How To: Sawyer Mini Mods! (Get the most bang for your buck!)

[@brianregan1914]

Just use the sport cap to backflush from a clean smart water bottle. Literally works with zero mods needed.

[@happyknife8785]

100%, all these mods and all you actually need is a smart water bottle, thats it.

[@classy2329]

youre keeping your back flush part on the dirty side of the filter which contaminates it so after you back flush it all those bacteria that were on the dirty side are now in the clean side making filtering pointless

[@twhite19782012]

A common suggestion by almost all reviewers of the sawyer water filters is to use the smart water bottle cap to back flush the filter,. This is simply a bad idea for the longevity of your filter. Sawyer recommends back flushing forcefully with the syringe because the pressure created by the syringe when used forcefully will knock out the channels of the fibers that have been clogged with nasties. If you don’t knock out those nasties especially the first couple uses, the flow rate will suffer and eventually be unusable. Those first couple uses, the clogged fibers if not forcefully backflushed with high pressure, will never return to the normal flow rate. Basically you will create a path of least resistance and unwillingly create a slower flow rate and ultimately a premature end of the filter life. Of course Sawyer is in the business of selling water filters so they don’t actively state this but they do mention it in some of their videos on you tube.

[@happyknife8785]

How about "using force" with the smart water bottle, not hard, works exactly the same as the syringe, you just need to have a full smart water bottle

[@vickig.4605]

Not sure I understand the purpose of the modified cap added to the end that already had a cap. Can you elaborate?

[@DaveSmith-cp5kj]

Just to store the output to bladder connector. It isn't a good idea though, because you are contaminating it.

[@andrewquayabdullah3064]

No laser or red dot sights?

[@1977Jole]

Maybe it's me but I don't get it. If you have a Smart water bottle with the sports cap you can use that to backflush. It fits perfectly over the sawyer and when done using the filter you don't want to close both ends and trap the water inside the sawyer.

[@JDGrayman]

Capping both ends is simply a way to keep your pockets, or your gear dry if you stick this in a backpack after using. Gravity will pull the water out, and get all your stuff wet. So the two caps is just a temporary thing. Once you get home, clean and dry properly. Of, if you are staying someplace overnight, be sure to drain the water as best you can once you get to camp. If the water inside freezes overnight, your filter membranes could be damaged. Hope that helps clear things up.

[@1977Jole]

JD Grayman when you have used the filter you can blow some of the water out before you put it in a ziplock bag. Then if it’s cold out you can have it in an inner pocket or Sleeping bag to keep it from freezing, because if it freezes the filter will definitely be ruined. And I would use the smartwater bottle to backflush to make a simpler setup.

[@1977Jole]

That’s at least how I do it, but thanks for sharing. It’s always nice to see how others use or mod gear to fit their needs.

[@ang8282]

finally someone else seen the need to use it as a life straw and drink directly from a lake with a tube, way to go its unbelievable no one complained about that ,

[@azclaimjumper]

I use a 1 QT FREEZER ziplock baggie, as is, to gather water from the lil trickle off the side of melting snowpack & then pour it into a Sawyer or Platypus plastic bag & start filtering. I also bought & use SCREW PROTECTOR (green 5/16" size from Home Depot) to cover the input nipple. I found their yellow 3/8" SCREW PROTECTOR to be a loose fit. I do like & intend to emulate your hack of the smart water bottle cutoff to put over the input nipple so I can screw in a Platypus or Sawyer bottle on the input end for a gravity feed water filtration system.

[@r.w.7232]

Nice idea oh, but you put WAY too much thought into this. You simply made it more complicated. No modifications are needed for the mini Sawyer. To keep water from falling back out the input side, simply plug it with a 5/16 screw thread protector. It's a cheap little piece of rubber that's available in any hardware store. No need for any modification on the output side either. The output port snaps inside of a smart water bottle nipple. Literally the only thing I take with me on the trail for water is a Smart water bottle or two, a Sawyer Mini (rubber thread protector on input end) and a CNOC water collection bag. For backflushing, the smart water bottle again well fit in the input port of the filter. Simply attach it and squeeze the bottle, in your backflushing is complete. That's it! There are no need for any of those modifications, no need to take all that extra stuff.

