The best way to keep your filter working in the field, particularly if the water is filled with sediment, is to bring a collapsible water bucket with you. Fill the bucket with water, wait five minutes, then pour into your bladder. The water to be filtered will be much cleaner, with no visible floaters. It also can be easier to fill those bladders by pouring water into them from a bucket.

The sawyer and the Grayl. I feel they are the best options

thanks again Wade, good to see ya take care

Thanks so much for the water filtration comparisons Wade! We appreciate you,!! Happy Travels 👍👍

Katadyn is my go to and has been for the last few years Wade but I do have a Sawyer Squeeze as a back up. Thanks brother!

Really enjoyed this one Wade. Great job!

Thanks Wade for another informative review. You answered a few questions about water filtration systems that I had. Cheers brother. 👍

Outstanding Wade!! A very informative video on them filtration systems!! Thank you!! Have a great weekend!! Atb

Thanks Wade. Very informative.

Good morning Wade.... great video mate 👍👍. Some great info and demo mate. I tend to use the Sawyers, but like you say the standard bags can be slow to fill at times. Thanks for taking the time Wade, all the best, Mark :)

I have both sawyer and Katadyn. Like each. Great in depth review.

Once again Wade, very informative presentation! I have all three filters as well and agree with all you assessments. Happy travels and be safe!!

Sawyer is great , excellent information as always buddy.

Great Wade. Good reviews.

Great content Wade, you know your stuff really well, there's a significant difference indeed and i always prefer a purification above a filter, i did use a steripen in combination with a filter before i got the Grayl, didn't like the sawyer at all despite the weight but love the MSR hyperflow a lot, the katadyn befree is very convenient to use as I understand, thanks for sharing👍🏻

I'm pretty happy with my Sawyer Mini. Filling the bag takes some patience, as you point out, but otherwise fine.

Great video, excellent info!

thanks for video. I bought katadyn black version. but was strongly considering Grayl.

Many Thanks For The Different Filters, Wade ! We Use The Sawyer Had It 3 Years Now & Haven't Had Any Deal Breakers Yet, Other Than As Stated, Slow Fill Time Of The Bag. Hope You & Yours Had A Swell Canuck Day Up Yonder Friend ! Happy Trails From Down On The East Coast ! ATB T God Bless

Great info, thank you! On my first backpacking trip back in the 90's we boiled our water. It was so tedious and we would find the occasional noodle floating in the water bottle because we only had one pot for everything!

Great information Wade as I’ve not taken the plunge yet. But I do have a mill bag and can boil that water. Thanks for sharing 🙏🏻

I have a Grayl and like that it also filters micro plastics, which is in our water now, even pristine rocky mountain snow-fed streams. The one downside to the Grayl for me is it takes more effort to fit it in my Fanny pack day hike water bottle compartment than compressing the unit to filter. Thank you for this video - super helpful!

Great video Wade. I like my Woods water straw, I picked it up at CTC. It is light weight and can be attached to a Smartwater bottle. I picked up a Seychelle water bottle that came with their Extreme filter that removes everything including viruses and heavy metals etc. They are pricey to replace the filter (they have different quality filters depending on what you need), but only take it when I'm traveling outside of Canada. Cheers brother.

Thanks for the video. It was great and informative. Most of my adventures are backpacking so I go to the Sawyer mini. You can always buy extra bags that work better than the factory bag from the Sawyer. You can carry extra smart water bottles in your backpack and just screw it on. If the soya mini added heavy metal and virus filtration, it would be the best filter around in my opinion.

Hi and thank you for your informative review! I have used two Grayl filtration bottles in the backcountry and I really like them. Another of their downsides besides what you mention is that they don't like freezing - I think they can make it through one or two freeze-unfreeze cycles and then it's time to replace the filter. Hence, I paid attention to always keep them somewhat filled before getting to sleep to avoid problems if the temp drops below freezing. In winter time it's simply a no-go, so then I need to just spend more time & gas boiling snow until the big bubbles start to come up. I guess the Katadyn (at least the expensive heavy-duty Katadyn Pocket I saw on the market) shouldn't really have that limitation.

