That $50 water filter I bought on a whim ended up saving my trip on the PCT last summer

I was doing a section of the Pacific Crest Trail near Mount Hood and had this cheap plastic pump filter that straight up cracked on day two. Luckily I had tossed a $50 Sawyer Squeeze in my pack at the last minute, thinking it was just extra weight. That thing filtered like 20 gallons over the next four days without a single clog, and I didn't get giardia or anything nasty. My buddy had to boil all his water because his filter failed and he was so jealous he ordered one on the spot when we got signal. Has anyone else had a piece of gear you almost left behind turn out to be a lifesaver?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_adams681mo ago

I gotta call this out. "Life or death" over a water filter? You were on a well traveled section of the PCT near Mount Hood, not solo in the middle of nowhere. Worst case you boil water like your buddy did, which is annoying but not exactly a crisis. I've used a Sawyer Squeeze for years and yeah they work fine, but let's not act like you would have died without it.

mary_martin2227d ago

Ngl, I think you're missing the bigger picture here. It's not about whether boiling water is a back up or not. It's about how that filter changed the whole vibe of the trip for him and his buddy. Having to stop and boil every time you want water, plus carrying extra fuel, it eats up time and energy. On a long day if you're already tired, that extra hour of boiling and cooling can mess with your mileage and morale. Nobody's saying he would have died, but a trip can feel way different if you're constantly dealing with a hassle versus just filtering and moving on.