My water filter busted 3 miles into a hike in the Sierra Nevada last month

I was out on the Rae Lakes Loop trail, just past the first creek crossing, when I went to pump some water and the handle snapped clean off. It was one of those plastic-handled gravity filters, not even a year old. The little rubber gasket thing shot out into the stream and I couldn't find it. I had to turn around and hike back 3 miles to the car without any water because I only brought one bottle. Lesson learned - now I carry a backup Sawyer squeeze in my pack. Has anyone else had a filter fail on them mid-route? What do you do for backup filtration?

2 comments

2 Comments

evangarcia7d ago

Man that's rough, I feel for you... I had a Katadyn hose crack on me right at dusk near Bishop Creek last summer and it was the same kind of panic, realizing how screwed you are without clean water. It's a sick feeling having to turn back when you know the good camping spots are just ahead. I started carrying those little chlorine dioxide tablets as a backup, they weigh nothing and at least get you through if your main filter craps out.

jason_kelly87d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah chlorine tablets taste awful but they'll save your trip every time.