Re post-trip Sawyer cleaning - use distilled water to back-flush the filter, especially if you add softeners to your water system at home. After back-flushing several times, I let the filter sit submerged for one hour in a mixture of four cups water (heated until it’s hot to the touch) to one cup white vinegar - this breaks down the particles that are in the filter. Then I back-flush with a mix of 1/2 liter distilled water to five drops bleach, to get out the vinegar taste and particulates that broke down, and also to sterilize the filter from any contaminates that may want to take root in the filter when in storage. Make sure to shake dry and then let sit dry in the open for a day before putting into longer term storage. When bringing a filter out of long-term storage, don’t go straight into the field. I’ve seen filters seize up on a few trips I’ve guided. They really should be reconditioned by soaking in warm water and performing a couple of back-flushes. This also removes any residual bleach taste from the above. For the Katadyn, follow the above but, rather than back-flushing, shake the filter in a bowl of water. I’ve gotten the above from working with Sawyer customer service reps.

Hey brother. Nice input on these products. I have been using sawyer mini for a few years now. I also bought some 2 liter bags for mine and an inline adapter kit. This allowed me to connect a bottle on each end using a length of tubing. This way I can carry 4 liters 2 l dirty and 2 l clean. The dirty bag drains into the clean with gravity while I'm doing other chores. Then once the first bag is filtered I can fill the dirty bag and filter it once the first bag is used. The other great advantage is back flushing is super easy. Jp plust squeeze the clean bag so that some of the water goes back into the dirty bag. 00pp

Hi Wade, hope you are keeping well. I recently upgraded from the Sawyer mini to the squeeze, which is a huge improvement in flow. Got no experience of the others, they seem great though. Thanks again Wade, take care mate 👍🙂

Hello. Great comparison video. I've been using the the General Ecology water pump since the 80s and absolutely love it. However I've been looking at other options as it is rather heavy at over a pound and a bit bulky. Just purchased the Geopress and the Be Free filter. Not sure if I'd use the Geo for backpacking as it would probably take a bit of time to fill bags or bottles for cooking. I like the Be free as it's compatible with the Hydrapak collapsible bottles and the flow rate is real good so far. I've tested both in the local creeks here in Colorado Springs and haven't had any issues. Been using the Geopress at work and home to filter tap water and so far so good. Thanks again!

I still use my MSR microfilter (pump kind) as it fits onto wide mouth water bottles and thermos flasks. Boiling is still the best.

my katadyn still going strong,it was expensive but still works

Great video! I really love comparisons like this especially when they’re based on real dirt time use. I’d go with the Sawyer for a bugout bag and the Grayl for my day hikes. I’ve heard other reviewers pronounce Katadyn more like CAT-a-dine. Cat like the animals and dine like you’re going to eat. I hope I don’t sound like I have an attitude, just passing on what I’ve heard 👍

Outstanding show and tell brother. Great job covering all three water filters. Agreed, the Grayl is king between the three, but they're all capable. Perfect timing with the presentation too. Hydration is paramount on these warm months and people are heading out. Btw, I've been pronouncing Katadyn all wrong this whole time! lol

Im a fan of the Grayl, but I LOVE HEAVY METAL 🤟

You can screw the Sawyer water filter on to a smart water bottle and it's fantastic. Just dip your water bottle into the water and fill it up, thread it on to the filter and squeeze for endless safe water in the Backcountry! If you're in an area where viruses are a major concern you can always boil your water.

So glad to have seen this video. I am a "newbie" and just buying my equipment. I live in South Florida where water is plentiful but most of our "wild water" contains horrible brain eating amoeba and so far, the ONLY filter I have seen advertised to eliminate the amoeba is the Grayl...... like the ultra convenience of the Sawyer , haven't heard of the Katadyn before, but really need the super filtration of the Grayl.....looks like I better up my muscle power though to push the filter through....Thanks again

Nice video! I was looking at the grayl but it’s not cheap in Canada Happy Canada day by the way 🇨🇦

I dont know bout the Grail for the price .and not much capasity.. I like my Sawyer and a store bought water bottel ?

I use the grayl

The grayl gets everything and is easy to use. You never know what’s up stream

Hi! Good video. Thanks for sharing. 👍I'm thinking about Grayl filter or Katadyn Befree tactical. I don't know if the tactical version is thicker material than the blue and white one. At least Katadyn is much lighter than the Grayl filter, but Katadyn does not filter viruses, as you mentioned in the video. A difficult decision.

