Wasted $150 on a fancy water filter that broke after 3 trips

I bought that expensive squeeze filter thinking it would last forever. On the third trip in the Smokies, the O-ring split and I had to boil creek water for the last two days. Should have just gotten the basic Sawyer from the start. Has anyone else had a pricey piece of gear fail on them at the worst time?

3 comments

3 Comments

ruby4502mo ago

Right? Nothing says "great investment" like boiling muddy water for dinner.

danielr942mo ago

A buddy of mine bought one of those cheap survival kits online and it came with a little metal cup. He tried boiling creek water with it and the whole thing turned black and started smelling like burnt plastic. Now he just filters everything through an old t-shirt and calls it good enough.

ross.felix1mo agoMost Upvoted

Is that cup coated with something or was it just cheap metal? I've had similar problems with gear that looked fine but turned out to be junk. Your buddy's t-shirt trick might work for big stuff but it won't catch bacteria or parasites. He'd be better off just boiling the water in a clean coffee can or something instead of trusting that cup. He should get a stainless steel bottle from a camping store, they don't cost that much and actually hold up.