I'm far from an experienced long range hiker or backpacker. I'm fairly comfortable out in the woods, do about 8-9 miles a day in about 2 hours, and have common sense, but I am not a backwoodswoman (unfortunately). A conveniently-sized filter has been on my "that'd be cool" list for years, and while planning a mountain day hike with my sister I went for it with the Sawyer Mini. This was a 2,500' elevation gain hike that was expected to clock in around 9 miles round-trip, trail reports said the average run time was about 4h 45m. No problem.I'm one of those who needs to hydrate excessively- I routinely go through about 2 liters of fluid on a 9 mile route. My hydration pack takes 2 liters, so I figured I probably wouldn't even need the filter but the trip made a good excuse. I even tossed in a lightweight disposable 28 oz bottled water before leaving our car, thinking "No way is that filter getting used!"Man am I glad I had the Sawyer. My hiking partner is not anywhere near as active as I am, which resulted in hours longer on the trail than expected, and surprise, the route clocked in closer to 15 miles than 9. So we were out there, including a break at the spectacular turn around location, for about 10 hours. The Sawyer performed beautifully. I didn't have to stress about trying to conserve water, which was a real relief on the way back, now knowing how long the route actually was and how fast my partner and I were likely to move. The available watersources were mountain streams on a *heavily* trafficked trail (it was like a traffic jam in sections), so the water looked, smelled, and felt clean and cold already, but I sure wouldn't have risked drinking it unfiltered (as we saw several other groups doing- just say no to unfiltered water folks, seriously, not worth it).Okay, the actual review stuff: I'm ashamed to admit I'd never actually used a filter before, though I've seen other people do so. I'm also *not* kinesthetically intelligent. But the Sawyer mini is super easy to understand and use, lightweight, and doesn't have a lot of tiny parts or really much you can do to screw up. I did a test run when it was delivered, found it easy and obvious, and left the flushing syringe in the cabin because we were on a day hike. On the trail it was 100% slick. The included 16 oz bag for untreated water is a little small, and can be challenging to fill in still water, but performed well despite those limitations. As mentioned, the water was already very clear- no visible particulates, and I was able to filter about 1.5 liters in around 8 minutes, including the water-gathering. I assume that dirtier water with more particulates would filter slower- for the water I was filtering, the flow rate was just as fast as my tap water test run, and it was easy to speed up with some gentle pressure on the bag. I should note that I found an actual water bottle *much* easier to filter into than my hydration pack bladder with its floppy body and wide mouth (the last minute extra tossed-in bottled water was useful on two fronts!), so I'd highly recommend carrying a lightweight bottle for filtering into even if you intend to eventually drink it out of an in-line system. The filter, straw, and backflow syringe fit easily into a clean ipsy-type zip case and were light and easy to pack and carry. I will invest in some screw covers or other capping solution so as to avoid water leakage in the future after use, but this wasn't a big deal for me. I'll likely also toss in some alcohol wipes for future trips to ensure clean surfaces after the parts have been jumbled together. Overall, while I imagine that folks who actually are backwoodspeople have better, higher-volume/higher-flow filtering systems and solutions, I'm 100% satisfied with my little Sawyer mini and its totally accessible price point and feel confident it will perform when needed.

