High Sierra Topix

I love my in-line Sawyer system, it's so easy. But make sure that if you attach an in-line filter, it's one that can be unscrewed so you have flexibility for how to drink. (If it's unremovable you are stuck drinking from the hose.)

I had an old filter give up a third of the way up the Shepherd Pass trail, but I didn't get sick over the next 8 days. Just don't fill up at suspect places; no stagnant water, and upstream of any crossings, etc. The less foot (and mule) traffic, the better. I don't filter my water before it's boiled anyway.

Luckily I have a parasitologist (professor emeritus) in my immediate family to advise! He always recommends filtering but also acknowledges that the worst that can happen to us from drinking untreated water in the Sierra is giardia, which is easily treatable.

I've been using my (several years old) Katadyn BeFree for the last month now, between a trip to the Sierra and Wyoming. What I found out is it works best if you get the filter wet a few days before your trip. My first trip to the Sierra it started dry, and even after a day it was still pretty weak. I left water in it and then went to Wyoming. By then it was filtering great, easy to squeeze and decent flow. I was going to buy a new filter, even though I have not put 1000 liters through it, but letting it stay wet made all the difference. Just a tip for those that have one.

John

I use and recommend Platypus Quickdraw. Similar to Sawyer Squeeze but faster flow with less clogging and one can perform an integrity check in the field.

I've been a longtime Sawyer Squeeze user, but swapped for a Platypus Quickdraw this year and I don't think I'll ever go back! Besides the points mentioned above (faster flow, ability to integrity check), I LOVE that you can fully enclose both ends of the filter so that it's not dripping all over the place / potentially cross-contaminating. I also love the coupling options - I find it much easier to filter directly into small bottles (like Smartwater) and the seamless integration for creating a gravity filter.

Has anyone tried the LifeStraw Peak Series solo water filter? It looks similar to the Quickdraw but price and specs are slightly better.
$30 vs $40
1.7oz vs 2.4oz
Lasts up to 2,000 liters vs 1,000 liters
99.999999% of bacteria vs 99.9999% (not sure how significant or accurate this is)
99.999% of parasites vs 99.9% (not sure how significant or accurate this is)
Both 3L/min, caps on each end, 28mm thread

Rockyroad wrote: ↑Sat Sep 28, 2024 4:50 pm Has anyone tried the LifeStraw Peak Series solo water filter? It looks similar to the Quickdraw but price and specs are slightly better.

I've been using the Peak series filter for two full years now. It just died on my last trip.

I find it performs better than Sawyer Mini with regard to flow rate but worse than a Sawyer Squeeze. Of course it doesn't flow like a brand new BeFree, but it's much more receptive to back flushing than the BeFree. It Gets clogged at about the same rate as a Sawyer Micro (better than Mini). On the whole, I think the most comparable filter is the HydroBlu VersaFlow with regards to clogging and flow rate. BTW, the VersaFlow is underrated in this catagory IMO.

There are a few upsides to the Peak over other filters which is why I bought another.

• It's lighter than anything (as you've mentioned)
• It's cheaper (as you've mentioned)
• The option with the bag comes with an adapter that makes it able to fit on/in any HydraPak/Katadyn bag
• The replacement filters are dirt and cheap go on sale frequently. MSRP is only $15.
• The backflush plunger is superior to the Sawyer syringe, as it is smaller and actually screws on

It works best with frequent back flushing (once a day), but the syringe it comes with makes it easy. It's not the very best performer, but doesn't fail miserably on any front, which the BeFree and Sawyer Mini do, I feel.

For versatility, price, and weight, nothing beats it. Pairs with any of the components or bottles I've messed around with in the past. If you don't care about the HydraPak bag compatibility or the inflow cap, just get the replacement filter and save yourself $15. Throw a sport cap on the outflow and you have a minimalist sawyer squeeze.

Other than the Platypus Quickdraw. I've tried all other filters mentioned in this thread for at least one full season. A few not mentioned also.

As many others have also said, I virtually never filter water in the Sierra above 7k feet. But there are exceptions such as my wife wanting filtered water, low elevation or in places popular with people or livestock. In those cases I have one consideration above all else and it's that I HATE carrying water unless it's absolutely necessary (long dry passes, etc).

I'd recommend a system that's so easy and quick that you don't have to stop, take your pack off, or carry much water. I've had lots of friends get slightly dehydrated because they don't want to deal with filtering water on the trail. "We're almost to camp, I'll refill there" kinds of statements while I'm drinking a half liter I just scooped without stopping our hike. I love the steripen because I don't have to let the water sit for 15 minutes, but tablets and drops are the next best thing. I don't have much experience with the squeeze/suck filters because I like to chug water quickly I'm usually adding electrolyte mixes to it.

Most friends that have also gone with the quick, easy, never carry water strategy have loved it and never looked back. So far the steripen has been my favorite for this kind of hiking (when filtering is necessary)

So far the steripen has been my favorite for this kind of hiking (when filtering is necessary).

Ditto

I'm curious about what the Steripen does that the Sun doesn't also do as it shines down on our Sierra lakes all day long. I see that the Steripen emits UV-C radiation, which is the most powerful of the UV spectrum and the Earth's ozone layer blocks UV-C from the sun so it doesn't reach the surface. But the sun still emits a lot of UV-A and UV-B, as anyone who ever gets a sunburn can attest. And it does it all day long in our sunny Sierra (most days), not just for the 60 or 90 seconds that the Steripen is turned on.
-Phil

Choices, comparison, and reviews: https://www.outdoorgearlab.com/topics/c ... ter-filter

The sun, as a source of water purification, isn't reliable because of all the variants in the process.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7064263/

I have had issues with my Steripen, as the review of it in the article indicates. Still, it worked most of the time when I needed to use it at lower elevations with high cow or horse usage or areas with more prominent human presence.