OWNER REVIEW- Sawyer Mini Water Filter

Sawyer Mini Water Filter 
BioName: Luke PlesciaEmail: [email protected]: 16Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USAHeight: 6’ 2”Weight: 160 lbs
I started backpacking five years ago, and from the get go was concerned with making my pack lighter and the trips more enjoyable. Over the past few years I have evolved from a tent camper to a hammock and now mostly just tarp camping, and am always looking for cheap ways to cut down on my pack weight. I go on about one weekend trip per month, and try to do a quick day trip at least once a week.Product information Model: Sawyer SP128Manufacturer: Sawyer (http://www.sawyer.com) Year of purchase: 2014Listed Weight: 2 oz(dry)Weight as delivered: Filter-1.5 oz(dry) 1.625 oz(wet) Backflush Syringe- 1 oz  16 fl. oz pouch- .75 ozStraw- .125 ozTotal weight(wet)- Cartridge Life: 100,000 gallonsPrice: ~$20                                  Product Description:Our most popular filter just got smaller and lighter. The Sawyer MINI Water Filter is rated to 0.1 micron absolute, weighs only 2 ounces, and filters up to 100,000 gallons!  This award winning system is reliable and easy to use.
The MINI can be attached to the included collapsible drinking pouch, inline on a hydration pack, on a standard soda bottle, or simply use the included drinking straw to drink directly from the water source.  How is that for versatility? Like all Sawyer filters, a proper backwashing can restore up to 98.5% of the filter’s flow rate. That means no expensive cartridges to replace, ever.
Test Locations
I have used this filter across the Smoky Mountains and a few parks in Kentucky including Cumberland Gap state park and Land between the Lakes Recreation Area. I have filtered water in air temperatures between 40 degrees and 85 degrees. I have filtered water out of lakes, creeks, and standing pools. 


Report
As a newbie backpacker, I can remember being put off by how expensive all of the gear was. I circumvented this problem by borrowing gear from some of my friends. Among these items were various pump water filters, including the MSR Hyperflow and the Katahdyn Hiker Pro. Every trip I made with these filters, I was discouraged by how complicated and finicky they were. It never seemed like these pump filters were working right. When I was ready to purchase my own filter I was put off by the high prices and inherent faults of these pump systems I had used. Gravity systems were luxurious, but usually just as expensive as the pump filters. Here is where I discovered the sawyer filters.
Cruising on the interwebs one night, I ran into a review for the sawyer mini system. I was quite intrigued by the low cost (a fifth of what a good pump would have cost me), and the numerous 5 star reviews of it on Amazon, I decided to buy one.
My first impressions straight out of the box were mixed. I wanted to love this filter, I really did! All of the specs checked out and it seemed like a perfect fit for me. I had a few reservations, however. First off, the filter pouch it came with was a measly 16 oz, not even a quarter of the water reservoir in my pack I hoped to fill. This problem was remedied by buying two 2-liter collapsible water bags from amazon for $9.99. Secondly, the filter was as slow if not slower out of the box then some pump filters I had used. Luckily, this problem was quickly remedied after filtering about a pouch and a half (24 oz) of water through it, I was able to squeeze about a liter a minute out of it. That I could handle. Lastly, and this problem I have not remedied, while the filter was compact, the backflush syringe was atlas 1.5 times as big, which diminished some of the space saving over a pump filter. This is a problem I have not been able to remedy as of yet, though it is definitely not a deal breaker.
In the field, the filter proved to have a steep learning curve in order to use it properly. There are a few important lessons that I learned as soon was I tried to use it. 
Lesson #1- The collapsible filter bag, while nice to pack, is impossible to fill alone without a running water source. I've learned to overcome this by using a separate container such as a ziplock bag or cup to dip water out of a water source and then fill the bag. 
Lesson #2- If you don't pre-filter dirty water before you run it through the mini, it will quickly clog the filter and require a TON of backlashing. In this case, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Collecting the clearest water possible and filtering through a coffee filter or bandana first will nearly eliminate any need for backflushing at all.
Lesson #3- This one came after quite a bit of experimentation, but has completely revolutionized how I collect and filter water while hiking. What I found is that by carrying the 2 liter filter bag rather than my water bladder, I could screw the filter directly onto that and then slide my water bladder hose and mouth piece assembly onto this. Now i can fill the bag up with dirty water, screw the filter on, and drink as I go. When I get to camp and need clean water, I simply remove the bite valve from the tube and lift the water bag into the air, which creates a gravity filter and causes the water to flow out of the tube at an astonishing 50 seconds per liter with light pressure applied! For anyone with this filter, I would highly recommend this setup for convenience, versatility, and speed.


Summary
Pros:-Weight-Price-Versatility-Ease of use-Will also screw on to standard plastic water bottles (Dasani, Aquafina, Smart water, etc.)
Cons:-Requires pre-filtering-Large backflush syringe( Nitpicky, and not necessarily a problem if you pre-filter as you will barely use it)-Does not filter out viruses, though if in North America you should not have to worry too much about this