Has anybody done extensive camping with a gravity bag for water filtration? We are taking a week long trip to the Rockies this summer and love the idea but have read mixed reviews about them. Mostly about getting clogged. There will be 8 of us way back up in the mountains around Creede. That's a lot of water to pump...

The MSR Platypus Autoflow works very well.  Just make sure you do a pre-filter screen for large particulates and you should be good.  I have used one for a couple of seasons with no issues.

Take a pump version as a backup/spare..

Coffee filter/T-shirt?

Definitely!

I'm actually taking a very tiny 12 volt pump to fill the bags with. It has a filter installed so I bet large/larger particulates might not be an issue. I just have zero field experience with the bags.

Sawyer squeeze can be a gravity filter. Works well.

Are you backpacking or car camping..?

Backpacking. :)

Very small pump, weighs almost nothing, but powerful enough to push water thru a Sawyer 3 way water filter. I've been tinkering with a specific pump for a few years now. Ultimate goal is a self priming pump that filters water right into my bag thru my hose quickly and without having to get too close to the banks of water.

There are some very cool micro pumps out there that run on very low power requirements.

I haven't used it yet, but have just put together a platypus zip top, sawyer squeeze filter to a camelback or MSR drom bag for a bigger camp. Will get a chance to use it in the next month or so. I have been a MSR pump user. Last time out my friend had his filter plug almost immediately because he did not pre-filter. I am still wondering what the best way to pre-filter in my new setup is going to be. I like the idea of hanging a bag in camp while I do something else and my water filters itself.

This is what I do with a sawyer mini.  I keep a length of 550 to hang it from a tree.  I use the camelbak quick disconnectors to plug the filter drop line into my water bag(platypus).  The disconnect has a shutoff for swapping bags.  Let gravity do its thing while you do other tasks or just relax.

Previously I used 1 liter smart water bottles.  The sawyer water bags are not easy to fill in small streams.  The smart water bottles are nice because they are easy to fill and perfectly clear to spot debris at a glance and they can be used on the other end to squeeze clean water back through the filter to flush it.  But althoygh light weight and durable, empty they don't pack so well.  So I got the zip top gravity bag.  3 or 4 liter version.

During our weeklong Idaho backcountry trip last August having a couple of gravity filters was a tremendous help. Not only did it make refilling our personal supply quicker and easier but it was great for meal time (prep, cleanup, etc). Several of us also used Sawyer filters when we just need a quick refill mid-hike.

Actually, we used a Katadyn filter and a MSR Dromedary.

This is what I do with a sawyer mini.  I keep a length of 550 to hang it from a tree. I use the camelbak quick disconnectors to plug the filter drop line into my water bag(platypus).  The disconnect has a shutoff for swapping bags.  Let gravity do its thing while you do other tasks or just relax.

Previously I used 1 liter smart water bottles.  The sawyer water bags are not easy to fill in small streams.  The smart water bottles are nice because they are easy to fill and perfectly clear to spot debris at a glance and they can be used on the other end to squeeze clean water back through the filter to flush it.  But althoygh light weight and durable, empty they don't pack so well.  So I got the zip top gravity bag.  3 or 4 liter version.


Would you mind describing the portion highlighted in bold a bit more, or show pictures? I have had issues with my Sawyer filter connecting securely to my camelbak fittings...

Any issues with the Katadyn clogging? Did you use a pre-filter with it?

For a bigger group I like my Platypus GravityWorks ALOT! It filters fast and you just hang it from a tree and go do something else, come back to 4L of clean water.

I'm leaning toward this one. Have not read a bad thing about it.

This is basically what I do, but i use the platypus big zip for the dirty water, to the sawyer mini, the the camelbak quick disconnect adapters to my camelbak(and everyone else's too).  Unplug your camelbak bite valve, plug in the lone from the filter.  I put the valve on the line from the filter.  That way it's not pouring out as you switch from camelbak to camelbak.  Also it can pour directly into a pot or bottle.

It's basically the same as the gravity works setup, but more modular.  One could just as easily start with that setup and modify with the quick disconnects to direct fill camelbaks  

I'll add some links

Platypus big zip 3L $34.95 

Camelbak adapters (quick disconnects) $7

Sawyer Mini Adapters $4.48

None that I recall and no. We were in the land of crystal clear lakes and streams, though. It actually worked very well and was speedy.

To be honest I kicked myself a little. If I'd seen this thread as a reminder a few days ago I would've bought one with my REI dividend. Instead I bought another stove...which I need like a hole in the head.

Thank you man.

To be honest I kicked myself a little. If I'd seen this thread as a reminder a few days ago I would've bought one with my REI dividend. Instead I bought another stove...which I need like a hole in the head.



Right on, very clean water where I'm headed.

I did a lot of research and got the Katadyn Base Camp. They are using a new style of filter and from what I have read this has largely cleaned up the clogging issues that the older ones had. I put a couple of liters in it and it ran very quickly. I will be taking a Sawyer mini filter as a back up. Using this system I can simply unscrew the Katadyn filter and hook the Sawyer filter on the bottom of the outside hose with the supplied quick connect ends. Very excited to try this out in back country conditions.

I’ve been using the Sawyer gravity filters for some time and more recently the smaller Mini for backpacking.  They are pretty foolproof and very versatile.  The only down side are the “squeeze” bags, but I always pack a second bag as a backup and have only had to replace to that started to delaminate (they were the first generation bags).  

The Katadyn Base Camp is actually a decent set up for later groups and works well.  I prefer the enclosed gravity bags from Sawyer, but having compatibility with the Hiker pump filter is a good option if traveling in a smaller group.

The Platypus Gravityworks is really impressing me. I’ve been using it recently and I really love the versatility is awesome.  The Sawyer is smaller and offers a couple different options, but both can be used to the same.  I’ve paired the Gravityworks grey-water bag (2L) with the filter, my Platy hydration bladder bag (2L) and the (2L) reservoir when set up to serve as the enclosed gravity filtration system.  I typically only backpack with 2-3 liters of water, but having the capacity to fill 4L of filtered water and an extra 2L of water in the grey-water bag is great when water sources are a significant distance or steep elevation that you only want to traverse once.  

For backpacking, I’m still sticking with the Sawyer Mini; however for my bug-out and more survival-training pack, I’m going to opt for the Platypus kit.  I will say that the heavy duty gravity bags for Sawyer are extremely robust…very similar in construction to the MSR Dromedary bags.  I still like this option for what I’m planning with the Platy kit.



I was trying to get a comparable setup between the Sawyer and Katadyn, but if you hang the Sawyer filter with a foot or two of tubing down between it and the bag, the flow rate is quite impressive.





ROCK6