Personal Water Bottle Filter

I recently received my Sawyer Products SP140 Personal Water Bottle with Filter. First the overall volume is listed at 1 liter ~ 33.8 oz. However, the actual volume of water you can put into the bottle with the filter is less than that. My initial guess was around 7-9 oz of water displacement from the filter. After a simple yet effective experiment, I determined that the actual displacement of placing the filter into the bottle is around 4 oz. With that to consider you can fill the bottle with approximately 30 oz of water. Considering the important job that the filter performs (filtering out any water borne contaminants from the water you're placing in the bottle) I'm not going to count that as a negative on the review, but I did want to state that for the record. Overall use of this product is simple. First fill the bottle up to the first neck then insert filter and screw cap on. It's not that complicated. There's almost no assembly needed, just slip the drinking tube on the cap and you're ready to go. You also get a few replacement drinking tubes. The cleaning plunger and cleaning/maintenance instructions are also included. They are simple to read and understand for any individual. This is huge because this filter is designed to last almost indefinitely with proper care and servicing. So follow these instructions closely and you'll be using this filter for a long time! I've been using it with my tap water here in Bryan, TX. We are known for not very good tasting tap water as most municipalities are. The filter does make the water much more palatable which completely negates my need for a Brita, Pur, ZeroWater or similar home water filter unit saving me much needed funds. I've been using this water bottle non-stop without cleaning or servicing with tap water for over a week and I have not had any issues with flow. Now for your B.O.B. (Bug Out Bag), personal survival kit, home disaster kit needs: First this bottle can provide a good amount of water for one or two persons comfortably on a daily basis. The negative space inside the bottle can provide additional storage of small items that you need to keep secure and dry such as: matches, batteries, water purification tablets, additional medical kit items like bandages, etc, lighters, fire steel rods/magnesium fire starter blocks, tinder, note taking or journal making items, printed materials like maps or basic instructions for shelters, etc. So you can see that this item would make a great addition to your B.O.B., etc KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS FILTER IS A BIOLOGICAL WATER FILTER ONLY! IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO FILTER OUT ANY NUCLEAR OR CHEMICAL COMPOUND CONTAMINANTS, ESPECIALLY COMPOUNDS THAT ARE WATER SOLUBLE! This filter will only filter out biological water contaminants and well as solid particulates. The solid particulates in the water WILL CLOG this filter. The 0.1 micron rated filter will clog if large particles are present in the water prior to drinking. So if you are filling this with "river water" for example, you will not get the clean water you think you are getting. So use a little common sense. If you are not equipped to 'pre-filter' your water, or treat the water for nuclear or chemical compounds (If you suspect that they are present) then you're going to lose the battle with dehydration. If you do not understand what I'm saying then get online and research the topic ASAP. With that being said, this filter has high ratings and Sawyer Products is one company that I would trust with my future health and survival. I hope this review was helpful and insightful, please feel free to comment with any additional info, questions, etc.

I bought this filter system for my trip to Peru. I immediately switched the actual bottle out for a standard Camelbak water bottle bought at Target (Camelbak Eddy Bottle). The lid to the Sawyer bottle will fit any standard water bottle that has the wide top. I switched the bottle out because the Sawyer bottle was a bit to wide for stuffing in my side pocket on my travel backpack. The filter work wonderfully! I filled the bottle up at any water source and I never had a worry about getting sick from the water. It saved me a bunch of money from having to buy bottled water all throughout South America. I have yet had the opportunity to use it camping but will here soon. I highly recommend it to travelers who will traveling in areas with questionable water. UPDATE: This filter is still going strong. I have now had for 2.5 years. I use it any time I am traveling as I am uncertain of the water source. I am even so lazy that I don't regularly flush it, but it still is filtering great!. I would definitely flush this if used in murky water, where there is a lot of sediment. I am so impressed with this filter, I will be buying some inline ones for my camelback. Pros: I haven't had to use any of the replaceable straws, though if I needed to, they are there. This filter has been 100% reliable for me. It is not large and is really easy to carry around. Cons: Well I am glad I switched out the bottle for a more attractive one, but I can see why the squeezable bottle may be ideal in certain situations. The suction isn't difficult, but it would be nice to squeeze water out where you don't have to suck.

