My water filter cracked on the second day of a trip in the Sawtooths

It was a Sawyer Squeeze, and the plastic housing just split right at the threads when I was trying to screw it back on. Happened about two months ago, and I was still 20 miles from the trailhead. I ended up having to boil all my water for the rest of the trip, which used up a ton of fuel and time. Has anyone else had a filter fail like that, and what's a good backup method you carry?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade_lane18d ago

Oh man, the plastic housing splitting at the threads is the worst. My Sawyer Mini did the exact same thing on a trip last fall (cold weather maybe made the plastic brittle?). I always carry a few iodine tablets as a last-ditch backup now, tucked in my first aid kit.

the_julia18d ago

Hate hearing about gear failing like that, it really throws off a trip. Jade_lane is right about the cold maybe being a factor, I've seen similar things happen with other plastic gear not just filters. It's made me double-check all the plastic parts on my stuff before I go out. For a backup, I keep a small dropper bottle of bleach in my kit, just a few drops does the trick.