Posted: 12/24/2025 8:21:46 PM EDT
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I put this in outdoor discussion 40 looks no replies looking for my med kits go with name or go the cheaper route?? thanks |
God fearing Christian American boomer!
Joined:
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FL, USA
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I have one in my main kits and my car kits as well. But what do I know I am a cross between a prepper, a hoarder, and a boy scout. I try to save money on things that my life won’t be relying on. ETA. Always quality, and quantity of quality, get both. |
"Omnia mei donna Deo" Please pray for our country!
Educated not indoctrinated!
Educated not indoctrinated!
| IMO, Survival straws are for emergency backup only-you can’t filter water to cook with them, just take sips. Not super practical. |
Never make another person a priority when they merely see you as an option...
"Some People Are Like Slinkies. They're Not Really Good For Anything, But They Bring a Smile To Your Face When Pushed Down The Stairs."
"Some People Are Like Slinkies. They're Not Really Good For Anything, But They Bring a Smile To Your Face When Pushed Down The Stairs."
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depends on your use case i guess, but for something like water I go with name brand quality I keep one in my GHB, and one in my car kit. Which i think is a perfect use case for them you're trying to keep moving and get to where you're going and just need to use some questionable water along the way I tend to throw one in with my pack as an emergency backup if ever needed as well since they are small and light weight |
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I would go with a sawyer mini or life straw. They are already pretty cheap to begin with. Knock offs are probably OK but if it's for an emergency kit might not want to go unknown temu brand. Cheapest I have got and used in the back country are these super basic Philips bottles with integrated filter. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JCSYD7W?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_8&th=1 Attached File They have a couple different filter types, but for our purposes we want what they call the "adventure" or "camping" filter. You do have to be mindful when using them because they have a vent on top. These for me are a spare/ backup/ bring along when I don't plan on needing a filter. I often carry it empty in my hunting pack when in the backcountry even though I have enough water with me for the day it's nice to know I have it as a self-contained option. Only reason I even posted it is because I stumbled across them last year and have used it a few times. Afordable option that still not Temu. |
Originally Posted By ar-jedi:
SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!!
SO MUCH WIN IN ONE POST IT COULD CRASH ARFCOM !!!
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I detest straw style filters. They are so much work for so little water. It's awful to bend over into a stream and try to keep the end out of the mud. Last resort filters I wouldn't spend money on. The Sawyer Mini is SOOOO much nicer to use than any of the straw style filters The Squeeze is better, still. It comes with a couple of bags you can squeeze the water between. It takes only a shallow pool or trickle to fill the unclean water bag, you put the filter between the bags, and squeeze the water through the system. You can hang the bags and let gravity do its thing if you are in a rush. It's easy to back flush and comes with the syringe to do it with. Best product on the market, and priced well. Keep an eye on Amazon as they often go on sale there. There are better filters if you think you might use it hard. The MSR Mini works is one I've been very happy with. It's big, heavy, and costs well north of $100, though. For emergency use, Sawyer Mini or Sawyer Squeeze would be the way to go. Rember that if any of these ceramic filters freeze with water in them, the cracks in the element render them ineffective. One more thing, the water bags that come with the Sawyer filters are okay, but not great. If you can afford it, get a set of the Cnoc bags. They are awesome. |
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Aquamira Frontier Pro water filter is one that I’ve used and can appreciate for the size. As mentioned, these generally suck both in practice and performance. They really should be that last resort option or for a very small kit with a very small crisis. You need to make sure you have decent water sources, not too turbid, as well. I’ve used the Sawyer Mini filters a lot on longer backpacking trips. Of the several I’ve used over the years, I only had one fail me and that was actually my fault as I should have tested it before the trip. I always carried the two-part Aqua Mira chlorine dioxide solution and Potable Aqua/Katadyn water purification tablets as backup. I pretty much went back to the slightly larger Sawyer Squeeze, but the Mini is still a great filter, and it can be used as a straw as well. Having the ability to add a small CNOC water bag, it will screw to a plastic water bottle, can be squeezed or gravity filtered. That’s the route I would go. I just updated a couple of water-decon kits for my packs, I'll need to pull them out for a show and tell... ROCK6 |
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants" - Thomas Jefferson
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100% gravity filters only for me. My best is MSR Guardian filter as it does viruses and has an effort free back flush that works as you are just using the gravity filter normally. It is blazing fast too. It's the best, its just stupid expensive. Next is any of the cheaper and lighter gravity filters like Platypus Gravity Works or MSR Autoflow. These require a dirty bag and a clean bag on each end and you have to flip and back flush every couple liters to keep them going strong or they will slow to a crawl. Because I like to filter direct to a Nalgene I use a wide mouth Nalgene adapter on my exit tube and I use a collapsing wide mouth Nalgene as my clean water bag and just dump it into a hard 1L Nalgene once or a 2-3L water bladder 2 or 3 times. I also use it as an "extra liter" when I want more than a gallon of water when I fill my 3 liter bladder and 1L hard Nalgene or to hit a gallon when when I use a 2L bladder and 1L hard Nalgene. It sucks as a water container er but flows up to nothing more than the screw top lid when empty. I pair those filters (which dont do viruses) with chlorine dioxide tabs. I would never use a Lifestaw because its just too much work for a mouthful of water. I would just keep chlorine dioxide tabs and a Nalgene with a fine piece of cloth and rubber band to pre filter floaties if you want a really small and light water purification system. I would not use a pump based system ever again nor reccomend one. The seals require annual maintenance, the effort is too high, the filtering too slow, etc. And I have had several from Katadyn, MSR, etc. and I hated them all. They are also bulky. While a dual bag gravity filter setup in drawstring bag is also kind of bulky, it is flat and flexible. But most importantly, zero effort. |