Sawyer and Platypus Threads Not the Same

Wanting to replace my Pur Hiker filter with something lighter, I bought a Sawyer Mini. The 16oz bag it comes with is too small, but I already had a 2L Platypus bag I thought I'd use. Unfortunately I find that the Platypus bag uses a thread that is just slightly different than the Sawyer (which is the standard pop bottle thread). It will almost work, maybe will work sometimes, but leaks.

I did a search on the net and found that this is not exactly news, but I thought I'd pass it along here.

I just ordered a CNOC Vecto bag, which looks like it might work well. Kind of like the Platypus zipper top hydration bladder, but maybe more versatile. And much cheaper.

If I remember correctly, the CNOC bag has threads that match Sawyer, as does Evernew and the ones at Walmart (Ozark Trail?). Platypus is the odd one. I haven't looked at Walmart lately, so I don't know if they still carry these. If they do, they are inexpensive.

It's been awhile since I researched this, but I seem to remember people got it to work somehow. Screwing it down really tight? Adding teflon tape or a gasket? Something like that. I'd try teflon if you have any laying around.

I think Evernew bottles are also a match (available on Amazon, last time I checked.)

You might make it function, but it would never be right or very reliable. It seemed to work the first time I tried it, but I apparently just didn't notice the leak. The thread pitch on the Sawyer bottles (also pop bottles) is 2.7mm. I measured the thread pitch on the platypus at .15", which would be 3.8mm. It's close enough to feel like it's threading correctly, but once several threads are engaged things go wrong.

In any case, both the Sawyer and the Platypus are inconvenient to fill from a lake or stream. The CNOC bottle has a wide opening at the other end for filling. I'm anxious to get it and see if it works as advertised.

Please let us know how this works out!

Do note that since Cascade Designs (Platypus) and MSR are the same company, and they advertise their water filtration products as compatible, it appears that you'll have the same problem with both brands being incompatible with the rest of the world.

Platy was standard pitch thread for a long time. I have some Platy bottles from 2001-2002 or thereabouts that have Coke plastic caps since such things are easy to lose. Seems like Platy changed the pitch in the mid/late 2000s (?).

Evernew (which I now use with Sawyer Squeeze) captive cap copied the design from a brand made in Austria around 1980 (I have 4 in the closet bought at LL Bean, red leash and green cap).

I've been following CNOC and it appears that some early production quality control issues have been worked out. Surely I'll get a Vecto sooner than later!

How about a Vecto with captive cap?

Cheers,
Bill in Roswell, GA

From CNOC site, Vecto FAQ:

"Using the Platypus Hose Kit the Vecto can become a hydration bladder, but the hose won't seal completely, and a 28mm by 3mm silicone O-ring is needed to seal the system."

Well, there ya go!

Cheers,
Bill in Roswell, GA

Bill, I just discovered the MSR Trailshot Microfilter, and have ordered one on ebay...It's a much cheaper, much lighter alternative to a Katadyn...My Sawyer Mini wont be getting much use now!

Alf,

I tried the trailshot, but wound up returning it because it imparted a plastic, vaguely bleach-like taste to the water. I ran about 6 liters through it, and it only reduced it a little. I didn't try anything else. I think it's the squeeze bulb, not the filter itself. Maybe a thorough washing with soap and water, or lemon juice or something would work. Not everyone experiences this according to the reviews. Otherwise, it worked OK, but I only tried it at home. It could use a longer intake hose, with a float on it, but that's easy enough to do if you decide you need to.

I have just received it in the post. I am wondering if MSR sterilise each Trailshot with bleach before they leave the factory? Water at home can have a slightly bleach like taste to it, due to some of the chemicals water companies treat it with, such as Chlorine, used to kill bacteria. They add other chemicals to try and eliminate the taste of the Chlorine (Sulphur Dioxide, as I recall), but it's possible they go they mix wrong on your water supply leaving it tasting slightly of Chlorine? But if that isn't the problem then you have me worried now.

I read a lot of reviews (after the fact) and some people reported the taste issue, but definitely a minority. You may not have any problem at all.

I eliminated other possibilities. I used water that was filtered already through the filter on my kitchen tap, tasted the water before and after filtering, etc., and compared it to water filtered with my PUR Hiker. I may have given up too soon, since it's possible washing or soaking would have corrected it.

It could be that it was residue of some kind of sanitizing solution used during manufacture. Possibly the occasional filter gets a bigger dose of it and needs more time to disperse it.

I’ve got one, and haven’t noticed any taste like that described above.

On the side of the pack the Trailshot comes in, it says: "Individualy tested hollow fiber membrane"...This implies that they test each individual filter, prior to them being assembled, packaged and shipped. Obviously, they can only test each filter by running water through them, and it's possible that after the test they pass a sterilzing solution through them before drying them out packaging them...Surely that could impart a bleachy taste, at least in the early days of using it, which might improve with use?

The Trailshot deserves it's its own thread. A hiking buddy loves his for filling his water bladder. I stick with my Sawyer Squeeze/Smart water bottle combo. I like the Trailshot idea, but the filter life is so short it would require a new filter per year at $35 each. But it does have its place.