Pro tip: that $50 water filter almost got me sick on my last trip

I grabbed one of those cheap Sawyer Squeeze knockoffs from a discount bin for my weekend trip up near Big Bear, figured it was the same thing for half the price. After two days I noticed the seal was cracked and brown stuff was leaking into my clean bottle, so I basically drank unfiltered creek water for a whole afternoon. Has anyone else had a budget filter fail on them or am I just cursed with bad luck?

3 comments

3 Comments

danielw8820d ago

Nah, I gotta push back on this a bit. Spending fifty bucks on a knockoff filter from a discount bin isn't being smart with your money, it's playing roulette with your gut. @the_anthony's right that real gear gets tested by time and abuse, but that's exactly why you don't cheap out on something that keeps you from shitting your brains out in the woods.

vera3082mo ago

Must be great being a beta tester for budget survival gear. That brown mystery sludge adds flavor though, adds a little terroir to the experience. The real question is if it was seal failure or just the water trying to join you on the drive home.

the_anthony2mo ago

That water might have saved your life if you ever got stranded and needed a desperate drink, assuming the bottle didn't kill you first. Most people don't think about how those cheap seals break down after sitting in a hot car for six months and turn your water into something that belongs in a chemistry lab. The real test of survival gear isn't at the store, it's after a few seasons of real abuse.