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Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter
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Think of water filtration in a whole new way with the quick and convenient gravity-powered Sawyer 4-liter water filter system.
- Utilizing a hollow fiber membrane filter, the Sawyer system yields 4 liters of potable water in as little as 3 min.
- Simply fill the included reservoir with unfiltered water, attach the filter and hoses and let gravity do the rest to fill your own hydration reservoir or water bottle
- Filter physically removes particles, protozoa, and bacteria down to 0.1 micron in size, including giardia, salmonella and cryptosporidia
- All Sawyer water filters exceed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommendations for removal rates
- Filter is fully field maintainable to ensure a fast flow of water; system includes a faucet adapter for thorough back washing from a household faucet
- Setup is simple and the system packs easily, weighing in at only 12 oz.
- This Sawyer water filter system comes with a Million Gallon Guarantee, essentially eliminating the need to ever have to replace the filter cartridge
- System includes a 4 liter reservoir, hollow fiber filter, faucet adapter, filter tube, quick-release hose adapter, Nite Ize S-Biner hanging loop and instructions for use
- Please note: Take care not to let your filter freeze as this could damage the filter housing or the fibers themselves
Made in USA.
Item 778043
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Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter Customer Reviews
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviewsPros
- Easy to use (11)
- Lightweight (8)
- Good filtration (5)
- Good quality (5)
- Maintenance (4)
Cons
- Poor quality (4)
- Heavy / bulky (3)
Best Uses
- Hiking (10)
- Backpacking (5)
- Travel (4)
- Water bottles (3)
- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (13), Casual/ recreational (4)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (11)
Reviewed by 18 customers
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Displaying reviews 1-10
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Pros
- Compact
- Easy to Use
- Good Quality
- Improves Function
- Lightweight
Cons
Best Uses
- Hiking/Camping
- Hydration Packs
- Travel
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
This filter literally saved our lives at the bottom of the Grand Canyon. While we brought a soft-sided bag to settle out the silty Colorado River water, we weren't prepared with how silty it really was. Our technique was to let the water settle for 2 hours, decant the top bit of "clean" water, and then let more water settle, decant, repeat. We'd fill the dirty bag with water, and we'd be able to filter a full 3 liters before using about a half-liter of clean water to backflush. Reading some of the reviews, it seems there might be a misunderstanding on how to backflush. We didn't wait until we got home - we simply disconnected the dirty bag from the filter (our filter plugged right into our Platypus bladders), we'd squeeze the Platypus bladders pretty hard, and what came out can only be described as thick, muddy water. We'd keep pushing water through until what came out was completely clear. We filtered over 50 gallons of water this way without issue. This would have *never* worked with our old MSR pump filter. So, we are in a habit now of always disconnecting the dirty bag from the filter, pushing a bit of clean water back through the filter, and then putting everything away. If your filter starts to slow down, just disconnect the dirty bag, and squeeze the clean bag until the flow is clean coming out of the dirty end of the filter. I can honestly say we'll never own any other filter than this for a long time.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Images shared by Wrinkledpants
Amazing
(4 of 4 customers found this review helpful)
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Pros
Cons
- Poor Quality
Best Uses
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
I bought this for backpacking with a group of 4, thinking that it would be easier to make water at camp without having to squat on a rock for 15 minutes while pumping to fill a medium Dromedary bag.
While not mentioned on the product specs online, the instructions in the box state that you can't let it freeze (not unusual for water filters), but that you couldn't let it get too hot either. They basically state that you can't leave it in a closed up car that is parked in the sun. I'm not sure about other folks, but I don't buy gear that I need to baby, and I don't intend to leave my windows rolled down when leaving my pack in the car for an afternoon. I wrote customer service to mention my negative surprise (their packaging has lots of "tell us how we're doing!" comments on it). I never heard back. Nothing. Not even a form "thanks for your email". The only thing more disappointing than manufacturers that don't stand by their products is a manufacturer that actively solicits feedback, then igores it.
The filter isn't as wonderful as I had hoped. It clogged pretty quickly using clear lake water. It was nice to be able to back flush it in the field, but my old MSR only required field maintenance on occasions when I was forced to pump from less-than-ideal water sources.
Long story short, it seemed like a great change of pace, but between the temperature limits, fast clogging, and slow throughput, I'm missing my old pump.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Compact
- Easy to Use
- Good Quality
- Lightweight
Cons
- No place to back-wash
- Slow flow
Best Uses
- Travel
- Used in Africa
- Water Bottles
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
Three of us traveled to Africa for a month, and used this water filter exclusively for the entire time. It is very easy to use, and I felt confident of clean water with the filtering system. I found that the flow was slower when the bag was filled completely. The main disadvantage was that there was no clean water source to back-wash the filter until we got back to America, so toward the end of the trip there was just a trickle of water coming out when we filtered.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
Cons
- Not Functional
- Poor Quality
Best Uses
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
We bought this brand new and used it as our only filter for a 7 day backpacking trip. It blocked up and stopped functioning on the third day. We had to boil our drinking water for four days, ran out of fuel for the food.
