HydroBlu Versa Flow Water Filter System

I didn't see many reviews by backpackers, so Let me see if I can help a bit.Used the sawyer mini for a couple of weeks, really did hate the flow rate. So went back to the sawyer squeeze.I ate up the extra oz, in benefit of a better flow rate. Which I love. But then I saw a couple of thru hikers reviewing this.So I ordered it, opened it, weight it dry and was 1.4 oz, and 1.8 wet (shaking all the water I could.)Then I did a test and tried to filter tab water to a 1.25 lt Aquafina water bottle.( I don't squeeze my bags, just gravity) tested them with evernew bags, The squeeze did it in 2 minutes 23 seconds, while this clocked at 2 min, 15 seconds, so it is a faster filter and lighter.Yes this has a shorter life span than either sawyer, but really???? Are you really going to filter even that much?The threads also work perfectly with platypuss bags. No leakage whatsoever vs any sawyer which will leak on platys.So far so good, the taste is a little hosey, which I like though I think by this weekend the hosey flavor should be gone.the back flushing is a little simpler, just use any clean water bottle with clean water and put it against the clean side, it will sort of create a seal with a rubberized part it has on the fron, and squeeze some water into that for a couple of times.. Works really well.It is slightly larger and bulkier than the mini.I will continue to use it almost every weekend I go backpacking. But will keep my squeeze just in case I have to back to it.Update: the hosey smell went away after a couple of litters.

This was advertised as being compatible with all water bottles. The pictures in other reviews are of a Versa Flow with threads on only one end. The one I received had threads on both. That WAS a selling point, but they apparently changed the thread pitch on the newer filter. It seems to fit a Coke bottle, but not Smart Water or a Platypus hydration pack or any other cheap water pouch out there. I was bummed that it didn't fit a bottle, but it seems a bit wonky to need to turn a bottle upside down every time I need a drink, then burp the air, then ignore the sloshing. I have mixed feelings. I really wanted to save weight and simplify my water setup. The flow rate is better than both Sawyers that I have though. I guess this will just have to be an inline filter or a poor man's gravity filter.On that note, maybe someone will benefit from this tip: I made a very functional gravity filter from a Bota wine bag by popping the valve out with a butter knife, punching a hole with a hot nail, dropping a threaded piece inside the bag, and screwing a matching threaded barb on from the outside. In the picture, I used leftover pieces of the 5 dollar sawyer quick release kit. You could probably hack a soda bottle for the inside piece and thread the filter straight onto the outside for an even lighter setup. As pictured with the clean water bag, it's 5.58oz (the green cup is tared on the scale). Minus the 3L clean water bag, you're looking at 3.62oz for a FREE gravity setup. Just use a Capri Sun bag or any similar collapsible pouch with the top cut off for a scoop. If you're using a hydration bladder, I recommend the Platypus style bags similar to the one pictured with a single fill port on top, and some hardware store 1/4"ID tubing. That way you can just set your pack down, pull the bite valve out, stick the filter on (or use the 5 dollar quick connect kit)(purge the air from the line as you set all of this up, and the 3 feet of elevation will be sufficient to drain the bag faster than you can fill it.

Not a whole lot to say, after reading the review by Spencer in Seattle, I was sold. I already own a couple sawyer mini filters, which I still swear by, but the bucket adaptor and the price being down to $10 at the time were serendipitous. Following the same process as Spencer, I made a 5 gallon bucket gravity filter to use in camp. The only thing was I had to use some Teflon thread tape because the threads leaked.UPDATE: After nearly a year, occasional use, it still works just fine. It may be slowing down, I'm not sure, but I have a flushing syringe for my Sawyer filter. It takes about 30 seconds for 8oz of water, but all you have to do is stand there. Filling a pot or kettle I set it down and come back in a couple minutes. Still very pleased with my purchase.

WAY better than a Sawyer Squeeze. We were so tired of repeatedly back-flushing our Sawyer (since it was so slow, even with using very clean water), that I was about to go back to our tried and true pump filter (Sweetwater). Then we saw a fellow hiker whip one of these babies out and filter very quickly. They are the same price and micron level of filter as the Sawyer, but go much faster. No issue at all with taste or clarity. This is our clear choice. Works with Platypus, Sawyer, Evernew or Smartwater bags or bottles. I don't roll up the bags ("bladder"). After filling them, I find a sloping rock to sit on, and put the bag under my thigh, with the end of the filter hanging down, so the water bottle can be held up to the filter. Then simple sitting pressure pushes the water through. It's much easier on the hands, and bags.

This is my 2nd Hydroblu Versa Flow. The new one is better designed but no longer fits Smart water bottles. You have to use a soda bottle instead. The new one has caps at both ends, so you don't have to worry about leaking if you take your filter into your sleeping bag at night, and a bottle will also screw into the clean end for back flushing without requiring a separate gadget.

Just used this as our only source of filtration and 2 of us just did a 20 day trip down a river. It filled hydration bags, filtered water for meals as well as drink for the entire trip. Low flow rate, gravity fed but no complaints.