Ive recently purchased the Sawyer Squeeze. Im trying to figure out the best way to store the filter and bags at home after a trip. Ive tried emailing the company twice and havent heard anything back so I figured Id go to a more dependable source. Thanks for any and all info!

I've hung the bags upside down with a clothes pin, cap off

Just shook out the filter at arms length, large vigorous swing

Too bad you can't open it up to expose the filter element and it would dry better

Go to Walmart, buy any aquarium air pump and some of the clear hose for the pump.

At home, after treating the filter with a bleach mixture to kill any bacteria, etc, attach one end of then hose to the pump, and one to the filter. Plug in the pump. Leave it going for several weeks.

I'm not sure that it is a good idea to dry a microtube filter. Any scum on the surface would jut get hard and be more difficult to get off later.

I've found that you can't blow air through a wet filter. Best to lightly bleach some water and blow it back through the filter. Shake the excess water out and leave the filter wetted. As long as the ends aren't exposed (tape?) then the bleach will keep anything from growing while you store it.

Go on regular trips so you don't have to worry about drying it out?

When you get done with a hike do the following:
1: Backflush the filter to clean it out.
2: Park your car out in the sun with the windows down a crack.
3: Remove any end caps or hoses from the filter.
4: Place the filter one the floor of your car.

The backflush will remove any scum on the filter. Inside the car it will heat up to 110 to 120F and that will dry it out in 2 or 3 days. You do not want to store a wet filter in your house with the end caps or hoses attached. Dry it off first! Mold will grow in a wet filter on both the clean and dirty sides and could shorten the life of the filter. it alos might make you sick the next time you use it.

While you cannot blow through the filter (most peaple cannot generate eough pressure to do it) and aquarium pump can. and that will dry out the water in a couple of days.

I don't know the best way to store the filter as I don't have one but I have stored all my water bladders in the freezer for years. Clean them out, seal them and toss them in. They never grow anything in them.

I'm pretty sure freezing the Sawyer filter will destroy it. All those nasty ice crystals exploding the little tubules!

Sawyer says not to freeze their filters. Discard them if you do. The 0.1 (or 0.2) micron holes may get larger from ice crystals.

I would be tempted to just ignore that. If the holes get a little larger, who cares.

He was talking about freezing the bags not the filter.

I was referring to storing only the bag in the freezer. I don't have one of their filters so I have no idea if it is ok or not to freeze them.

Thanks for all the comments! I think I will try freezing the bags, I think that and hanging the bags would make the most sense. As far as the filter I guess bleaching and then storing upright. I still think it would be nice if sawyers "customer service" would get back to me.

Yes ... I, too, sent an inquiry to Sawyer, and they completely ignored it. Any review I may write of the device will be scored accordingly. Ignoring customers is not the way to attain their loyalty. One might make the assumption that they're struggling and can't afford to hire support staff. Or (though this doesn't make any sense) they simply don't care what their customers think, and don't care about addressing their concerns.

Edited by bheiser1 on 07/08/2012 17:35:12 MDT.

I sent Sawyer a quesion May 18 and they responded within a day

This is the person you want to contact for any question dealing with their products:

johntsmith@sawyerproducts.com

Printed on every Sawyer bag:

Edited by kent on 07/08/2012 18:53:57 MDT.

Thanks Kent for unraveling this mystery! I wish I could say that I posted the thread to test you. Either way thanks for the info!

Thanks kent. That information did not come with my new Sawyer 3 in 1 filter.