sawyer inline filter users

[sk1]

hey guys, i know there are several threads on the in-line system, but i want to make sure i am buying the right stuff and it will work for my setup.

i plan to use it with my platypus 3L so it's easy to dip and go, but my hunting partner has the msr 3L dromlite---when we're hunting together ill probably just dip and fill mine and dump into his to save time.

so what exactly do I need to buy here to make this all work? we will each want our own inline filters, but what adapters will we need or does it come with everything necessary? If I remember right the dromlite uses a slightly different diameter hose than other water bladders, or at least it feels like it on my 4L one and I cant remember on the platypus 3L. Did you guys setting this up buy new drinking tubes to run off the bladder or make your own existing ones work. My hunts are coming up quick and I am making the last minute decision to switch to this from pumping water. I just want to make sure I order all of the right stuff!

any links if there are additional adapters/drinking tubes necessary to make it work with a platy and msr dromlite would be appreciated! thanks guys

 

[fillthefreezer]

my sawyer inline came with barbed quick connect fittings. i ran my hose and where the filter fit best (near right shoulder strap for me) i cut my hose. ran under hot water to push fittings in. now the filter just pops in and out of my platy line. without the filter the line reconnects as its a m/f setup

 

[Rizzy]

Is the input/output on the sawyer inline itself barbed or quick connect?

 

[fillthefreezer]

sawyer is quick connect. comes with the opposing line connections that are barbed

 

[sk1]

what bladder are you running with yours FTF

 

[Becca]

We don't use a hose on our dromlite, so we just remove the tubing with the bite valve off the clean end of the filter, and filter it into the dromlite by holding it in place. Not as easy as using the quick connects via hose, but saves us from hauling a hose we wouldn't use otherwise for our 6L dromlite.

 

[sk1]

yeah i get that with the 6L dromlite. I feel like the material they use is strong stuff compared to some of the other bladders.....that 3L one they make now is pretty sweet. I typically carry the 4L which is a pain having the fill point at the bottom as it's more of a conversion kit to use it as a bladder you carry daily.

http://www.amazon.com/MSR-Hydromeda...8&qid=1373064105&sr=8-4&keywords=msr+dromlite

i guess if the sawyer works well with the platypus it should work with the dromlite--i think msr makes them both if my memory serves me right

 

[unm1136]

This spring I bought the Sawyer 4L kit, because I got a good deal on one. I found that the filled 4L dirty water bladder fit in both my pack's bladder pocket and the Long Pockets. I took the hoses off with the quick connect and had no leakage during a a total of four miles hiking. I also had a gift card and got a gieger(sp?) pressurized 3L water bladder. The quick connects hook very positively between the two, and I like the spray feature. I have not taken it in the field yet...

pat

 

[fillthefreezer]

what bladder are you running with yours FTF

im running a 2L platy big zip. i also filter from there into a 4L dromlite for camp water. this is my first year with this setup but so far i really like it.

 

[Rucker61]

I set up a 3l MSR Dromedary with the Sawyer Inline and ran it this last weekend on our Colorado hike. Just cut the hose and inserted the barbed fittings and attached the filter to my pack strap. It ran just fine, and we also hung the Drom bag from a tree to gravity feed other containers, refilling my bag from a 10l dirty water container. The quick disconnects made it easy to remove from the T2, and the hydration compartment also had room for a 2l Platypus bottle.

 

[sk1]

how about cleaning the filter? just dipping the water bladder on the go i would imagine it gets dirty and clogged quick?

 

[fillthefreezer]

how about cleaning the filter? just dipping the water bladder on the go i would imagine it gets dirty and clogged quick?

working fine for me so far but only time will tell, luke and becca probably have 50x the time on their filter that i do... you can backflush with your clean water i believe if you do have an issue

 

[Rizzy]

Do you guys prefer to squeeze the water through the filter or hang it and let gravity do the work?
Also for those that run the inline, when temperatures get below freezing where are you going to put the filter? or are you just going to use a different method?

 

[Daniel_M]

I've been using the Platypus 3L w/ the Inline and my only regret was ever buying a pump!

 

[Becca]

working fine for me so far but only time will tell, luke and becca probably have 50x the time on their filter that i do... you can backflush with your clean water i believe if you do have an issue

I back flush at the end of the season before I put the filters away, using the kitchen sink adaptor that came with the filters. It's kind of a messy endeavor, so if you decide to try it run the warm water slowly and put a dish towel around it so if you have overspray it doesn't go all over the kitchen I find the back flushing satisfying because you can see the crud run out of the filter and into your sink, and I think it does slightly improve the flow rate. But it wasn't terribly slow to start with. I mostly back flush in the interest of storing gear as cleanly as possible during the off season.

Do you guys prefer to squeeze the water through the filter or hang it and let gravity do the work?
Also for those that run the inline, when temperatures get below freezing where are you going to put the filter? or are you just going to use a different method?

We use the dip and filter as you drink method with the filters inline, but if filtering camp water into the dromlite or filtering into the JetBoil or other cup we let gravity do the work. The higher you can get the "dirty bag" the faster it flows, so higher is better. If there is a tree branch to hang it from, I will use it, a tripod, a tall rock, or your hunting partner will work fine.

In cool weather (like most of the spring/summer/fall here in AK where it gets below freezing at night) we just take care not to leave the filters out where they will freeze. I will sometimes blow the water back out of them, or tuck them inside something to insulate them a little but we honestly haven't had any problems. If we go winter camping or hiking in truly subfreezing temps we forgo the filters and use a steripen. IME the bladders and tubes don't work by well below freezing anyway as the bit valves and hoses are prone to icing up, so it just makes sense to use a different method when it's that cold.

 

[fillthefreezer]

the off season.

< unaware there was an offseason for you two

 

[Becca]

< unaware there was an offseason for you two

Let me rephrase I back flush the filters when the temps are consistently below freezing so I can store them all winter. We switch to the steripen, or end up melting snow for water at that point in the year anyway

 

[KMD]

Yeah I was going to Say Rucker has same setup. I myself setup a Big Zip with a quick connect kit along with the Sawyer Squeeze filter and it works like a charm from Big zip to the camelbak. I can filter 3 liters in under 5 mins with no effort. Accept when I bush myself out and my Hiking Buddies has to go down the 20% grade to get the water for me. hahaha. Ruck can relate =-P

SHTF, so you are running the Big Zip specifically as your 'dirty' bag?
IF so, how much tube did you leave to gravity feed your Sawyer Squeeze?
I have a Squeeze, and don't really want to rely on the bags that come with it. Looking to filter to a 6L Drom for camp, plus fill our pack bladders via quick disconnects...
Thanks!

 

[HellsCanyon]

I used my Sawyer for the first time this last weekend and I'm a big fan. I spliced it into my 6L MSR dromlite hydration tube and ran it like Luke and Becca do. Only thing I don't like is having to disconnect the hose from filter to put it through the hydration port on the Kifaru, couple times I got water on the pack. Not a big deal just wasn't ideal. I have a Platy 3L big zip on order and plan on using that as my main dirty/dipper bag then filtering into the 6L drom for camp water. Haven't check to see if I'm going to need a few more quick disconnects or not.

It'd be nice if the quick connects would shut off when disconnected from anything. Would make life simpler but I'm not complaining about the time and weight saved!

Mike

 

[mtbshark]

Mike if you want the female disconnect to be an auto shut off, i know that camelbak makes a kit and also source has a coupler kit.
I got a sawyer inline to try out this year and put the source auto couplers in line, that way when moving this around there is no geyser action.