Sawyer Safe: Water Filter Guide

With the spread of Covid 19, I am getting a lot of questions about water filters. I'm also getting questions about insect repellents as families are already anticipating going stir crazy, but still wanting to abide by current social distancing practices. Turns out, hiking is a great way to get out of the house and still keep social distancing as a priority! I'll cover water filters in this post, and repellents in my next post.

First let me say that Covid 19 has nothing to do with clean water or insects. That said, people have more of an emergency preparedness mindset right now which is always a good thing. I'm not talking about overly hoarding supplies, but I am suggesting that there are a few basic things everyone should have on hand like a good water filter. When I say good, why not go with the best?

You should know that not all water filters are created equal. Just because they look similar on the outside, the Sawyer filter is the only filter on the market that can guarantee that you won't get sick from biological contaminates like E-Coli. I'm not just saying that because I work for Sawyer, I'm saying it because I've seen the test results of all of the major brands of water filters that were observed under a microscope. There is a difference! Sawyer filters are 75% more robust in their filter walls, allowing for aggressive back wash cleaning. Other brands use thinner walled filters that will not withstand aggressive back wash cleaning. Some filters do not allow for any type of cleaning.

All Sawyer water filters are certified tested 3X before they come off the assembly line. Every Sawyer filter that makes it into a package has been thoroughly tested for best-in-class removal of harmful bacteria. That is a big deal!

So which Sawyer filter should I consider buying?
First of all, every Sawyer filter model removes 99.9999% of all harmful bacteria from any fresh water  source. Sawyer sells a Small (Sawyer Mini), Medium (Sawyer Micro Squeeze), and Large version (Sawyer Squeeze) of their filter. The flow rate of the Micro Squeeze and Squeeze filters are slightly more than the mini, but you may not notice that much.

All Sawyer filters can be attached to a standard 2 liter plastic bottle (Coke, Pepsi), or a standard personal size water bottle (SMART water, Agua Fina, Dansani etc). There are many Sawyer accessories you can use to attach a filter to a squeeze pouch, 1 or 2 gallon bladder, hydration bladders, or kitchen taps.

Here are 3 models you can choose from on Amazon. Note, Amazon has temporarily sold out of most Sawyer filters, but more are on the way as I write this! The Sawyer factory is cranking out filters like crazy right now, hiring extra temp staff to meet the needs! Be patient (a week or so) and wait for the Sawyer if you want the best!

Sawyer Mini filter (Small)

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP103-Filtration-System/dp/B00MPH1LEU/ref=sr_1_2?crid=DTUT2T16I2RV&dchild=1&keywords=sawyer+products+water+filtration+system&qid=1584379913&sprefix=sawyer+products+water%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-2

Sawyer Micro Squeeze (2 pack) (Medium)

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP21292-Squeeze-Filtration/dp/B07JCDRYN2/ref=sr_1_7?crid=DTUT2T16I2RV&dchild=1&keywords=sawyer+products+water+filtration+system&qid=1584379913&sprefix=sawyer+products+water%2Caps%2C228&sr=8-7

Squeeze filter (Large)

https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP129-Filtration-Squeezable/dp/B00B1OSU4W/ref=pd_sbs_468_1/130-5811938-9337967?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00B1OSU4W&pd_rd_r=9556fc3b-9a35-4d57-bab3-94eb07cdd5c2&pd_rd_w=91KWg&pd_rd_wg=ouvkI&pf_rd_p=7cd8f929-4345-4bf2-a554-7d7588b3dd5f&pf_rd_r=0VP5GRDRK2JPGRVNATMY&psc=1&refRID=0VP5GRDRK2JPGRVNATMY