This could be very dangerous in the wrong environment. When we got back refund was denied.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Quality
- Lightweight
Cons
- Bulky
Best Uses
- Hiking/Camping
- Travel
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
Buy this and you'll wonder how you ever backpacked without it. I used to use a hand pump filter and was constantly frustrated with taking the darn thing apart, cleaning the filter and slowly watching each drop fill up my endless 3L camelback. This filter was a gift from the gods on Mt Olympus. A quick dunk into a stream is all it takes. Then hang it on a tree, prime the tube by letting some water out before hooking up the filter, then BAM! It's so fast and easy. Set the clip to turn it "off" and release to turn it "on."
Protip: wrap up the unit in a gallon size freezer ziplock bag and toss in a sheet of cheese cloth and a rubber band incase you run into very dirty water. You're all set.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Quality
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
I've used the MSR MIOX for international adventure travel and the Sweetwater for backpacking and domestic use, and I was skeptical that this system would be bringing anything new to the table. Was I wrong.
This thing is fast, care free, and you can set it aside to do other things while gravity pumps your water. The advertised speeds are pretty accurate, and I could blow through 6 liters in under 10 minutes without having to pump or do anything other than stand on a rock. No exploding seals or cold wet hands from 45 minutes of pumping for the group.
The system is simple to use by yourself. The connection to the camelbak is pure genius. And while it might not stow as small as the MIOX, boy does it make water fast. I'll let you know if I ever get to the end of the filter's supposed long life.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Improves Function
Cons
Best Uses
- Hiking/Camping
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
I don't own this filter yet, but have used one that belongs to a friend. It was very efficient. We used a fish filter to keep the litter from going into the bag.
May comment is about the other comments. You are told before you go on the Green River, Colorado River and San Juan River in Utah that you cannot filter that water. I wouldn't blame this filter for that. The water there is over 70% silt. It is like thin mud.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Improves Function
- Lightweight
Cons
- Poor Quality
Best Uses
- Canteens & Coolers
- Hiking/Camping
- Hydration Packs
- Water Bottles
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
After my Sweetwater pump filter died from years of use I upgraded to this gravity filter. Sounded like a great idea, set it and forget it, no pumping... It was great, for a couple of trips into the backcountry. After two trips the filter flow dropped to a trickle, to the point where it took us 15 minutes to filter a 32 oz. water bottle. Unfortunately we didn't discover it until on the trail at camp. When we returned I tried back-flushing with the faucet adapter (what a joke), the only thing that happened was that I sprayed water all over the house. So I went back to REI and exchanged it for another. The new one worked great next backpacking season for about four trips and the same thing happened.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Pros
- Easy to Use
- Good Quality
Cons
- Bulky
Best Uses
- Hiking/Camping
- Travel
- Water Bottles
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
Got the first use on a 3day thru hike along the MN north shore. The handle made the bag easy to fill in streams. I was relaxing, watching my water bottle fill, while a cohort's MSR filter was tried, taken apart, cleaned, tried again, taken apart again, cleaned again, and tried a third time. By the end of the trip, I was filtering for all 5 of us + someone who joined us at base camp. We would filter for all our bottles at the stream, then fill up a couple dirty water bags to bring back to camp. We had more than enough water. I store the entire kit in a sea-to-summit siliconized bag to prevent getting water everywhere, and the bright color makes it easy to find in the pack/dark. My MSR-loving gearhead buddy is buying his own for next time.
You do want to try to prevent leaves/bugs/etc from getting in the bag while filling, as it will make its way to the filter and slowing down your flow. Easy to backflush and clean when I got home. I was amazed at how well it was flowing at the end of the trip, given how much garbage came out during the backflush.
It helps to find a tree to hang everything from. I'll be bring a strap next time to attach the filter to a tree, with a sponge for it to stand away from the tree.
- Was this a gift?:
- No
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
Images shared by mnjason
Filtering for a lunch stop
(2 of 2 customers found this review helpful)
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Pros
- Easy to Use
Cons
- Need to attach lid someho
Best Uses
- Hiking/Camping
Comments about Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter:
When I wrote my last review I was really annoyed because I could not reach the SAWYER company by phone and was in voicemail hell after being sent the wrong part. I also emailed and before I got out of bed the next morning my correct replacement part was on its way. So email is the way to go with this company forget the phone. That evening I also made a trip to REI to look for another filter as a back up as I did not expect to get the part for the trip. I looked at Ketadyn, Platypus and MSR and I gotta say sawyer came out on top for the least amount of fiddling needed to get consistent good water- I bought another sawyer but can return it since my part arrived in time. The Sawyer filter is just way easier to maintain and functions extremely well every time
- Was this a gift?:
- No
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