Personal Water Bottle Filter

I recently received my Sawyer Products SP140 Personal Water Bottle with Filter.First the overall volume is listed at 1 liter ~ 33.8 oz. However, the actual volume of water you can put into the bottle with the filter is less than that. My initial guess was around 7-9 oz of water displacement from the filter. After a simple yet effective experiment, I determined that the actual displacement of placing the filter into the bottle is around 4 oz. With that to consider you can fill the bottle with approximately 30 oz of water. Considering the important job that the filter performs (filtering out any water borne contaminants from the water you're placing in the bottle) I'm not going to count that as a negative on the review, but I did want to state that for the record.Overall use of this product is simple. First fill the bottle up to the first neck then insert filter and screw cap on. It's not that complicated. There's almost no assembly needed, just slip the drinking tube on the cap and you're ready to go. You also get a few replacement drinking tubes. The cleaning plunger and cleaning/maintenance instructions are also included. They are simple to read and understand for any individual. This is huge because this filter is designed to last almost indefinitely with proper care and servicing. So follow these instructions closely and you'll be using this filter for a long time! I've been using it with my tap water here in Bryan, TX. We are known for not very good tasting tap water as most municipalities are. The filter does make the water much more palatable which completely negates my need for a Brita, Pur, ZeroWater or similar home water filter unit saving me much needed funds. I've been using this water bottle non-stop without cleaning or servicing with tap water for over a week and I have not had any issues with flow.Now for your B.O.B. (Bug Out Bag), personal survival kit, home disaster kit needs:First this bottle can provide a good amount of water for one or two persons comfortably on a daily basis. The negative space inside the bottle can provide additional storage of small items that you need to keep secure and dry such as: matches, batteries, water purification tablets, additional medical kit items like bandages, etc, lighters, fire steel rods/magnesium fire starter blocks, tinder, note taking or journal making items, printed materials like maps or basic instructions for shelters, etc. So you can see that this item would make a great addition to your B.O.B., etcKEEP IN MIND THAT THIS FILTER IS A BIOLOGICAL WATER FILTER ONLY! IT IS NOT DESIGNED TO FILTER OUT ANY NUCLEAR OR CHEMICAL COMPOUND CONTAMINANTS, ESPECIALLY COMPOUNDS THAT ARE WATER SOLUBLE! This filter will only filter out biological water contaminants and well as solid particulates. The solid particulates in the water WILL CLOG this filter. The 0.1 micron rated filter will clog if large particles are present in the water prior to drinking. So if you are filling this with "river water" for example, you will not get the clean water you think you are getting. So use a little common sense. If you are not equipped to 'pre-filter' your water, or treat the water for nuclear or chemical compounds (If you suspect that they are present) then you're going to lose the battle with dehydration. If you do not understand what I'm saying then get online and research the topic ASAP. With that being said, this filter has high ratings and Sawyer Products is one company that I would trust with my future health and survival.I hope this review was helpful and insightful, please feel free to comment with any additional info, questions, etc.

works very well. this is a must have item, thanks

I bought this for a boundary waters canoeing trip. I have since taken it on several other camping and canoeing trips. It is so incredibly convenient. I was worried that the flow would be too restrictive. It isn't. I haven't had to back flush the filter at all while on a trip. It had sustained flow to last my entire week long camping trips. After I return home, I simply follow the storage care directions. The bottle is then ready for the next trip.I read a lot of reviews prior to purchasing this particular bottle. I was considering the Grayl Legend or a Life Straw as alternatives. I opted against the life straw based on the level of filtration. The Sawyer is 0.1 micron and the Life Straw bottle is 0.2 micron. The Grayl does offer a filter that is capable of filtering down to the size of viruses. That was a strong point, but most of my travels are in areas where the water has more of a bacterial and protozoa concerns. The Grayl also looks sharp. If you want to be that guy or gal who has the best looking bottle, The Grayl beats them all hands down. It does however have one big drawback. The Grayl didn't list the ability to back flush the filter. Without the ability to back flush, the absolute filtration will plug up over time. The trail filter runs ~ $20 and the travel filter runs ~$40. While I would most likely have a backup filter anyways, I would much rather refresh the filter rather than toss it and have to put a new one in.Sawyer was the way to go for me. I love not having to carry the extra weight of fresh water, and having the confidence to know that I am not going to get sick.

Garbage. The straw that comes with it does NOT fit into the hole in the cap. After struggling with it for a while I even tried pushing it through the hole with a screw driver and then tried to pull it the rest of the way with pliers. The fit was still so tight that the straw ripped rather than go any further up when pulling on it with the pliers.The parts were made to the wrong spec. Simple as that. We are supposed to trust this company with our health and lives when they can't manufacture a straw the right size? Something is very wrong here.