UKH

If cutting weight is important to you then the miniature Solo is the filter to beat, says Dan Bailey. So what's the catch...?

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Sounds very interesting.  Would a plastic milk bottle do as a container? They're light and squashy and have a big hole?

No, the neck would be too wide. It's the smaller diameter drinks bottle you need.

Ah - ok.

Update: I've just found out that the Solo is compatible with the bottle part of LifeStraw's existing product (reviewed here last year) the Collapsible Squeeze Bottle - info that's seemingly not available on their website, but good to know. The advantage is that this gives you the soft bottle I've felt the Solo would benefit from; the disadvantage is that the bottle part of that other product appears not to be sold separately, so you'd have to buy two filters. Not sure I'd want to do that. 

Review amended accordingly.

With its 0.2micron filter I guess the Lifestraw flow rate might be higher than the Sawyer Mini's 0.1 micron filter, but I can use my Sawyer as a convenient straw with the addition of a bit clear tube as long as I want (also handy for reaching water on the ridges, even in the UK). The Sawyer's flow rate is good enough to use as an inline filter on a bladder, has pop bottle threads, and the life is stated as "100,000 gallons", albeit tiny U.S. gallons. Kit comes with a syringe for backflushing, a flexi bottle and is findable for £20-£30 online. Has anyone compared the two side by side?