Sawyer Mini Filter (kit with 0.5 L pouch, straw and syringe)

What it removes from water, and how well that is proved. 8: Clearly better than most.

0.1 µm hollow-fibre membrane. Sawyer's published Mini report (16 December 2013) challenged three filters with USEPA-approved surrogates for bacteria, Cryptosporidium and Giardia, using the USEPA 1987 protocol's test water #3, and says the Mini meets the USEPA standard for bacteria. Bacteria and protozoa with a published report, no virus claim, so 4.

How fast clean water comes through when it is new. Real flow drops as it clogs: see Ease of use. 5: Does the job. Average for wild-camping gear.

Estimate from maker's specs

How much it adds to your pack. 8: Clearly better than most.

97 g for the complete kit (filter, 0.5 L pouch, straw and syringe), itemised by Ultralight Outdoor Gear (filter 43 g, pouch 22 g, syringe 30 g, straw 2 g). OutdoorGearLab weighed the kit at about 105 g and the filter alone at about 51 g, and Sawyer's retail weight of 140 g is a boxed shipping weight. Every kit figure falls in the 90–149 g band, so the score does not depend on which is right; the filter alone would be a 5.

Filling, squeezing or pumping effort, how fast it clogs in peaty or silty water, and how easy it is to clean. 6: A bit better than average.

Simple to use but slow. OutdoorGearLab (2019) rates it 7/10 to set up and 4/10 to filter: the narrow outlet is hard work and it clogs in silty water. Oscar Hikes found about 2 minutes per litre at best, falling to 5 minutes per litre after six months until he soaked it in hot water and vinegar. I'd Rather Be Hiking says it clogs after a day or two without backflushing. Backpacker Luke filtered 710 ml in 59 s against 43 s for the Squeeze. It needs the syringe for backflushing.