn't specify very clearly what the difference is in all of these. I'm assuming filter size and, other than by looking at the photos, I can't tell if one is bigger than the other. For the Sawyer fans, which one do you use for your gravity system? Half my trips are with my wife and the other half there are generally four people total. I'm looking for more water production and less concerned with ultra-light weight.
proepro	09/08/2018 04:05PM   I bought one of these for my clean water container. It worked well and packed up small. It never leaked (we were base camping not transporting water in it.) Smartbottle They show it used as a dirty water also but I am not sure how to fill it. What do yall use for the dirty water bags? I have seen posts here abou modifying dry bags but what about off the shelf options?
THEGrandRapids	09/14/2018 09:06AM   HayRiverDrifter: Where do you go by Atikokan?" We are picking up our new canoe in Atikokan, so we may put in at Batchewaung via Nym for a few days. I haven't been up there before.