![]() I approached the SHR with (probably unreasonably) high hopes for the Quickdraw. Good flow and easy squeezing at this point. Still smiling at the end of a long day on the SHR. Does the Quickdraw explode after exceeding that threshold? My guess is no, though I expect that the flow rate will be unbearably slow. That’s way less than the Sawyer Squeeze’s 1,000,000 liters, but still enough for a long thru-hike or two. With robust caps at both ends, one can sleep with confidence that the filter won’t leak.ġ,000 Liters: The Quickdraw is rated to 1,000 liters of filtered water. Sleeping with the filter in your sleeping bag or hiking with it in a jacket pocket is sometimes the only option to ensure that the filter does not freeze. While I scoffed at first, this unsexy feature is actually super useful when the temperature dips near freezing. ![]() Two caps: A screw cap on the input and flip cap on the output allow hikers to completely seal the Quickdraw after each use - no drips, no dirt. Platypus recommends backflushing a quarter-liter for every six liters filtered at a minimum. This pushes clean water backwards through the Quickdraw, washing detritus back the way it came. The more effective option is to backflush the filter by holding a bottle of clean water to the filter output and giving it a good squeeze. In practice, I found this easy enough to do regularly, but not useful in noticeably restoring flow rate. This splashing dislodges some of the grit built up on the exposed filter fibers. Put a quarter-liter of water in the dirty reservoir and shake it all up for 30 seconds. The easiest, yet least effective is the slosh method. Multi-cleaning: There are two ways to clean the filter - no accessories needed - which is required to maintain anything close to an acceptable flow rate. A steady stream of bubbles indicates a compromised filter, in which case it should be trashed. Next, flip the filter up and squeeze air through. Put half a liter of water in the reservoir and squeeze some through to wet out the fibers. A few simple steps are all it takes to do a filter integrity test. Platypus has developed a solution to this conundrum. At worst, a maybe-frozen filter turns into weeks of horrendous diarrhea and then shelling out $40 for a new filter. Many gallons later, I think I have my answer.Īt best, (for responsible people) a maybe-frozen filter means shelling out ~$40 for a new filter. I eagerly snatched up the latest and greatest squeeze-style filter to see if I finally (finally) found the ultimate compact, lightweight water filter. The allure of dropping six ounces from my base weight ahead of the Sierra High Route was too much to push aside. That is, until this summer-when Platypus introduced a new contender in the squeeze filter category.Įnter the Platypus Quickdraw. ![]() ![]() At the cost of half a pound, I moved to a gravity filter system and looked forward to living the good life.Īside from a doomed return to squeezing with the Micro Squeeze for part of the CDT, after which I again vowed, “never again,” I’ve been gravity all the way. However, at hike’s conclusion, I hid my Squeeze away, vowing, “never again.” I was fed up with the leaking pouches, slow flow rate, and Herculean grip required to produce each drop. That little filter chugged along for four months, keeping me hydrated and safe from microscopic boogymen. That journey brought me through chemical drops and UV lights before I found the Sawyer Squeeze ahead of my 2015 PCT thru-hike. Ever since my days of using a bulky pump filter in the Boy Scouts, I’ve been searching for a way to turn nasty water into yummy water with as little effort as possible. Besides packing up a wet tent, filtering water has always been my least favorite backpacking chore.
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