My water filter gave out halfway through the Lost Coast Trail

The ceramic cartridge in my Sawyer Squeeze cracked on day three near Mattole Beach, probably from a bad drop onto river rocks. I had to boil all my water for the next two days, which really slowed down my pace and burned through my fuel. What's a more durable filter you'd trust for a rough week-long coastal hike?

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3 Comments

butler.brian5mo ago

Consider a Katadyn BeFree for its tougher, flexible bottle.

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verac495mo ago

Yeah, the BeFree's bottle is flexible, but the actual filter part is still a hollow fiber that can get crushed. I read a gear review that said the real tank for coastal trips is the MSR Guardian. It's a brick, but it's built around a tough plastic housing and a ceramic element that's way harder to crack than a Sawyer. You pay for it, but it's the one they use for military stuff. Boiling water on a trail like that is a total pain, so a bulletproof filter is worth the weight.

3

river_bailey25mo ago

The Guardian sounds tough, but is the ceramic filter a pain to clean out in the field?

7