river_wright•10d agoProlific Poster

I was dead set against using a water filter on trail, but that giardia scare in Yosemite changed my mind

I always thought boiling water was good enough and filters were just extra weight. Then a ranger at Tuolumne Meadows told me about a group that got sick from a stream that looked crystal clear. After that I picked up a Sawyer Squeeze for 35 bucks and honestly I sleep way better now. Has anyone else had a close call that made them switch their water setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_dixon10d ago

And honestly the first time I squeezed that bag I felt like I was wrestling a deflated pool toy, and I still got water all over my boots. I mean, yeah the Sawyer is great once you figure out the whole gravity thing, but my early attempts looked like a slip and slide disaster. Maybe it's just me but I'll take a goofy water fight over a week of intestinal explosions any day.

the_gray10d ago

Used to be all about those pump filters and chemical drops. Thought the Sawyer squeeze setup was overhyped and too fiddly. But after watching a buddy filter a nasty puddle in like 30 seconds with zero mess, I had to eat my words. Picked one up last season and yeah, the first few squeezes were a comedy of errors. Still, being able to just dip your bag in any water source and have clean water in minutes beats waiting for tablets to work or breaking a pump. You got it right, the learning curve is worth not shitting yourself on day three.