So first off, let me say I ordered this with my Prime account, and it comes with free 2-day shipping...it got here in 1 day. I immediately took it out in the frontcountry for a day hike with the dog to give it a test in the field.We made it to a nice frozen shoulder of the Rattlesnake Creek in Missoula. The temp was below freezing, i'de say 20-30°F, or somewhere around there. I chipped through an ice shelf on the creek and dunked the bag into the ice cold water. Filling it was easy with the current but I can see some wishing it came with a bigger bag because it doesn't look like much when the bag is filled. I use a 32oz Platypus bag I have, and carry the included 16oz bag as a backup! Anyway, I screwed the filter onto the bag, tipped it upside down and water came out with a very effortless squeeze. After I got done laughing about how simple this was, I gave my boy Yoshi a drink as well (my English Bulldog). He also took to it well, as he's a big fan of drinking from water bottles anyway. So yeah, this is a dog friendly design!Also out of curiosity I affixed the straw directly to the filter and drank directly from the creek and it was quite easy to do. The amount of suction required was similar to drinking a milkshake, and the flow rate was surprisingly great. At that point one can either shake the filter free of the water still inside the filter, and/or blow through it providing the same effect. (I should note that if using this in freezing temperatures, to prevent the filter from freezing after use, you will want to keep it on or near your body's core).When I got home I did the back flush with the syringe twice, and the thing flushed perfectly. This thing was a piece of cake to use, and was exactly what I was looking for to carry in my Heli Pack. I would recommend this filter to anyone!...and for $20, you cannot beat this. Plus you get a bag, straw, and syringe with it. Buy one now!Anyone with questions, feel free to ask/comment. Glad to help.UPDATE: After 18 months of steady use, this thing is still running strong! I have also come up with a cool addition to this water filter...I removed the sticker on the white middle section and I have replaced it with about 5 feet of standard width 1.88" DUCT TAPE! Using the filter AS the spool for the tape, allowing this filter to be a multi-purpose device. Some people will carry duct tape with them as a emergency repair kit, but we all know duct tape has a million uses, it's the cousin of paracord practically. Trust me it is cool, with the duct tape wrapped around it multiple times, the tape will eventually be flush with the filter end caps and not look sloppy at all. Plus it's a cool way to personalize your filter with a color or pattern to match your kit. If your a little picky like me, I didn't exactly want a "blue" item with my stealth gear. Anyway, this method allows you to carry a decent amount of duct tape spooled around an item you are already carrying, and not taking up ANY extra space than the filter already is using inside your kit.Why not carry some...it might come in handy sometime.

What a great little product, small lie weight and practical, that's what you want any day of the week on the trail. The only downside is, I found the squeeze bag (16 oz) a little too small for my liking, constantly need to fill up and filter. A large squeezy bag would be ideal.

I am very happy with my purchase!

Excellent, small, light and works well : ideal for travel.The tube itself is small and very easy to use with Clear instructions printed upon it; (basically pull water through one end, and draw out of the other, as marked with arrows).Supplied with an extension straw for drinking and a syringe for purge cleaning.The filter itself also has a standard thread so can be attached to (any standard) water bottle.The flat pack bag, supplied, takes no space at all, and is reusable; the neck of the bag is also designed to screw onto the filter. Its a good size to carry when both both full and empty.This can do a considerable amount of water filtration, so it's a tremendous SAVING both financially and to the environment from the scourge of plastic water bottles waste.See the Sawyer web site for the technical details, but this is a high specification purification system.Would HIGHLY recommend it is small easy to carry size and use.

Got it delivered much before the expected delivery date. Product is fantastic. The seller sent it well packaged. I am using the filter. The flow was not there at the first time I tried sucking water through it. Just gave a min for the fibers inside to soak, and then it was a normal flow. Felt like drinking water from a wide straw. Its definitely effective. I am going to test the filter to purify muddy dirty water soon and will update on how well the filter purified it.Few people here complained that it wont filter out the viruses and its only 0.1 micron filter. well, Viruses are pretty rare in the water that you drink everyday. roadside hotels, certain places where the source of water is suspicious, this filter is more than sufficient to guarantee that u will be safe drinking that water. Unless u r drinking water from roadside drainage or some extremely dirty stagnant water, u don't really need a filter which can remove the viruses.If u are still concerned about the viruses, u can order water purifying pills available on amazon. the seller is Hind-Pharma and their tablets are absolutely amazing. Use the sawyer mini, remove all the bacteria and other nasty stuff from the water, drop a tablet in the water, wait for a while for it to work and drink the water. Its an absolute must for everyday use, during travelling, etc. One might feel awkward using it in India as people will definitely stare at u when u are using it, but hey, I don't care. My health is imp to me and clean water is must. I don't wanna be sick just because I drank some supposedly clean water. Its in my bugout backpack now. Ill order another to carry with me for everyday use

Mocht er ooit een probleem zijn met de waterlevering, dan is deze filter een perfecte uitkomst. Gekocht op basis van de vele lovende reviews, ook op YouTube, en blij dat die in mijn bezit is. Hoop het nooit nodig te hebben.