When it comes to water filters, there are quite a few options to choose from. Gravity filters, pump filters, straws, and squeezes; many brands offer many different options and depending on the scenario, they can all be useful. But I’m partial to Sawyer, and I’ll get into why in this review.
They have three filter options: the Sawyer Squeeze, the Sawyer MINI, and the Sawyer Micro Squeeze, and I’ll break down the specs and pros/cons of each below.
Note: I tested all three filters for flow rate. If you want to skip to that part, click here. I’ve also included a full table of just the stats, including efficiency.
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Sawyer Squeeze vs. Micro Vs. MINI
First, I need to clear up some confusion. There are quite a few “water filtration products” offered from Sawyer, but they all rely on one of three filters. They are, confusingly enough, called the Squeeze, the MINI, and the Micro Squeeze (they also have the “Select” systems, which are designed to remove heavy metals, pesticides, and chemicals, but I won’t get into those here).
All of these filters are designed to be screwed on to water bottles or bladders (via 28mm threads; the same as a SmartWater bottle or CNOC Vecto) and “squeezed” to filter the water through into whatever container you want. Every option also has these filter specs:
- .1 micron absolute filtration (no pores larger than .1 microns)
- Filters 99.99999% of bacteria (salmonella, leptospirosis, cholera, E. coli)
- Filters 99.9999% of protozoa (giardia and cryptosporidium)
- Filters 100% of microplastics
What this means is that with any of these filters, you can be (nearly) 100% sure it’s going to do what you need it to do. But If you go to their website, they don’t make it very clear what the differences are, so I’ll break them down here.
Note about weights: I list dry and wet weight here. Dry weight is brand new out of box, or after drying for a long period of time. Wet weight is right after use, but being mostly blown out with air. I think this is the most realistic trail weight and likely the one Sawyer uses in their specs.
Sawyer Squeeze
The Sawyer Squeeze is the original Sawyer water filter. It’s been around the longest and it’s the biggest of the three, weighing in at 2.2 oz(63g) dry and 3.0 oz(85g) wet. For the full size Squeeze, Sawyer provides a lifetime warranty, and it’s designed with the widest variety of uses in mind; hiking, inline hydration packs, everyday use, and emergency prep.
It has a variety of kit options, which include things like bucket kits, faucet kits, gravity kits, and inline hydration kits. The regular version includes the filter, inline hydration pack adapters, a cleaning plunger, two 32oz water pouches, a gravity tube, and a mesh bag.
The Squeeze also has the fastest flow rate. Sawyer doesn’t doesn’t list flow rates (only that they vary), which is where I come in. I’ll get into all that below.
Sawyer MINI
The Sawyer MINI was the next filter Sawyer created. As you would imagine, it’s significantly smaller and weighs in at 1.35 oz (39g) dry and 1.75 oz (53g) wet. It’s only rated to 100,000 gallons (ha, “only”: if you drink a gallon a day, every day, that’s 273 years of use) and seems to be designed primarily for use as an inline hydration pack filter (which is the way I use it most often).
The hose connector points are longer, so you don’t need hose adapters, and the filter is much thinner in diameter than the traditional Squeeze. It also comes with a straw, a cleaning plunger, and one 16 oz water pouch. The MINI, as you might expect, has a much slower flow rate than the Squeeze.
Sawyer Micro Squeeze
The Sawyer Micro Squeeze is their newest filter. It weighs 1.65 ounces (47g) dry and 2.05 oz (58g) wet, which is closer to the MINI than the full size Squeeze.
It’s shape is also right in between the others, being quite a bit wider than the MINI but not as wide as the Squeeze . There are some of the same kit options as both the MINI and the Squeeze also, suggesting Sawyer intended this filter to be a kind of middle ground.
Included in the regular package is one 32 oz pouch, a cleaning plunger, a straw, a “cleaning coupling” and a spare gasket. It’s flow rate is almost exactly in the middle of the other two.
Review and Tests
First, the flow rate tests. I tested the filters brand new for flow rate by filling my 3 Liter CNOC Vecto bag (much better than the included water pouches, though heavier) and squeeze filtering until I had filtered two cups. I refilled the bag and did this 10 times for each, then took the average. This is to illustrate max flow rate and get a baseline for each filter.
