Diercon and Sawyer Water Bottle Filters
Clean drinking water is a crucial part of your camping and hiking checklist. When you travel, you need to make sure that you can access clean water wherever you are. Now, water is easy to access if you are staying in a caravan park or established camping area, but for many of you, who like to get off the beaten track, you do need to think about your water supply.
Those of you who backpack, know all about weight and how carrying extra water certainly does add to your load, and you are probably always trying to minimise what you have to carry, and still be well hydrated. Even if you are not hiking, clean drinking water at many places around Australia is not always easily sourced. Many National Parks have water available - but it needs to be sterilised prior to drinking.
But how to get this safe drinking water?
There are many options for sterilising water and making it safe to drink. We have used many methods, and over time we are finding what works well for us, and what is a bit cumbersome or just not practical for where we are sourcing the water from.
Recently, we have been keen to review the water bottle filter options available in the marketplace, and a sector that is growing in popularity as filtration methods become easier, but more effective. The reviewed bottles listed here are standard water bottles that most people have for excercising or in their backpack, but with water filter cartridges designed to filter out bacteria, protozoa, or cysts like E. coli, Giardia and similar.
The water bottle filters we are discussing in this review are not the same as the water filter bottle systems sold in supermarkets, which are NOT designed for that level of filtration.
In our review, we look at the Sawyer Personal Water Bottle with Filter and the DierconPB01M - Water Filter Bottle Purifier, which are bottles that require to simply, fill the water bottle, and then drink via the straw.
Sawyer Personal Water Bottle with Filter
The Sawyer personal water bottle is aimed at campers and hikers that need fresh drinkable water on the go. It's perfect where water is plentiful and you don't need to carry a lot of water between water sources.
PROS
- 0.1 Micron absolute hollow fiber membrane inline filter
- Polypropylene and polyethylene material is easily field maintainable
- No residual chemical tastes
- Comes with manufacture's 1 million gallon guarantee. Unless you lose or break it, it should be the last filter you need.
- 0.1 Micron absolute hollow fiber membrane inline filter with 63mm cap, 34-oz BPA free water bottle, backwash syringe, 2 replacement straws and instructions
- Filter removes 99.99999% of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera and E.coli; removes 99.9999% of all protozoa, such as giardia and cryptosporidium
- Easy to use and drink from, with a flow fast enough for most peoples needs.
- Filter can be re-tasked in a gravity system to satisfy the filtering needs of groups
- Has a 1 litre bottle which will hold enough for most activities in cooler weather or when water sources are readily available
CONS
- Filter can be damaged and become unreliable if frozen or takes a heavy knock
- Doesn't do much to improve the taste of the water.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This is a water filtration that would meet all the needs of those who do ultralight camping/hiking, backpacking and any outdoors activity.
- Manufacturer has provided all relevant information and spare parts in the purchased package, to ensure the consumer has everything they need
- Good capacity at 1 litre
- Suit those who require larger amounts of water to be hydrated
We have previously reviewed another filter by Sawyer - the Squeeze Filter - which is not as portable when hiking, but suitable for all other sorts of camping. Read that review here
Diercon PB01M Water Filter Bottle
This water bottle is part of a range of water filtration systems from the Chinese manufacturer Diercon, though the products are shipped from Australia. This water bottle is designed for those of you who are worried about the taste and safety of water when outdoors, and not near a safe water source.
PROS
- It looks pretty cool
- Filters out most of the bacteria you'll encounter when out and about in Oz or travelling abroad
- Effective at eliminating bacteria, protozoa, cysts, algae, spores, sediment and reducing viruses in combination with particles greater than 0.01 - 0.01 micron (note: Australia does not have any viruses in our water).
- First part of the filter cartridge removes residual chlorine, improves taste and odor, and avoids the damage of carcinogens such as trihalomethanes, inhibits and eliminates the growth and reproduction of microorganisms. The second filter within the cartridge filters out aforementioned bacteria etc.
- The water bottle feels sturdy. It should last a long time and I have confidence the filter wouldn't be damaged if the bottle is dropped
- According to the supplier the filter can be back flushed to extend filter life when it becomes clogged (information of lifespan of the filter unavailable on website at time of writing).
CONS
- Because of all the filtering this thing does, it's not easy to suck a lot of water through the straw. Although squeezing the bottle at the same time does help.
- It takes a while to get the filter working smoothly again once the water in the bottle is depleted.
- The filter goes all the way to the bottom of the bottle which is both good and bad. It's good because you can get all of the water. It's not so good because if there's any sediment in the bottle, it'll clog the filter at least a little.
- No instructions or tools for back flushing are included in the box (nor syringe, but website will provide details on how to do this)
OVERALL THOUGHTS
This is a great looking bottle that does the job of filtering water while improving the taste and should last a long time.
It's for people on the go who
- care about how the water tastes
- care about how safe it is to drink.
- don't care the the filters need replacing every year or so
- don't need a large capacity bottle
- are a sipper and not a guzzler
Image source: www.diercon.net.au
Prices & Availability
The Diercon water bottle retails for $61.99 with free shipping. Purchase details here
Note: The Diercon water bottle was gifted to us for the purpose of this review.