Platypus recommends backflushing a quarter-liter for every six liters filtered at a minimum. This pushes clean water backwards through the Quickdraw, washing detritus back the way it came. The more effective option is to backflush the filter by holding a bottle of clean water to the filter output and giving it a good squeeze. In practice, I found this easy enough to do regularly, but not useful in noticeably restoring flow rate. This splashing dislodges some of the grit built up on the exposed filter fibers. Put a quarter-liter of water in the dirty reservoir and shake it all up for 30 seconds. The easiest, yet least effective is the slosh method. Multi-cleaning: There are two ways to clean the filter - no accessories needed - which is required to maintain anything close to an acceptable flow rate. A steady stream of bubbles indicates a compromised filter, in which case it should be trashed. Next, flip the filter up and squeeze air through. Put half a liter of water in the reservoir and squeeze some through to wet out the fibers. A few simple steps are all it takes to do a filter integrity test. Platypus has developed a solution to this conundrum. At worst, a maybe-frozen filter turns into weeks of horrendous diarrhea and then shelling out $40 for a new filter. Worse yet, there is usually no way of knowing if the filter function has been compromised.Īt best, (for responsible people) a maybe-frozen filter means shelling out ~$40 for a new filter. This is not a problem during the height of summer, but it’s potentially significant during shoulder seasons or at high altitude. However, a major drawback is that these filters can be damaged if frozen or dropped. If there is not a stream of bubbles during the filter integrity check, the filter is good to go.įilter integrity check: Hollow fiber filter technology has become the standard in the North American backcountry for its low weight and compact design. Many gallons later, I think I have my answer. I eagerly snatched up the latest and greatest squeeze-style filter to see if I finally (finally) found the ultimate compact, lightweight water filter. The allure of dropping six ounces from my base weight ahead of the Sierra High Route was too much to push aside. That is, until this summer-when Platypus introduced a new contender in the squeeze filter category.Įnter the Platypus Quickdraw. At the cost of half a pound, I moved to a gravity filter system and looked forward to living the good life.Īside from a doomed return to squeezing with the Micro Squeeze for part of the CDT, after which I again vowed, “never again,” I’ve been gravity all the way. However, at hike’s conclusion, I hid my Squeeze away, vowing, “never again.” I was fed up with the leaking pouches, slow flow rate, and Herculean grip required to produce each drop. That little filter chugged along for four months, keeping me hydrated and safe from microscopic boogymen. That journey brought me through chemical drops and UV lights before I found the Sawyer Squeeze ahead of my 2015 PCT thru-hike. Ever since my days of using a bulky pump filter in the Boy Scouts, I’ve been searching for a way to turn nasty water into yummy water with as little effort as possible. Besides packing up a wet tent, filtering water has always been my least favorite backpacking chore.
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