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Boundary Waters Quetico Forum :: Gear Forum :: Platypus gravity filter life
 
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doorbluff84
06/29/2022 06:32AM
 
mgraber: "Of course I'm talking about still using the Platypus bags and lines."


That’s pretty awesome - so the sawyer mini filter fits the platypus lines?
 
nctry
07/23/2022 05:44AM
 
I have the MSR gravity filter. I backflushed by just running some filtered water from my Nalgene bottle back through gravity style. It kind of worked. I had issues with a brand new filter and MSR sent me a platypus which was basically the same. I started buying the sawyer filters and never looked back. Just now got a mini to try. But I like my MSR dirty bag and the cap that allows be to fill my bottles direct on the clean side.
 
mgraber
06/28/2022 11:49AM
 
If the Platypus replacement filter is too pricey, just use a sawyer as they are around 20-25 dollars, filter better (1 micron instead of 2 microns) and they last longer 100,000 instead of 1,500 gallons. They tend to be a bit slower as they have a finer filter, but are built more robust ( cut them open) are cheaper and come with a buck flush syringe which is far superior to back flushing with a bag as you can put some pressure behind it and it is quicker/easier.
 
mgraber
06/29/2022 10:09PM
 
Yes
 
TechnoScout
06/26/2022 03:20PM
 
I have been carrying an extra filter as a backup, but for my next trip I was thinking maybe just bring the new one. Sounds like it is ok as long as water's flowing.
 
schweady
06/26/2022 06:27PM
 
Blackdogyak: "I'll tell you one thing. Don't let the filter freeze. It will make it ineffective. And they now cost over $50!!"
Don't drop them either, or transport them in such a way that they get knocked about. I baby ours when finding a spot inside the pack, maybe wrapped in clothing or other soft material. This same failure when subjected to rough handling has forced me to abandon purchasing on Amazon, and I wrote a review to that effect after multiple purchases from there failed the integrity test: start around the 1:00 mark
 
Lawnchair107
06/26/2022 08:09PM
 
schweady: "Blackdogyak: "I'll tell you one thing. Don't let the filter freeze. It will make it ineffective. And they now cost over $50!!"
Don't drop them either, or transport them in such a way that they get knocked about. I baby ours when finding a spot inside the pack, maybe wrapped in clothing or other soft material. This same failure when subjected to rough handling has forced me to abandon purchasing on Amazon, and I wrote a review to that effect after multiple purchases from there failed the integrity test: start around the 1:00 mark "



That’s an excellent point, Schweady. I’ve never thought about the concerns with a filter and Amazon’s/ carrier handling.
 
kenpark23
06/26/2022 06:06PM
 
I love/loved my platypus system but when it finally slowed too much for me (3 years maybe) instead of replacing the filter (I can't remember how much it was exactly but I do recall it was expensive) i just bought a sawyer mini and a CNOC bag. The CNOC bags are easier to fill, have common threads and a better closing system. I'm pretty sure the entire set up was cheaper then the platy replacement filter. If the cnoc bag ever blows out I can just screw the sawyer directly onto a plastic water bottle.
 
Hammertime
06/26/2022 09:05PM
 
In my experience they are pretty long lasting. Backflushing can restore filter speed quite a bit. I wrecked one by not following the off-season storage instructions (diluted bleach back flush) one year. Something rotted inside and destroyed anything you ran through it.


We always pack a replacement filter along on our trips. I’m too old to go back to boiling and iodine tabs.
 
straighthairedcurly
06/26/2022 09:27PM
 
kenpark23: "I love/loved my platypus system but when it finally slowed too much for me (3 years maybe) instead of replacing the filter (I can't remember how much it was exactly but I do recall it was expensive) i just bought a sawyer mini and a CNOC bag. The CNOC bags are easier to fill, have common threads and a better closing system. I'm pretty sure the entire set up was cheaper then the platy replacement filter. If the cnoc bag ever blows out I can just screw the sawyer directly onto a plastic water bottle. "


Similar to you, I use the Cnoc bags but I combine it with the Versaflow Hydroblu filter combined with 2 Cnoc bags to make a compact gravity flow system.
 
