High Sierra Topix

Like I posted earlier, tried 2 and one went through batteries in a day causing me to run out of batteries in several days (second set of batteries were only in the pen when in use, so that they couldnt be used up so they lasted longer) and the other one just stopped working in the middle of a trip. I had difficulty giving up on the pen since they Are light and easy. I just figured why get another steri pen if I would have to bring a back up every time any way. Gravity filters arent as easy or as light as a pen, but they are idiot proof, light and don't need batteries.

"idiot-proof" is an important criteria for my gear, ha ha!

Another vote for the Sawyer Squeeze filter. I pair it with an Evernew 1.5L water bladder which mates to the filter perfectly and is more reliable/durable than the included Sawyer bladders.

Most of the time I just squeeze the water through the filter and into my water bottle using the provided push-pull cap. In group settings, I can hang the dirty bladder from a tree and let gravity pull the water through the filter. When in gravity mode, I attach another "clean" bladder to the outflow end of the sawyer squeeze using a modified Tornado Tube bottle connector. Works like a charm!

For a water scoop to get to hard-to-access or shallow water sources where it's too hard to submerge the Evernew bladder I use my homemade water scoop: cut the top off the smallest 1L Sawyer bladder and voila! A small, foldable water scoop at about a 1 oz weight penalty.

Hi Nico,

Welcome to HST! Thank you for your contribution to this subject.

Thanks Maverick.

Been lurking for a while and finally figured it was time to participate. I'm active on the BPL forums and do at least a handful of trips each year into the Sierra. I come to this site fairly often looking for trail/condition updates. Looking forward to participating more in the future.

Cheers,
Nico

Im using a katadyn hiker pro. Its not as light as the sawyer or steripen thats for sure. But i use it for both solo hikes and family camping trips. It fits both roles well. I like the lack of batteries, and the fact I can drop the line in any kind of water and pump straight to my bladder, or any other container.


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Been using the original SteriPen for years and works well. Occasional issues when cold. Just bought the Journey for last trip, because of the easier use and had major problems. First night filtered 6 liters, no problem. Next day the pen showed low battery in the morning, even though it had new batteries. In the afternoon, went to change batteries, decided to give it one more try and filtered 10 liters of water with no problems. Day 3- got low battery signal, tried again and again with no luck. Changed batteries and same issue. Journey Pen never worked for rest of trip. Going to take it back. Wondering if others had similar issues with the Journey, is there another model that is preferred? Appreciate your input.

Thanks,
Silverfox

I carry both a Sawyer Squeeze filter and a Steripen Adventurer Opti. I use the Steripen when on the move and it does a quick job of getting a liter of water ready to drink. I use a cut-off 2 Liter Platypus bag as a scoop. Just scoop up a liter of water, zap it with the Steripen and pour the water into two Gatorade bottles I carry on my shoulder straps. Quick and easy and I'm on the move again in no time. When in camp, I use the Sawyer filter in a gravity setup with a 4L Big Zip bag as a dirty water bag and a 3L Platypus as a clean bag. I use the same scoop that I use for the Steripen to get water into the dirty bag. Once I've got 3L or so of water in the dirty bag, I haul it back into camp and connect up the tubing and filter, hang it up and about 5mins later I've got 3L of clean water for use in the evening and following morning.

First, here are the locations of the two other posts that people have referenced regarding DIY gravity filters.

viewtopic.php?f=15&t=8702" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=7251" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Second, we are so going to do this! I'm tired of pumping water. It's not clear from the Sawyer or REI websites how easy it is to use the squeeze as a gravity system, if the squeeze and other filters they sell are similar in flow rate and usage, the weight difference between the systems, etc. Does anyone have more information on these topics? It's just for two of us, but we like to take care of the evening filtering all at once and we like to take fill bladders in the morning,

On the last trip with some "Board Certified" members , I saw 5 different treatment methods:

1) pump (me) hiker pro
2) iodine drops
3) Steripen
4) drinking raw from an outlet stream (yuk) esp since an old guy just bathed there.
5) gravity filter http://www.bentgate.com/shop/platypus/p ... 00cm038177

I like my pump, but i was most impressed with 5, except when he hung it over my pack from a tree because there was a nail there to hang it on.

It might be in my future. It was fast.

russ