Hi Wade, as i was traffeling sweden a few years ago i was using a sawyer mini. I soon replaced the plasticbag trough a plasticbottle. It worked out very well in this modification. Honestly i was a little worried about the system because of the potential moist inside. I asked myself how long the dryingprocess inside will take and if there could emerge mould inside. Anyways, if i would use it again after a long period of time i would try to smell the inside for sure. Thanks Wade, it was a very interesting comparison. By the way, i neeed my heavy metal every day 😁🤘

Sawyer vs Katadyn - the problem with the Katadyn is, if the filter seizes in the field, you can’t back-flush it. Really, you’re sort of in a pinch until you can get home and clean it properly. The Sawyer can be field serviced with the included syringe. Also, that 42mm thread on the Katadyn bladder is very unique, as you mentioned. Better to take a back-up bladder, which aren’t cheap or easy to come by. The bladder is the weak part of both systems, as the system is useless without one, so pack a backup. With the Sawyer though, the 28mm thread means a stop at the gas station and for a SmartWater or AquaFina bottle will give you a backup. Use it as an extra clean water canteen, assuming the bladder doesn’t fail. That’s a lot cheaper than buying another custom. You mentioned Sawyer bladders being hard to fill. Blow some air into the bladder before putting it into the water.

Grayle, add a small eye in outer bottle to attach a string so it can be lowered down a bank into the water. Any water source 30 inches down a bank is out of reach. Mfg the plastic thing in what's left of Amerika and I'll pay the 3 prices. I've seen the filter work, just needs a little tweak.

Hi Wade, If you get a chance check out the Lifesaver Liberty. Made in the UK and built to military grade. Will purify the foulest of water and has a 5 foot scavenger hose so water can be sourced more easily from inconvenient places. Fits water carriers like the Nalgene bottles for filling purposes. They also produce a Liberty Cube, which holds 5 litres and is bomb proof. Love your work. Cheers from Northern Ireland. Johnny.

🇨🇦 I’m not too worried about the water here and where I backpack. Befree is my go-to.

You don’t really need to worry about viruses in Canada. Metals and pesticides could be an issue though. The sayer (?) sounds interesting though, because of the ability to use as a gravity, or just to fill a bottle on the go. I guess there are other bags that could be used as a water bottle of sorts too? And I believe those carbon fibre ones are susceptible to breakage from falls or freezing, right? I’m still using the MSR mini works. It’s terribly heavy, and labour intensive, but it’s always been reliable, and to be honest, I’ve had some health and personal issues, so I haven’t really been out except for a little hunting in years, but I’m hoping to change that soon.

In the first world, viruses are usually only an issue if there is a lot of livestock using the same source. One approach is to carry some purification tabs to supplement your Sawyer or Katadyn, but only use them when the source is iffy. Personally I don't like the idea of using the chlorine on a regular basis - can't be good for the gut flora!

Wonder if any of these filters remove PFAS

So what I got from your video is. Pick the sawyer or the Katahdin. Once you use one of those. Put that water in the Grayl to get the heavy metals out. Now you should have perfectly clean water.

Another opinion on the Grayl please: I am a 70+ female, partime outdoors person. All of the videos I watch show a male pressing the dirty water through the filtration system with what appears to be a lot of force. Is this something that should be of concern in my situation? Thanks for any additional thoughts.

The popular water filtration systems do not purify your water so unless you have a method to do that, you cannot really be sure if your water is pure. Oh you might get by now, but what happens in a SHTF or TEOTWAWKI event or a flood or emergency where your local community might discharge sewage into local waters?

Thanks for your very informative analysis of three options. I had already bought the Katadyn BeFree and used it on various travels sourcing my water from hotel taps in foreign countries to water in a ditch when I ran out. All good - I'm alive! One question that I have not found an answer for, however, is ideal storage between trips. My Katadyn got mould on the inside that I tried cleaning up with a vinegar solution. I thought I would be the guinea pig and try using it, but before I did, I filled it with water and left it while I went on a short trip where I wouldn't need it. When I came back there was algae growing in the bottle! Now I read that you shouldn't store with water in it or algae will form. Wish I had read that before! So is the answer to my storage question, store dry with the cap off? And second question, will it be safe to use if I clean the mould and algae out of the bottle using vinegar or bleach/chlorine?

don't mind the squeeze, but I tend to use a smart water bottle instead of those lousy bags...my be free is the ticket unless it's cold...can't let any of those filters freeze...

Grayl

Big difference between a water purifier and a water filter. Buy the grayl. Your body will thank you.

What that is? I don't know. 😭😭😭

A key question is how concerned should one be about viruses in backcountry water sources. If yes, then the Grayl is the only way to go. Otherwise, it is a more difficult comparison.

wind noise is v distracting…

Good content, really poor microphone.

You say each of these filters remove X% this and takes out that, but nowhere in your video do you cite independent evidence backing any of those claims. You're just repeating marketing claims you found on the box, and we all know what they're worth. It's better to say "the company claim X" rather than suggesting it as a an undemonstrated definitive.