Sawyer Squeeze Review

The Squeeze is known for its versatility, reliability, and excellent flow rate. While it doesn't protect from heavy metals or viruses, it'll keep you safe on trips into the backcountry throughout the U.S. and Canada. Its lightweight nature and packability make it perfect for long, light backpacking trips. It takes questionable and smelly water and transforms it into delicious and refreshing hydration. Take it with you on your next trip, either as a backup emergency system for large groups or as your personal carry system.

Water Quality

Are you scared of contracting beaver fever? Have no fear; the Squeeze will keep you clear. This compact filtration system features a certified 0.1-micron absolute filtration system, capable of eliminating bacteria, E. coli, protozoa, and cysts from your drinking water. When used properly, the Squeeze should be sufficient in water sources throughout North America. Third-party water quality tests performed by SGS Labs revealed the Squeeze is capable of eliminating 99.9% of all bacteria and protozoa such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium. And while Sawyer doesn't advertise this filter as effective against viruses, our lab results revealed that it's capable of eliminating up to 78.6%. However, we don't recommend banking your next adventure on this number; just think of it as a nice bonus. If you know you'll be traveling through an area where you'll be exposed to viruses like Hepatitis A or Norovirus, look for a filter certified to remove viruses.

We did the majority of our testing on this filter while running and hiking in Colorado, Northern Ontario, and the High Sierra. All three are areas where we don't have to worry about contracting viruses in the water. After over 50 miles of foot travel in these environments, we remained hydrated and healthy, even when drawing water from questionable, turbid, and flowing sources.

This filtration system is ideal for this continent, as waterborne viruses are not a significant problem in North America. However, it is not a purification system, so it can't remove heavy metals or waterborne viruses, which can be problematic in countries where water quality isn't regulated. So, if you are traveling internationally or to an area where you know viruses and heavy metal contamination might be a problem, we can't recommend this system.

It's grand for everything else. It removes microplastics and works well for camping, hiking, backpacking, trail running, and other outdoor activities in the United States or Canada. Using the Squeeze improves water quality, turning dirty, contaminated, smelly water into pristine, drinkable water that tastes good.

Ease of Use

Setting up this filter is relatively easy. If you're looking for immediate filtration, attach the straw and suck up water directly from the source. Alternatively, fill your bag, attach the filter, and squeeze it into your BYO drinking vessel. Water access for this system requires you to be within arms reach of your pool or stream. Unlike a hand pump, where you can insert a hose into the water from a high bank, you need to either position your face close to the source for immediate filtration or place the bag of water directly into the source for collection. Overall, the setup is pretty straightforward. Setting up for both squeeze and immediate filtration typically took about thirty seconds.

We found that flowing water sources are the easiest to collect from, followed by lakes and ponds. Shallow, non-flowing sources are a little difficult to collect from using the bag system, as you need to be able to scoop it up from the source. In this case, you could use the straw to sip from it if needed, but that requires getting down on your belly to drink. The filtration rate on the trail is pretty amazing. Simply set up your system by collecting water, then squeezing it through the filter. The filtration process takes a little patience and a firm grip when using the bag system. Other than that, it's pretty darn easy. During our squeeze filtration tests, it took only about 40 seconds to filter one liter of water, which is significantly faster than other Sawyer products that are smaller, without the advantage of a higher surface area.

When filtering into a separate container, it's essential to find a level area with stable ground to place your vessel, ensuring it doesn't tip over. When the terrain is uneven, we put a bottle between our knees.

Durability and Maintenance

Reliability is critical considering that your chosen system will be your lifeline to clean water once you're deep in the backcountry. The Squeeze is a system with a few flaws, but when managed properly, it can provide the reliability needed in the long run. We love that one filter is projected to filter 100,000 gallons of water. For reference, this Sawyer Squeeze will theoretically filter 200x as much water as other top-performing filters before needing to be replaced.

