I learned the hard way about water filters on the PCT last summer

I spent $80 on a cheap water filter right before hitting the John Muir Trail section, and it clogged up after just 3 days. I was stuck using iodine tablets for a week, and my water tasted like a swimming pool. Has anyone else had a filter fail on them mid trip?

3 comments

3 Comments

lindamartin1mo ago

I got 2,000 miles out of a Sawyer Squeeze on my thru-hike and never had a single issue. You probably bought some no-name brand off Amazon instead of a proven model. $80 is actually cheap for a filter, maybe that was the problem. Iodine is fine if you know how to use it right, just add some flavored drink mix to kill the taste. Proper gear maintenance makes a big difference too, backflushing every few days keeps them running.

margaretm231mo ago

I used a Sawyer Squeeze on the Colorado Trail a couple years back and got about 1,500 miles before it slowed down, but the real issue nobody talks about is the water source itself. If you're dipping into silty creeks or ponds with lots of sediment, no amount of backflushing will save the filter from clogging fast. I pre-filter through a bandana or a coffee filter when the water's dirty, and that alone doubled my filter life. Linda's right that proper maintenance helps, but the source quality matters just as much as the brand or price tag.

juliag101mo ago

I once bought a tent footprint that was supposed to be "one size fits all" and ended up with three inches of mesh sticking out in a rainstorm. Learned my lesson about trusting random brand names. But yeah, that filter thing sounds rough, nothing worse than swimming pool water when you're trying to enjoy the views.