Instant Water

We have a new piece of equipment that we like pretty much. It is less expensive and lighter than what it replaced, so you know that’s a good thing. And it may be easier, too.

We’re talking about our Sawyer Squeeze water filter that we picked up at a local sporting goods store for about $25. It weighs only a couple of ounces, and we were happy with how it performed over the past couple of trips. You simply fill the plastic folding bottle with water, and then squeeze it to force the water through the filter. Simple, easy, and quick.

Well, not so easy. The folding bottle is a bit of an issue. In big water, it’s fine. But the first time we tried it we were at a tiny creek…and our old pump filter would have been easier to use. And to get the bottle full, you actually have to blow it up first with your mouth—not sure how hygienic that is on a trip with multiple people getting water. And M found the squeezing to be tedious and a bit hard. Her hands are smaller than P’s and probably not quite so strong…P had less of an issue with it.

So we’ve now bought a couple of larger bottles to use with this. Our hope is that we can fill up a couple of 64 ounce bottles at the creek, then take them back to camp to squeeze through the filter. And if we can do that, we’ll be very happy.

We'll keep you posted.