I spent 3 years carrying a water filter I barely used on the AT

I hiked about 400 miles of the Appalachian Trail before I realized I was wasting time and energy. I had this heavy pump filter that took forever to use, so I'd skip treating water from streams and just carry more from shelters. Then a guy at a campsite in Virginia showed me his simple squeeze bag setup. He filtered a liter in maybe 30 seconds flat while I was still pumping away. I switched to a Sawyer Squeeze the next week and cut my water break time in half. The kicker is I could have asked someone sooner but I thought my way was fine. Has anyone else had a gear habit that took way too long to break?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthony_lane5521d agoMost Upvoted

Man oh man, this hits close to home. I carried a heavy Katadyn Hiker for 600 miles before a thru-hiker laughed at me and showed me his Squeeze. I was so stubborn about "my system" that I ignored everyone telling me to switch. Bag filters changed my whole trail life, no contest.

avery_walker3019d ago

Wait, the Katadyn Hiker is a bottle filter, not a bag filter though, right? Pretty sure that's a pump style you're talking about.