Make sure to check the straw on top and the one running from the filter for excess...material. I think that's the best word for it. I looks like small bits of dried glue or small shavings of the tubing when it was inserted onto the plastic nib of the filter. Accidentally drinking that is not fun as it tends to want to stick to the back of the throat. Other than that the tubing seals up nice and tight so I don't have to worry about the dirty water getting into the straw. That was a worry I always had with the screw on types, those also suffered from over tightening issue as well. That does mean the Sawyer filter is harder to take off from the tubing. It takes steady pressure and patience but you cant get it off. That eases my mind on it being water tight though! I have their other filters and they work great. The only noticeable difference is that the taste of the water out of this bottle has a slight plastic flavor to it. Not sure if it's from the bottle or the straw but it is a slight flavor. If that is a problem for you then maybe not your thing but it is a well designed bottle and their filters can work for up to 1 million gallons (100,000 for the minis). The bottle itself it nearly a liter so it holds more water than the other bottle type filters I've seen online or have tried out. More water is always a good thing when you move away from your water source. It does mean more weight though, so if you're an ultra lighter it might not be your thing. The flow rate is noticeably faster than other filters of similar type. Life straw for me was one of the hardest to pull water through, Ndur is not bad, but Sawyer is one of the quickest in my experience. That being said it still is slower than drinking out of a cup or a glass so if that's how you prefer to drink then I would recommend Sawyer's bag type filters systems so you can just filter the water into a cup or Nalgene bottle. This filter however is very convenient for every day use. Just pour water from the sink, fountain, or from the glass at the restaurant and I have immediately filtered water as I drink. No having to worry about a two handed operation of a bag and filter to pour into a separate container. On a side note as an experiment I used the Sawyer bag filter system to filter the water I put into the Sawyer water bottle filter. It for whatever reason got rid of the small plastic taste and tasted super fresh. Might have been due to the extra bubbles as it was pouring it giving it more oxygen and not making it taste so flat. Either way nifty result. Update: still going strong. Did have a couple of times when I put it away after attempting to dry which resulted in some growth. A quick very tiny amount of bleach/water solution, reverse flush, and a whole lot of water made it just like new. Also changed the filter sequence. It comes out of the box with the long tube from to the top and it ends at the filter. I had taken one of the spare tubing pieces meant for the straw portion under the cap, and placed it at the bottom of the filter in the bottle so it would reach all the way to the bottom. I had recently had the idea to change it. Short spare tubing leads from the cap to the filter and the long tube is now at the end. It reaches all the way to the bottom and now the top of the filter is in the cap. That means as long as the bottle isn’t completely full and the bottle remains upright, there is a much less change of “dirty” water getting up toward the clean part of the tube/filter. To be clear I have never noticed “dirty” water getting in to the clean side but the set up just seems better in my opinion. Also if you do the swap when pieces are dry, it makes it much easier to take on and off. A lot of the newer filter bottles have a similar set up now with the “clean” portion being placed as near the cap as possible.

I purchased the Sawyer water bottle and LOVE it! I recently used it over seas on a trip to India where pure water is a concern. (never got sick) It filters 0.1 Micron, the best I could find for the price and it holds 34 oz! One of my favorite things is that the structure is very excellent quality! The bottle can click on to your back so you don't have to hold it! It is easy to suck the water from (very nice water flow compared to others) and it is really easy to clean when you are done using it. I would highly recommend this water bottle to anyone who wants quality great tasting filtered water! Also, it was awesome for using at the airport! I could just fill up at a water fountain right after going through security with out paying an outrageous $5 for bottled water at the airport. It includes 2 Replacement Drinking Straws, One Cleaning Syringe, Cleaning and Maintenance Instructions. BUY THIS WATER BOTTLE YOU WILL BE GLAD YOU DID!!! :)

Straw came welded shut where the cap pinches it (overheated? or just faulty). Box says it comes with 2 extra straws, which it doesn't (unadvertised open box?). And the bottle is humongous - doubt it would fit in my pack's pocket (not worth trying as the thing is useless).

We bought two of these in 2014 for a trip to India, where they served us well. We still use them for a camping and travel. They're cleanable and keep us healthy. Highly recommend.

I bought this for a boundary waters canoeing trip. I have since taken it on several other camping and canoeing trips. It is so incredibly convenient. I was worried that the flow would be too restrictive. It isn't. I haven't had to back flush the filter at all while on a trip. It had sustained flow to last my entire week long camping trips. After I return home, I simply follow the storage care directions. The bottle is then ready for the next trip. I read a lot of reviews prior to purchasing this particular bottle. I was considering the Grayl Legend or a Life Straw as alternatives. I opted against the life straw based on the level of filtration. The Sawyer is 0.1 micron and the Life Straw bottle is 0.2 micron. The Grayl does offer a filter that is capable of filtering down to the size of viruses. That was a strong point, but most of my travels are in areas where the water has more of a bacterial and protozoa concerns. The Grayl also looks sharp. If you want to be that guy or gal who has the best looking bottle, The Grayl beats them all hands down. It does however have one big drawback. The Grayl didn't list the ability to back flush the filter. Without the ability to back flush, the absolute filtration will plug up over time. The trail filter runs ~ $20 and the travel filter runs ~$40. While I would most likely have a backup filter anyways, I would much rather refresh the filter rather than toss it and have to put a new one in. Sawyer was the way to go for me. I love not having to carry the extra weight of fresh water, and having the confidence to know that I am not going to get sick.

Bought these for years never had this issue. I travel a lot and this is the 6th one I’ve bought over the years. What happened Sawyer? Guess tools are required now…

Hubo problemas en el reparto. Al final se tuvo que cancelar. Reembolso emitido por Amazon

altho it cant remove viruses and not cheap to buy in country like india, we dont hav to change filter ever, so over time, very cheap at .1 filter. Wish they build with a .02 filter also. I save on plastic water bottles, always traveling. : )

good item so far, haven"t used it with really bad water yet. A little hard to draw water through the straw but you are going through a filter so thats understandable.can be a little noisey as the filter rattles around in the bottle a bit,nothing too outragouse though.overall it seems a good simple item.

If I want to rank my best camping gears, this would be the best piece without any doubt, not sure how someone could rate this product below 5 out of 5. I have had different water filters but this one is so easy to use.

I spent a week in India on a business trip. First time in India. I filled this bottle from bottled water (taking no chances) and only ever drank from this filter bottle (or bottled beer in the evenings). When I cleaned my teeth in the hotel, I squirted water from the filter bottle into a dry cup and used that to rinse my brush etc. All in all, after a week in New Delhi, I returned home in good health WITHOUT Delhi-belly! It may seem quite expensive but I persuaded my employer that it was a small price to pay for my well-being and far more cost effective for them to pay the £51 for one of these than for me to be ill while away and not achieve the objectives of the trip, and/or be ill on my return and be off work for a few several days. My employer had no objections. While I am glad I took this filter bottle to India, unfortunately it didn't help much with the 47 degree heat and the inherent risk of every car journey from the crazy free-for-all approach to road user etiquette.