Two Letters Re: Review of the Sawyer Filter

HJL,

I have seen these filters sold with different components, bells, and whistles and have bought three different types. One package features components that allow you to gravity feed the water from a plastic food grade bucket through the filter and into a storage container. I have this set up ready to go now, if and when it is needed. The narrative on the packaging suggests that if this filter is used on an overseas mission trip it could be left behind for use by the native people. That’s a nice humanitarian touch.

There was no mention that these filters are easy to maintain and come equipped with the syringe to back flush and clean the filter. Also, you can buy additional pouches for clean water, but a hard plastic or stainless steel container would be a better long-term choice.

One thing I have not understood, Sawyer used to say these filters would filter up to 1 million gallons of water, but now they’ve dropped that to 100,000. – S.M.

o o o

Pat,

No mention was made of the sneaky failure mode that the Sawyer filters [and many other other brands of filters] have if they are frozen after use (wet inside). It will continue to pass water as if it is filtering it, but the ice crystals will have wrecked the microscopic tubes that provide the filtering action. Bacteria will pass through. This is a great filter until a freeze happens to your filter in your coat or pack and you can no longer be sure that the filter is working. At $20, they are disposable, so they should be crushed after freezing. Thanks for the review. – K.G.