TechnoScout
06/27/2022 07:26AM
 
Never heard of CNOC. I will research!
 
Jasonf
06/27/2022 07:25AM
 
I don't know if I should say this be I'm on about year 10 with my Platypus gravity filter. We filter what seems like a ton of water but after every bag we do we back flush for a few seconds to lift the debris off the filter media. You can see the debris swirl around in the bottom of the dirty bag when doing this so I know it works. Then when we return home I fill the dirty bag with tab water and a little bleach, run it through the filter into the clean bag, then back flush the entire clean bag back through to the dirty and the let everything dry out.


I have also carried a spare for years now thinking that this year will be the last for the original filter but it always surprises me.
 
Blackdogyak
07/18/2022 12:32AM
 
I had mine fail prematurely from freezing. Cut it open...weird stuff in there. Mind of like a bundle of very thin rubber bands.
 
Argo
07/18/2022 06:49AM
 
It's probably fair to say that if you're using this exclusively in Quetico or the BW, that you're not exactly taking the filter to its limits. I imagine there's some outdoors-people who don't have the kinds of relatively clean fresh water sources available in these lakes and their filter mileage is going to be inferior.
 
Blackdogyak
07/18/2022 12:32AM
 
I had mine fail prematurely from freezing. Cut it open...weird stuff in there. Mind of like a bundle of very thin rubber bands.
 
Jaywalker
06/27/2022 10:59AM
 
I did not realize there was a 1,500 liter life expectancy for a Platypus filter. Using a 4 liter dirty bag that’s 375 dirty bags of water through the filter. Guessing I usually filter 1.5 bags per day, that gives me about 250 days of tripping. I can’t remember exactly but figure I got mine about 8 years ago, so I’m probably a ways past the half way point, and it still seems to be filtering very well. I’m sure it really depends on how clean the water is that you start with, and doing routine backflushes at home and in the field.
 
TechnoScout
06/27/2022 12:16PM
 
Jasonf: "
I have also carried a spare for years now thinking that this year will be the last for the original filter but it always surprises me."



Yup, I have been carrying a spare!
 
JohnGalt
07/01/2022 02:39PM
 
TechnoScout: "Been using this filter for three trips and love it. Had to backfill a few times. How do you know when it hits end of life? When it stops flowing g completely?
"


The ones I purchased (Sawyer) had something like 1M gallon capacity. The more petite models have reduced cross-sectional area & will clog much more quickly. The filter I purchased in '11 is still going strong & I took no special care of it after trips, just shook out the loose water & stored it in the mesh bag I keep the hoses/bags/etc in. I'd backflush it once/if flow rate decreases. After ~7 weeks of use on a solo I still haven't backflushed it, though I did prior to departing on my trip & I prefilter large particulates with a handkerchief. It is probably due for a backflush, though it was still working fine on Sunday, albeit a bit slower than on day 1.

The one I purchased (I bought several at the time) is blue & grey with clean/dirty bags, though this is my backup: Sawyer SP121
 
YetiJedi
06/26/2022 12:36PM
 
Hi TechnoScout,


I have used this filter for several years and replace the filter probably every second year, just to be safe. Evidently, it will filter 1500 liters of water but I don't keep track well enough to know. I do backflush a little with every use, maybe a few cups worth of water, and once in a while backflush a full bag - both seem to really help.


I did find this review from outdoor gear lab with this specific quote:


"The filter also has a natural way of telling you that it's no good anymore. When the backflush doesn't work, it means that the natural fibers inside are clogged with captured material, and it's time to buy a new filter."



 
mgraber
06/28/2022 11:55AM
 
Of course I'm talking about still using the Platypus bags and lines.
 
TechnoScout
06/26/2022 11:13AM
 
Been using this filter for three trips and love it. Had to backfill a few times. How do you know when it hits end of life? When it stops flowing g completely?

 
Blackdogyak
06/26/2022 02:32PM
 
I'll tell you one thing. Don't let the filter freeze. It will make it ineffective. And they now cost over $50!!