Appreciation post: My old water filter finally quit on me in the Wind River Range

It was day three of a seven day loop and the pump handle snapped clean off. I had to use iodine tablets for the rest of the trip, which tasted awful. I've been using that same filter model for almost ten years and just assumed it was bulletproof. Now I'm looking for a more reliable system, maybe a gravity filter. Anyone have a solid recommendation that won't fail in the backcountry?

3 comments

3 Comments

mary7682mo ago

Oh man, that's rough! I switched to a Sawyer Squeeze after my pump died and it's been solid for years now.

wendy2052mo ago

Yeah, I heard those Sawyer filters are basically bulletproof. My buddy's had his for like five seasons now.

ruby_murphy1mo ago

Yeah the "basically bulletproof" thing is real, I've got a Mini that I forgot in my pack for a whole winter and it still worked fine when I pulled it out. I had the same pump death problem but switched over and never looked back. Just gotta backflush it every now and then and it keeps going forever.