Guys, Of the new breed of small personal water filters out there (Sayer Mini,etc) which one do you favor most?
I have a sawyer regular sized filter that I've used without diarrhea or unexpected "guests". Don't know what one is best as its the only one I've used.
Sawyer is good $25 ish, I also have a Katadyn that pumps on the upward and downward stroke, very fast ($90, 10ish years ago) , and two MSR Miniworks ($80 ish, 10 years ish ago), they work great, a little slower than the katadyn but way faster than the Sawyer.
I have a Sawyer squeeze that can be rigged up to be a gravity filter, works great and under $30 dollars. I also have a MSR sweet water that I have had for years, done over 100 miles of AT hiking with it and never had any problem with it either.
I have used a lifestraw but ever since I got a steri pen it's all I carry and use. I do however live in a place where you can see the bottom of almost every body of water
I have two Minis and several friends that use them. I'd suggest getting a few Platypus bladders their hydration kit to increase its capabilities. With that you can use it as gravity filter or a squeeze set up that's significantly more durable than the Sawyer bags. Just make sure you back flush them and don't let them freeze. Here we are getting ready to filter and then pack the full "dirty" bag back to camp to set up in gravity mode. Steve wasn't happy his leg got wet.
Around here we have lots of chicken farms and cattle, with run off. I'm always concerned about virus issues, not to mention various toxins. Is the ndur filter advertised on the RAT training site any good?
I've used the Sawyer Mini quite a bit, and as long as you're patient, it gets the job done in a really lightweight package. Last summer I stepped up to the Sawyer 'Squeeze' filter - it's just a little bulkier and heavier than the Mini (though not much of either) and the flow rate is much faster.
I got a MSR Trailshot for my birthday last year and its been a solid performer in that I haven't gotten sick while using it
I haven't used it yet, but I have a Renovo Trio that seems like it should work well, if it is as good as the company claims.