But first, the bad news. The filter itself is constructed of a durable composite that'll easily withstand falls and drops, but it has many components that need to be carried with it. Aside from this minor inconvenience, the primary durability flaw that many online users have complained about is that the O-ring on the filter does not seal correctly after a few weeks on through-trails. The kit comes with an extra O-ring, and although we didn't personally experience this problem, we recommend carrying the backup in case it happens to you.

Previous iterations of the Sawyer Squeeze came with bags made from questionable plastic that were prone to punctures and had poor seams. A collaboration between CNOC and Sawyer largely addressed these issues with an upgraded bag that is far superior to Sawyer's original design. The CNOC system withstands long-term squeezing better and provides a more durable, puncture-resistant TPU material. Like any plastic bag system, punctures and pin-prick leaks can occur, but we feel much more confident taking the new Sawyer Squeeze system with us deep into the backcountry.

All filters require some level of maintenance and care, and the Squeeze is no exception. This system comes with a syringe to push dirty water back through the system if it gets clogged, also known as a backflush. If you are traveling in areas with silty or heavily contaminated water, the filter's flow rate will be compromised after a few uses, and the syringe needs to be carried (with all its component parts) so you can backflush the system each time you use it. This doesn't take long; simply load it onto the end and push air through the system to clean it up. Voilà… ready for the next squeeze.

Despite our previous comments, we think this is the most durable and easiest to maintain out of all the Sawyer systems out there. While it may seem like a lot, maintenance and durability issues are relatively easy to mitigate, especially when you are aware of the potential failure points before purchasing this product.

Treatment Time

Treatment time varies depending on how you use the Squeeze. There are several ways to collect and filter water, which adds to the versatility of this system, and all have different flow rates. Of all the Sawyer products we've tested, including the Micro and the Mini, the treatment time and flow rate are better, and quite frankly, pretty impressive for this type of system.

The first and most popular method for treating water is to collect it in the provided bag and squeeze it through the filter into another water bottle. In this form of filtration, we measured the flow rate by filling one of the provided bags with water and squeezing out one liter through the filter. After averaging the results of three separate tests, we found that this larger system filters one liter of water in approximately 40 seconds. This is relatively fast compared to the time it takes the smaller Sawyer products and hand pumps, but fairly average among squeeze products from other brands.

Another way to filter water is through direct consumption. Yep, that's right. You can use the pouch or a regular water bottle to collect the water, screw the filter onto the pouch, and drink right through it. Another option is to use the straw. Attach it to the bottom of the filter with the blue attachment cap, and then drink the water through the straw. While the flow rate isn't as fast as drinking directly from a bottle without a filter, this provides immediate water filtration, and you don't have to pack an extra bottle with you.

Weight and Packability

This system is quite packable for backpacking and hiking adventures. We used it as a backup group filter while backpacking three days into the Gunnison Gorge in Colorado. It doesn't weigh much, and all the components can easily fit into the nooks and crannies of your backpack.

There is some freedom in choosing which parts to bring with you on your adventures. The Squeeze comes equipped with a mesh bag, filter, extra O-ring, a syringe for backflushing, a straw, a straw adapter, and the included water storage bag. On a regular backpacking trip, we recommend bringing all the parts, including extras. You can omit the straw if you know you won't use it, but all parts of the system are about the size of a big salami sandwich when loaded into the mesh bag. Altogether, this weighs about 7.9 oz.

The filter itself is bigger than the other Sawyer filters tested, but it still fits nicely into any pack, whether it's a running vest or a backpacking bag. We typically stored it in the pack's lid to ensure we had easy access on longer trips. After a few weeks of use, we concluded that it is a lightweight and packable system designed for all types of recreation. Hiking, fishing, and backpacking are just a few activities where we could see this system coming in handy.

Should You Buy the Sawyer Squeeze?

Sawyer claims this filter will last a lifetime of water filtered, or at least that is in their warranty. If they uphold that warranty, this is an incredible lifetime value for a filter. It is reliable, and the total system is affordable, along with a more durable, improved bag system. The Sawyer Squeeze is one of the most comprehensive backpack water filter systems available.

What Other Backpacking Water Filters Should You Consider?