CNOC Outdoors Vecto 3L Review

Overview

The CNOC Vecto 3L is a collapsible, filter-compatible soft water container built around one genuinely smart idea: a patent-pending dual-opening system that lets you fill from a wide slider-sealed mouth and filter from a standard threaded cap on the opposite end. The dual opening system allows for easy filling from a wide opening on one side and a narrow mouthpiece on the other. It’s primarily aimed at backpackers running a Sawyer or similar squeeze/gravity filter who are tired of wrestling with the flimsy bags those filters ship with. At 105g and packing down to 7x2x2 inches, it fits anywhere and disappears when empty.

Key Specs

Spec	Detail
Weight	105g (3.7 oz)
Capacity	3L (100 oz)
Material	FDA-approved TPU (BPA, BPF, and BPS free)
Filter Compatibility	28mm thread (Sawyer Squeeze/Mini/Micro, HydroBlu Versa Flow, LifeStraw Flex)
Packed Size	7 × 2 × 2 inches
Colors	Blue, Orange
Price	~$20.99
Comparison	See how Vecto 3L compares to similar gear

Performance

Filling

This is where the Vecto genuinely earns its following. The wide upper opening fills the soft-sided pouch with a single swipe or two whilst keeping cold hands dry. That’s not marketing copy — it’s the single biggest advantage over the narrow-mouth pouches bundled with Sawyer filters. The Sawyer pouch can only be filled with their 28mm opening, whereas the entire back end of the Vecto opens. It takes many swipes through the lake to fill a Sawyer pouch, but the Vecto fills in one fell swoop. In shallow sources, skinny streams, or silty puddles, that difference matters a lot.

One note for still-water sources: in flatwater, like ponds or lakes, you’ll need two hands to fill it — one to dunk the bottle under the surface and the other to hold it open so it fills up. A cook pot for bailing works well in those situations.

Filtering

The Vecto is compatible with any water filter that has a 28mm thread, including the popular Sawyer Squeeze (both regular and micro size), HydroBlu Versa Flow, and LifeStraw Flex.

The threaded connection is solid when seated properly —

the seal between a Sawyer filter and the Vecto is nice and tight without any leaks, although you need to thread them together carefully and not put too much pressure when screwing them together.

A small number of users on Trailspace reported difficulty threading the filter on, so take your time and make sure the gasket is seated squarely before tightening. A little patience here prevents a lot of frustration.

For gravity filtering, there is a built-in loop as part of the upper closure for easy hanging. Unlike the Platypus GravityWorks dirty bag, which can’t be reliably sealed, the Vecto’s top slider makes it watertight even when upside-down. Hang it from a tree or trekking pole tripod, screw on your Sawyer, and go set up camp. The convenience of passive water filtering using only gravity frees up valuable time on solo and group missions alike.

Carrying Water Between Sources

The Vecto is not ideal for strapping to the outside of a pack. Unless it’s completely full it has a tendency to squirm out of straps as the water sloshes around.

More importantly, CNOC themselves note on their FAQ that they don’t recommend putting your full Vecto inside your pack if you’re concerned about leaking. That’s a strange caveat for a backpacking water container, but it’s worth knowing. In practice, most users carry it inside the pack without incident — just don’t treat it with the same cavalier attitude you’d extend to a hard bottle.

Durability

The TPU is flexible and resists the kinking that causes Sawyer’s stock bags to develop pinhole leaks early. The plastic used in the CNOC bag rolls up much easier and didn’t develop those kinks. It’s easy to fill with the slider, creates a very tight seal, and held up well to the pressure exerted when squeezing through the Sawyer filter.

That said, it’s not bulletproof over the long haul. One longtime user reported that their Vecto worked perfectly for almost two years and sprang a leak after about 150 days of backpacking — consistent with fatigue rather than a puncture. CNOC is transparent about this: pinholes can develop from UV exposure, cold temperatures, and abrasion, and they are not covered by warranty unless they occur new from the box. The fix — a round patch of Tear-Aid Type A or a drop of superglue — is lightweight and worth carrying on extended trips.

The plastic slider and 28mm cap are tethered to the bladder, so there’s no way to miss them. If the cap gets lost, any standard PET bottle cap will fit. The slider, though, needs more care: if it breaks, it can’t be fixed or replaced in the field.

Replacement sliders are available through CNOC’s website, but that’s cold comfort mid-thru-hike.

Cleaning and Taste

The Vecto can be turned inside out, and dries faster than competing bladders — moisture-free in about twenty minutes after washing.

The wide mouth also means you can actually scrub the interior without specialized tools, a genuine luxury compared to narrow-neck bladders.

When new, the Vecto imparts a plastic-y TPU taste onto the water, though this goes away over time.

TPU is a porous material and isn’t completely smell-free after production — CNOC recommends cleaning and airing it prior to first use.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Wide-mouth dual opening makes filling from any water source fast and nearly effortless
• Compatible with the most popular 28mm filter systems right out of the box
• Built-in slider loop enables hands-free gravity filtering with no accessories
• Slider and cap are tethered — no searching for small parts in the dark
• Turns inside out for quick cleaning and drying
• TPU holds up to aggressive squeezing far better than Sawyer’s stock pouches

Cons

• Heavier than competing soft bags: the 2L Platypus Platy is ~37g vs. ~76g for the CNOC 2L, so the weight penalty is real for weight-obsessed hikers
• Pinholes can develop over time from fatigue, UV, or cold — not covered by warranty after purchase
• CNOC’s own FAQ cautions against carrying it full inside your pack due to leak risk
• Slider is a single point of failure with no field fix if it breaks
• New bag has a mild TPU taste; requires a break-in wash cycle
• Awkward to carry as an on-the-go drink bottle; no hose compatibility

Who Should Buy This

The Vecto 3L is the right pick for backpackers running a Sawyer or HydroBlu filter who regularly camp away from water sources and need to haul a meaningful volume of untreated water to dry camp. The 3L size pays dividends for solo hikers loading up for a night or two between water, and is especially practical for small groups gravity-filtering together at camp. If you’re filtering your own water, it’s worth getting the 3L — fewer trips to the source, and the elongated design makes it easy to hang and fits perfectly with a Sawyer Squeeze. If your hiking style keeps you near reliable water and you prefer to drink on the move with a hose, skip it — this isn’t that tool.

Verdict

The Vecto 3L does one thing — collecting and holding dirty water for filtering — better than almost everything else at any price. The dual-opening design is legitimately clever, the gravity setup is effortless, and the TPU holds up to squeeze-filtering abuse that destroys the stock Sawyer bags. The pinhole fatigue issue and CNOC’s own hedging on carrying it full are real caveats worth knowing before a long trip, but neither is a deal-breaker for most users. At around $20, it’s the easiest upgrade in a Sawyer-based water system.