Adapting a Sawyer Mini Water Filter for Bucket Use

Appreciate the interest that has been shown regarding the Sawyer Mini Water Filter Bucket Kit. I have enjoyed using the Sawyer. It is simple to operate, reliable, and is a great value. The biggest drawback of the Sawyer is using it with multiple people. It can be done but you’re either all sucking on the same straw or using a lot of time and energy filling small bags or bottles with dirty water and squeezing through the filter. I figured there had to be a better way to use this great filter.

Enter: the Sawyer Bucket Kit.

This simple kit adapts the Sawyer for bucket use. Once a hole is drilled in the supply bucket the components are assembled(instructions included) – and then the Sawyer is attached. That’s it.

Currently, the needed drill bit is not included as I didn’t want to add the expense for something that people may have already. Regardless – any local Harbor Freight, Home Depot or Lowe’s carries the bit and of course Amazon.

Here is one of my most recent trials with the Sawyer Bucket Kit.

 

#1: Started with a bucket and threw in a bunch of dirt and added a couple gallons of water.

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#2: Used a towel as a pre-filter to remove the larger particles.

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#3: Towel caught a lot of crap. A finer pre-filter for capturing more of the larger particles would be suggested(coffee filters good for this).

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#4: Below is the water ready to go through the Sawyer.

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#5: Filtering operation in progress.

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#6: Close up of the stream of filtered water exiting the filter.

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#7:  This is what the non-filtered water looked like sitting in the bucket.

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#8: Filtered water is crystal clear.

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I was pretty happy with the results. I was interested in seeing how well the water flowed from the bucket through the Sawyer as well as what the water would look like afterward. I was not surprised that the water looked crystal clear after all that is what is supposed to happen. Flow rate was excellent at around 5-6 gallons an hour.

I drank the entire glass of filtered water and found it had no off-taste and tasted like….well…..water. Granted this test was dealing really with only sediment and suspended particles in water. I have no way of knowing about potential pathogens or bacteria but I am still alive so I consider the test a success.

Currently, the kit is priced at $10.99 with free shipping. This is an introductory rate and will likely go up to $12.00 which I think is still a bargain. A 2-pack is only $16.99. Add the Sawyer Mini Water Filter for less than $22 and a high volume filtration system can be put together for around $30. Not bad.

You can visit the 1776PatriotUSA Survival & Preparedness Store to order.

Thanks

Rourke

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