How to Store a Water Filter Between Backpacking Seasons
After our first backpacking season, my daughter—who is the most experienced among us and our overall leader—cleaned our Sawyer water filters, packed them away, and didn’t think about them until the following summer.
The next year, neither filter worked properly. We later learned that we had stored them incorrectly.
Sawyer water filters should not simply be put away after use. After cleaning, they should be preserved with a small amount of food-grade saline solution before long-term storage. This helps protect the hollow fiber membrane while the filter is not in use.
Another important point is freezing. If water remains inside the filter and it freezes, the hollow fibers can crack. The damage is invisible, but the filter may no longer remove bacteria and protozoa safely.
We didn’t know this after our first season, and our filters didn’t survive the winter.
Now, preparing the water filter for storage is part of our end-of-season routine. It only takes a few minutes and can help the filter last for many more trips.
Before storing your backpacking gear for the season, clean your water filter, flush it according to the manufacturer’s instructions, and preserve it with food-grade saline solution