Save a few grams from your Sawyer squeeze kit

Getting back into the sport after many years I have quickly become a bit obsessed in shedding weight. I am looking at everything.

I didn't care for the idea of carrying the big syringe supplied with the Sawyer squeeze for flushing in the field but thought I still should have some flushing capability. I receive medical drug infusions and so have smaller syringes at hand.

I am going to try to get away with a 20ml syringe at 14g instead of the 34g syringe supplied. I did a test trial at home with the smaller version and with a good push it seemed to develop enough pressure to do the job but only time will tell. I feel it is a better option than simply leaving the supplied syringe behind.

Buy the way I really like the new filter

Hope this may help, jimmyb

I recently added a Tornado Tube to my Sawyer filter, so I could also connect the "clean" bottle to the filter. I haven't tested it yet, but I'm wondering if I need the syringe at all. The Platypus gravity system just backflushes by raising the clean bottle higher than the dirty bottle; could I do the same thing by inverting the unit and squeezing the clean bottle to fill the dirty bottle?

I'm going to give it a try next trip, and see what happens.

Glen I had to google tornado tube

But yes, that might work. It certainly will make it easier to single handedly filter water even if you aren't able to back flush with it.

I did try hooking a dirty bottle to the filter instead of using the sawyer pouch but found I needed to make a small air bleed hole in the bottle because without it I needed to crush the bottle to get the water out. I just went back to using the sawyer squeeze pouch. You may want to give it a trial run before heading out.

Thanks for the tornado tube tip, jimmyb

FWIW I don't find the syringe confidence-inspiring because when the filter is actually clogged, the backflush pressure needed tends to pop the friction-fit filter off the syringe. So you're left to try holding the two together while pressing the plunger while trying not to get soaked.

I kind of like your solution here. (FWIW the faucet backwash hose supplied with the other Sawyers works perfectly at home, and a field backwash using the clean water bag and connector hose at least keeps a solid connection. It can leak at the screw cap.)

Cheers,

I use the Sawyer bladders for both clean (1L) and dirty (2L), so no problem there.

I found out about the Tornado Tube when I made a customer suggestion to Sawyer that they should engineer the clean side with the same threads as the dirty side. Their reply consisted of, in its entirety, "Try a tornado tube." (Customer service department may need some polishing.)

I had to google it, too.

Some how that makes me feel better.

It's raining here, so I decided to try it out. Of course, I was using tap water through a non-clogged filter, so I'm not 100% sure the results will play out in the field.

I attached a clean bottle of tap water (using the Tornado Tube) and the empty dirty bottle, inverted the unit, and squeezed the clean bottle. It flowed backward just fine, so I'm thinking it might work. I've got a trip in a couple weeks, so I may try it in the field then. (I'll probably take the syringe, just in case.)

Hmmm... now, in the proud tradition of gearheads, I'm finding myself compelled to overthink this: would the syringe be worth carrying anyhow, since it could be used to irrigate wounds?

Good to see the initial test worked well. Make sure you post a report when back from your trip.

As far as the syringe, would it be better to carry a small sealed sterile syringe for first aid. Or would the fact there would be no sterile water (including filtered water) negate the need for one? Just thinking out loud here.

More I think about it the more I like the tornado tube idea as well.

jimmyb

Irrigate wounds or irritate tentmates? You decide!

Cheers,

That use never occurred to me - I like the way you think!

I carry a small packet of Iodine solution to use to instantly sterilize water for irrigation. With this, a sterile syringe wouldn't be needed.