Everyone says you need a fancy filter for creek water, my squeeze bag clogged anyway on the Eagle Rock loop

Wade Wells · 2026-10-30T14:10:06.51451+00:00

Two weekends ago I was three days into the Eagle Rock Loop in Arkansas and my squeeze filter plugged up after maybe four liters. I had been dunking the dirty bag right in the creek like everyone says to do. Turns out all the silt and clay in that water was packing into the hollow fibers, and no amount of backflushing in the field got it flowing again. I ended up boiling creek water in my pot the last night and a half, which tasted like dirt but nobody got sick. Now I think a plain bandana prefilter in front of the bag matters more than whatever filter you buy. Has anyone found a prefilter setup that actually holds up to muddy water?

Rigidtalk

Loading…

Everyone says you need a fancy filter for creek water, my squeeze bag clogged anyway on the Eagle Rock loop | Backpacking Routes - Rigidtalk