Question 1

could i use this to safely drink water from any stream / river etc?

Accepted Answer

This is a dubious question to answer, and requires careful clarifications.There are water sources that simply cannot be drank, regardless of the filter. Moreover, there are some water sources that cannot even be drank after boiling.Now, you can usually tell just by smell whether or not a water source can even be considered as a drinking source. The worst will even have corpses of animals either floating within, or close to the edge.Such water sources should be avoided at all costs, as there is no reliable way to know in the field whether or not the water can be made safe to drink by either filtration or boiling.What i'm saying here is that you need to exercise caution and good judgement before drinking from a source.Now, I know of only a few water sources in the UK from which nobody could ever drink... and I get around a lot!Rivers by and large are fairly safe... especially fish-bearing waters. Likewise, a lake containing fish is likely to be cleanable.I use my Sawyer Mini on moving water sources with no additional cleaning (no boiling). Likewise, I only bother filtering rainwater collected from puddles.Ponds and lakes, depending on the smell, clarity of the water, presence of life and absence of corpses, I often drink just filtered.If I have even the slightest doubt, I filter first, then boil (60 seconds at a rolling boil will kill any harmful viruses that the Sawyer couldn't remove)I use my Sawyer literally every day, and I have never been sick as a consequence of that.Confidence comes with experience... so just remember: if in doubt, boil. If it smells like death, don't even consider it.

Question 2

does it filter out chemicals?

Accepted Answer

No, it does not, and neither will other manufacturers filters in the field. Most portable filtration units, while making claims to, can only perform in laboratory conditions and not in real world use. Look on the Sawyer website at the FAQs, all the info is there.

Question 3

Will i need to clean or replace any parts i;e filters that are used to collect contaminants?

Accepted Answer

The filters are good for 100,000 litres/gallons (can't remember which). So all you need to do is backflush your filter with clean water to clean the filter. I do mine once a day when using it unless it is particularly dirty water then I do it every time I use it.

Question 4

Is sucking essential, or is it possible to squeeze through the water from the input side?    Thank you for any response.  God bless you.

Accepted Answer

If you connect the filter to either a) the squeeze pouch that is included with the kit or b) virtually any standard mineral water or fizzy drink bottle you can squeeze the water directly into your mouth or another container. I use method (b) to fill my sigg and wide mouth cycling bottles. It is my filter of choice for long distance cycle touring. I hope this helps. Best MarkPs 1 tip - don't let it freeze - esp with water in it.

Color	Blue & Green
Size	2-Pack
Item display length	8 inches
Weight	272 g
Material type	Plastic
Number of items	8
Number of pieces	5
Power source	Non electric
Features	Advanced Filtration
Batteries included?	No
Brand	Sawyer
Department	Men's
Manufacturer	Sawyer, Inc.
Item model number	SP2101
Product Dimensions	10.16 x 7.62 x 20.32 cm; 226.8 g
ASIN	B01CWFR92M

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SawyerProducts Mini Water Filtration System

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