This, of course, isn’t what you’ll see in the field. Water clarity and filter cleanliness will significantly affect the flow rate. The filters do perform differently in the field as well, though.
Accurate comparisons are pretty hard to achieve with variable water quality, but I have included my impressions on field performance in the review below. First, the baseline:
| Squeeze | Micro Squeeze | MINI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (wet) | 3.0 oz/85g | 2.05 oz/58g | 1.75oz/53g |
| Flow Rate (seconds/liter) | 29.2 | 43.5 | 60.3 |
More detailed stats in the table below
As you can see, at baseline the Squeeze is the fastest by about 15 seconds per liter. The Micro still performs well, coming in at 43.5 seconds per liter, and the MINI is another 17 seconds behind that at just over a minute per liter.
I’ve used these filters in varying conditions, and I think they’re generally great. They do their job relatively quickly and easily, and they’re versatile enough to use in just about any setup. Plus, cleaning is quick and easy as well. While I like all the filters, I think they satisfy the needs of 3 different types of people (or types of trips).
Sawyer MINI: Who It's Best For
First, the MINI. The MINI is for gram counters who will primarily use it as an inline filter in very clear water conditions, such as what you often find in the high alpine. It’s best for inline filtering because of its thin shape and hose hookup design. But I have used it in average to pretty good water conditions and found myself backflushing a couple times (sometimes more) per day, which very quickly becomes annoying.
With very clear water, the flow rate is plenty high enough to not be a big deal, especially when used inline, but if water conditions are marginal it’s advantages over either of the other options are not substantial enough. Ultimately this means I almost never use it.
Bottom line: After the introduction of the Micro Squeeze, the MINI satisfies a fairly small niche, and most people will want one of the other two options.
Micro Squeeze: Who It's Best For
Next, the Micro. It’s a big improvement over the MINI in terms of flow rate (about 30% faster) and is only .3 oz (or 17%) heavier when wet. It can also be used inline easily, and is miles ahead of the MINI when it comes to need for cleaning.
I’ve found that it needs to be cleaned far less frequently than the MINI in average water conditions (not very specific, but what can ya do), so I think for most people and situations it effectively replaces the MINI.
Bottom line: The Micro Squeeze is a great filter for 1 person in average water conditions.
Sawyer Squeeze: Who It's Best For
Last, the Squeeze. At 3oz wet it’s 46% heavier than the Micro and about 33% faster, so the increase in flow rate per increased ounce isn’t as much as the Micro over the MINI. But it feels a lot faster, and performs the best by far in less than ideal water conditions.
The 1 oz saved is probably going to be enough for many solo hikers to choose the Micro, but for groups, cloudy water, or those who get easily annoyed by time spent filtering (me), the full size Sawyer Squeeze still has a solid place in the lineup.
Bottom line: The Squeeze is the fastest filter and requires the least cleaning. It's great for more than one hiker or those who are okay with a little extra weight to get more speed.
Extra Stats
| Squeeze | Micro Squeeze | MINI | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weight (wet) | 3.0 oz/85g | 2.05 oz/58g | 1.75oz/53g |
| Weight (dry) | 2.2 oz/62g | 1.65 oz/47g | 1.35 oz/39g |
| Flow Rate (seconds/liter) | 29.2 | 43.5 | 60.3 |
| Time to filter 1 gallon | 1.87 min | 2.75 min | 3.80 min |
| Efficiency (flowrate:weight) | 4.0 | 3.9 | 3.1 |
All items tested in this review were purchased by me.
Wrap up and Recommendation
Overall I love Sawyer water filters, and they’ll always have a place in my kit (and they've made great gifts for the new backpackers in my life). Alyssa and I now primarily use the Squeeze, and I have no complaints with it. If I’m by myself I’m going with the Micro, because it’s lighter and I can go inline, eliminating much of the need for squeeze filtering. And I keep the MINI around for long day hikes where cleaning in the field won’t be necessary.
Something to add? Let me know in the comments!
