I used the msr sweetwater for 3 years and it works great. The third year I had it I switched my bladder to a camel back with all the quick disconnects which allowed me to leave the bladder in my pack at all times. I just hooked the filter hose straight to the drink tube. Awesome set up. Last year I picked up the sawyer squeeze me to shave some weight. I think I'm going back to the msr. The squeeze filter is super light and hardly takes up any space in the pack and that's about where the positives end. It was a pain in the rear to fill the flimsy bags at the water source. It took what seemed an eternity to squeeze the water out of the bag and through the filter and then to fill my 100oz bladder I had to do the whole process at least 3 times.
Used the PUR Hiker for years, then they changed the name...but I have switched to the lightest weight option...Aqua Mira drops. Unless I'm hunting along silt-laden streams, the drops are all I need and never have gotten ill. If the water is a little gritty or has sediment, i filter it through my bandana first, then add drops.
I'm done with trying hand pumps, though I was happy enough with my Hiker. I've broken the handles and been frustrated with the time it takes to pump water.
My pack weights are always critical, so the pump now collects dust in my garage and the drops are taken on every trip. Saves a pound of gear weight and a lot of frustration...
I've got a MSR Miniworks, and Aqua Mira drops. I'll bring the filter if I'm in nasty water areas, but most of the time all I need is the drops. The MSR filter is built like a tank and easy to field clean to keep it pumping like new. It does weigh about a lb but its worth it if the water quality is poor. I use coffee filters with my drops.
I like the drops and coffee filter idea! Could always use a rubberband to hold the filter around the mouth of whatever you're filling up to keep it in place then add the drops afterwards...
Although I did just pick up a Sawyer filter, MSR 6L dromlight bag and hydration tube that I've yet to use... We'll see how that works out for myself first!
Sawyer filter with Platypus bags is what I will be using this year. I always keep my Dromlite 4L at camp.
The platypus bags will be replacing the stock sawyer bags since the weight is real close but the platypus is much more durable. (I had a sawyer bag explode when I dropped it last year). Saw another sawyer bag have the top come right out of it.
Also still deciding if I want to do an inline sawyer filter into my camelbak with a disconnect to use with my Dromlite.
I used the sawyer squeeze filter last year. In camp I invert it in a stuff sack and hang it as a gravity filter. Bought a few extra 64oz. bags. The bags are not the strongest but after using it awhile you get used to the amount of pressure you need to apply to avoid a bag blowout. The extra bags are cheap. I like the convenience of this filter. I also have a msr mini works, platypus clean stream gravity and potable aqua tablets (always with me). The temperature comes into play with hollow fiber filters like the sawyer and the platypus. I keep it in a ziploc at the bottom of my sleeping bag when temps drop below freezing.
That's probably ok in AK, but giardia is a real concern in the lower 48. Depending on the individual, giardia can be a bad case of the squirts or a lifetime ailment. I choose to filter or treat water.
MSR Miniworks with ceramic filter. If it gets clogged, I can clean it. Just replaced the filter since the first one cracked after 5 years or so...Might have frozen...