That $60 water filter I bought in Flagstaff almost killed my trip

Last month I did a 4 day stretch on the Arizona Trail. I grabbed one of those cheaper squeeze filters at a gear shop in Flagstaff because my usual one broke. First day it clogged on some silty creek water and I spent 3 hours trying to backflush it. Ended up boiling water over a fire for 2 days just to stay safe. Next time I'm spending the extra $40 for a gravity setup or at least testing it before I hit the trail. Anyone else get burned by a new filter they didn't try first?

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patricia_wells16d agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, that's the worst. Bought a cheap inline filter once for a weekend trip and it turned creek water into a brown sludge on day one, so I feel your pain. Now I always run a liter of muddy water through any new filter in my driveway before it ever sees a trailhead.