[pct-l] Sawyer mini water filter

[Brian Watt]

Brian,
Not to be a downer, but...
I started with the Sawyer mini and 16 oz. squeeze bottle [and syringe]. 
After a while (even with backflushing) it was taking 6-7 minutes to 
filter 0.7L into a SmartWater bottle. Also the squeeze bottles tend to 
split open near the top after about 400 miles of use and I was ever so 
careful with it. After two squeeze bags failed I switched to a 1L 
Pepsi/Desani plastic bottle in Belden (dug through the Braaten's garbage 
and pulled it out). I really liked the rigid bottle much more than the 
squeeze bottle. By the time I got to Sisters I was dreading using the 
mini, and was more and more just drinking directly from sources (water 
roulette). In Timberline I got a regular size Sawyer Squeeze sent from 
home, and a new 1L Desani plastic bottle, which was great and I used 
that combo for the rest of the trail. If I had to do it over again, I'd 
get a regular size Sawyer Squeeze filter (accept the additional weight), 
toss the squeeze bottle, and use a 1L plastic bottle as my dirty bottle.
Sincerely, Tartan PCT 2014
P.S. I'm a guzzler so I like to just drink and gulp water, especially 
mixed with Crystal Light Lemonade - Yum!, so using the filter inline was 
not an option for me.