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Sawyer Water Filter System - 4 Liter

$89.95

(15)

Item # 778043

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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 PowerReviews

Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter

3.6

(based on 15 reviews)

67%

of respondents would recommend this to a friend.

Pros

Easy to use (9)
Lightweight (6)
Good filtration (5)
Maintenance (4)
Good quality (3)

Cons

Heavy / bulky (3)
Poor quality (3)

Best Uses

Hiking (9)
Backpacking (5)

- Reviewer Profile:
- Avid adventurer (12)
- Was this a gift?:
- No (8)

REVIEWS

Reviewed by 15 customers

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Displaying reviews 1-10

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Jul

2008

(14 of 15 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

High quality filtration system

By Ullr

from Golden, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Best Uses

Backpacking
Car Camping

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter:

I came in to buy the Katadyn Basecamp, but my local store was out of stock, so I took a chance on the Sawyer. Out of the box I was pleased with the quality of the valve and connection components. Sawyer conjured recollections of "economical" camping gear so I was pleasantly surprised. I just returned from a 2 day hunting scout trip and am very pleased with its performance: very easy to use (first use was in the dark) and the flow is very fast. One bonus over the Katadyn is that the bladder is completely sealed and I could transport water in my pack to a dry camp. The only con is that the bladder could be a little larger.

Feb

2009

(9 of 10 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

awesome piece of equipment!!!!!

By willams.sj

from lawrenceville, ga

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to clean
Easy to pump
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Leaks a little bit

Best Uses

Backpacking
Day trip
Hiking

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter:

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS to anyone who is looking for a water filtration system with low maintenance issues.

I used this system on a 3 day backcountry trip and yes had to fill it up quite frequency, but never had to back flush til i got home, and i used it to support 3 people!! very happy with this product!

IMPORTANT: however, there were a few problems... first off its a little leaky, which is mostly due to condensation. secondly, if using it in the winter make should you don't leave any water in the filter or the water will freeze, which will result in having to boil the filter in hot water before use.

Mar

2010

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

A good Filter

By Hike NC

from South Carolina

About Me Professional/Guide

See all my reviews

Pros

Durable
Easy to Use
Lightweight

Cons

Best Uses

Hiking/Camping

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter:

I took a chance on the Sawyer [...] I have been using ceramic for years. After many frustrations of pumping and having to take great care with the ceramic this is a breath of fresh air. It is effortless to let gravity do all the work (no more pumping!). I lead backcountry trips and I use this for groups up to 8 with no problems. It can easily keep up with the water needs for a group of that size.This takes a lot less maintenance than any filter I have used in the past. There is no cleaning mid-trip. Just a quick backwash from the sink after I get back. A great product!

Sep

2009

(2 of 3 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Surprisingly good

By Wandering Karen

from San Diego, CA

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Convenient
Good filtration
Lightweight
Low maintenance

Cons

Output is a bit slow

Best Uses

Backpacking

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter:

My husband and I just spent a month in the high Sierra's and wanted a water "bag" for camp use. I did a lot of shopping around and finally decided to try the Sawyer system. We loved this system. While we used a standard pump filter during the day while hiking, we used the Sawyer extensively while in camp. We just filled the 4 liter bag when we set up camp each day (this was not a base camp situation... we moved camp every night) and had plenty of water for cooking, cleaning etc. We could also fill our Platy-bottles for the next day of hiking. It is EXTREMELY easy to use and required NO maintenance the entire time. I figured this system would be convenient but I did not expect to be so pleased with the ease of this system. We were so glad we carried the Sawyer system (despite the extra weight) and will do so again on furture adventures.

Sep

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

5.0

Like turning on your kitchen faucet

By Arkaybee

from Utah

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Good Quality
Lightweight

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Hiking/Camping
Travel

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment 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.

Jul

2011

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

filtering in Utal

By kayakldy

from West Palm Beach, FL

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Improves Function

Cons

Best Uses

Hiking/Camping

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment 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.

Oct

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

Great value, works like it should

By mnjason

from Minneapolis

About Me Casual/ Recreational

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use
Good Quality

Cons

Bulky

Best Uses

Hiking/Camping
Travel
Water Bottles

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment 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.

Sep

2010

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

4.0

update on my review of last week

By Ihikealot

from seattle

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Easy to Use

Cons

Need to attach lid someho

Best Uses

Hiking/Camping

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment 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

Sep

2010

(1 of 1 customers found this review helpful)

3.0

good product but no support from sawyer

By Ihikealot

from seattle

About Me Avid Adventurer

See all my reviews

Pros

Adjustable
Easy to Use
Filters well and quickly

Cons

Poor Quality

Best Uses

Hiking/Camping

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter:

This is the third sawyer filter I have had- each of the others had a problem and I was able to return it to REI...leaking and strap broke. I lost the cap to my current 4 liter on a recent trip- it is very easy to slip off as it is not attached at all. My problem has been in trying to reach sawyer = no one will talk to customers there- I left messages in 5 departments. I was able to finally navigate the back doors of the website and find the cap i needed and have it shipped- They shipped the wrong one and two days before my trip I am going to have to look at forking out money for another filter- it wont be a sawyer product. ketadyne makes a good product i saw a family of five using and it weighs an ounze less and costs $20 less than this sawyer bag. As far as functionality, it worked for me. I kept it in a ziploc bag and removed H20 when not filtering. I used a metal strainer (fine sink strain)when dipping in streams to prevent blocking by pebbles- happened once. Also I carry a cup for taking water from shallow streams that easily silt up with the bag.

May

2010

(1 of 2 customers found this review helpful)

1.0

Not for Utah or silty water

By cynboy

from Boulder, CO

About Me Avid Adventurer

Pros

Easy to Use

Cons

Bulky
Not Dependable
Not Functional

Best Uses

Comments about Sawyer Water Treatment System - 4 Liter:

This filter is certainly a joy to use, just open the valve and out runs filtered water with no effort. I have had two Sawyer systems and contrary to other reviews neither has leaked [...]. However, I have returned both systems to REI. Both systems were used in the canyon country of southeast Utah and both slowed down to a trickle after 3-4 days and could not be backflushed, either in the field or back at home. The first system, the complete four liter system with good and bad water bags, was used to provide water for seven people and was unusable afer 3-4 days. The second system, 4 liter grey bag and filter only, made it through a 5 day backpack, just barely, but was only providing water for 3 people. While in an outdoor store in Moab I was looking at the MSR HyperFlow, which uses similar filter technology, as a replacement. The salesperson told me that I should not use it in the Colorado/Green river basin. The waters were just too silty and they plugged up the filter, and backflushing would not restore the filter to its' original flow rate. So my take is that these filters may be fine in clear mountain stream water (but I would not expect a million gallons), but fail quickly where the water is at all silty. I will be going back to an MSR Miniworks with a Sweetwater SiltStopper prefilter (so I don't have to clean the cartridge quite so often).