Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

As an avid backpacker, a good filter is an essential piece of gear. In my 30+ years of backpacking, I have always used the same type and brand of water filter. I was finally coaxed by a friend into purchasing the Sawyer mini just to try it out (lighter, no pump, etc), and I cannot express how much I regret allowing myself to be talked into trying it out. We used our standard pump filter for the entire trip with the exception of the first night when I thought I'd try the Sawyer mini out. As stated by other reviewers, the ease of use shown in the instructions is nothing like the actual functionality of the product. It was a pain keeping the o-ring and washer in without losing them. The bag creates a vacuum as soon as you dip it into the water, so filling is almost impossible. The best thing is that only my canteen was filled (once - took forever), and nobody else in our group used it. The bad thing is that I now am being treated for giardia. All instructions were followed exactly, but this filter worked so poorly that I may as well have drunk straight from the river. And now that the return window has passed, I don't even get my money back from the two filters I purchased (not to mention the hundreds of $ in medical bills and lost work). If you're looking for a good filter to protect you from bacteria, parasites, etc. KEEP LOOKING because this is not the filter you're looking for!