[@outback954]

So the back wash plunger takes up too much real estate but all your mods don't?

[@rhettoracle9679]

3/8 bolt protector caps fit unprotected ends, 3 for $1.80 at hardware store.

[@azclaimjumper]

That's what I bought & use for the input end. They're called SCREW PROTECTORS @ Home Depot. I bought the 3/8" & 5/16 sizes & found the 5/16 size was a better/tighter fit.

[@clifficus]

Great modifications, certainly gonna be doing some of them, But wait up, let me get this right, You buy 550 para cord to cut up into small pieces, just to pull out 1 strand to set fire to. Weird, don’t get that. But thanks for sharing

[@chanceadams5157]

8:35 talk about taking up a lot of real estate

[@theothersiderishere1142]

I'm not putting all that extra crap into my b.o.b. I thing u may have "over engineered" a minimized system. Props for creating ideas tho.

[@clevelandexplorer2221]

How do you reach water with the black hose one without the pump? :S from what I've gathered it makes no sense of course, defying gravity :z abaf did you mean buddy?

[@Misanti888]

Hi. Doesn't your hand water pump damage your sawyer filter in the long run since sawyer filters can handle only up to 20psi inflow?

[@Sirrehpotsirch]

I got the HF pump for this purpose. It depends on how hard you pump. A gentle pump pressure will keep the flow rate within the filter's inflow limit. Additionally, pumping too hard on the HF pump will cause water to seep around the internal o-ring, which will reduce the pressure on the filter. The pump, along with longer tubing, makes it much easier to draw water out of potentially inaccessible water sources.

[@Misanti888]

@@Sirrehpotsirch Noted with tnx. Stay blessed...☺️🙏

[@eddyg1794]

This guy is the McGyver of water filtration systems!

[@crypto_pinto2660]

I don't know how I feel about this video maybe the power cord I like and the 6-foot tube but as far as I'm concerned I saw a little cross-contamination and trap in the water in the filter with both ends capped off??? I don't know

[@arctodussimus6198]

Interesting... on not a fan of the huge plunger either. I like the way you got around it. For that, I have sub’d your channel 👍🏻

[@JDGrayman]

Thank you for subscribing. I appreciate it. I haven't made a video for a while, because I am healing from a broken leg. I will once I'm able to get around without crutches

[@friarrodneyburnap4336]

Well that is some good stuff...

[@giggadygoogog]

Thus guy would be a very happy plumber.

[@TomWelliver]

Interesting ideas, but now my head is spinning 😉

[@poly-wogbushcraft8643]

Need to show step by step an the recipe. I love it.

[@friarrodneyburnap4336]

A Hiker Pro is the way to go. . .it comes with a charcoal filter...

[@friarrodneyburnap4336]

You should make up these kits and sell them...

[@r.j.4950]

You need to turn your audio up, i can barly hear what your saying.

[@MrMarks777]

AWESOME! THANKS :)

[@JDGrayman]

No problem!

[@Jadegoodman15]

😳

[@mickytwoknives]

hahahahahahahahahaha you said nipple hahahahahahaha

[@tobythesecond1713]

This is a prime example of why unqualified people should not publish content on the internet. Using contaminated parts from the inlet side to back-flush from the outlet side poses the risk for bacteria to bypass the filter and should never be done. Secondly, obstructing the housing of the filter to the point that even you yourself confuse inlet from outlet is a desaster that is just waiting to happen. Please do the right thing an take this video down before you spread those terrible ideas even further.

[@johnleslie2507]

Nal-a-jean. Is how it is pronounced.