Greatest Backpacking Water Filters of 2024

Think about this: You’re within the backcountry, practically out of liquids on a scorcher of a day, whenever you hit the primary water supply you’ve seen for hours. You sit down, pull out your bladder and your pump, and drop the consumption tube into the water. However whenever you go to pump, the strain goes slack. Or the nozzle jams, barely a drop popping out regardless of how a lot you squeeze. Chances are high, when you’ve spent sufficient time within the backcountry, you don’t need to think about this state of affairs: It’s occurred to you. Perhaps greater than as soon as. 

It’s definitely occurred to me. So for Out of doors Life’s check of the perfect backpacking water filters, we determined to see which fashions from the highest manufacturers—together with MSR, Lifestraw, Katadyn, Grayl, Platypus, and RapidPure—may deal with the gnarliest water situations backpackers can look forward to finding: stagnant water with excessive ranges of bacterial contamination, the dark-tea tannin-filled water of a wetland, and silt-filled glacial runoff. 

How I Examined Backpacking Water Filters

Earlier than I even started testing, I interviewed the oldsters at MSR, LifeStraw, and Katadyn about how they assure that their filters are certainly eradicating micro organism and protozoa (and within the case of some of them, viruses). All of them interact in rigorous testing, utilizing EPA or NSF requirements, each in their very own amenities and thru third events, like BCS Laboratories out of Florida.

I visited the MSR facility the place they confirmed me the lab the place they not solely develop E. coli micro organism, but additionally a virus that assaults E. coli, to check the efficiency of their Guardian filter. The thoroughness of this testing shouldn’t be one thing that may be simply replicated within the pure surroundings, the place the pre-existing ranges of micro organism, protozoa, and viruses are unknown. As such, my testing didn’t take a look at how properly the filters handled micro organism, protozoa, and viruses, as a result of all of the filters on this evaluate use EPA or NSF requirements.

One thing else that you simply’ll usually see on the packaging of backpacking water filters is the variety of liters per minute that they filter. This quantity, nonetheless, solely displays what the filter is able to doing proper out of the field—not after you’ve taken it out on a few backpacking journeys—or 20. The manufacturers in fact are testing to make sure that the filters can stand up to a sure stage of grit, but it surely’s uncommon to study what the circulate charge of the filters are after they’ve been uncovered to some less-than-ideal water sources, not to mention how a lot grit and sediment and muck a filter can take earlier than it craps out fully. So my testing checked out what situations the backpacking filters can stand up to and nonetheless return an affordable (or any) circulate charge.

To start out, I referred to as in or bought the most well-liked backpacking water filters obtainable, together with corresponding fashions from their opponents. Earlier than I started testing the filters out within the discipline, I first timed how lengthy it took every to filter one liter of water out of the field. Usually, these instances corresponded to the marketed instances of the producers. Throughout this course of, I additionally famous how sophisticated the filter setup was out of the field. 

Then I took the filters to a public seashore in Bellevue, Washington, which had been closed because of excessive ranges of fecal matter (thrice greater than what’s thought-about secure for swimming). Right here I filtered 5 liters of water via every of the filters in my check.

Along with the recorded excessive ranges of fecal contamination, the water was additionally pretty scummy.

On the finish of the primary spherical of testing, I took the filters again dwelling and measured how lengthy it took to run a liter of water via every, and the way that in comparison with the out-of-the field check. Usually, there was a noticeable, if not vital, impact on the size of time it took to filter one liter of water. Satirically, some filters measured a quicker time on the finish of the preliminary spherical of testing than they’d at the beginning; my impression is that that is the results of my changing into extra environment friendly at utilizing the filter with apply.

The second spherical of testing passed off at Narbeck Wetland Sanctuary, simply north of Seattle, Washington. It is a classically stunning swamp, with loads of water however all of it gunked up by the dust and tannins and life teeming beneath the floor. Right here we’d see how properly the backpacking water filters responded to the mucky water sources that these within the backcountry are generally pressured to resort to. I filtered three liters via every of the water filters at this web site, after which headed dwelling to file how lengthy it was taking every water filter to push water via.

Unsurprisingly, a number of the filters have been actually struggling on the finish of this check. For the filters that took over two minutes to course of a liter of water, I adopted producer instructions to backflush (pushing water backwards via the filter) or in any other case clear the filter, noting that some filters couldn’t be cleaned or backflushed.

Then I retested these filters (the outcomes are famous in a parenthetical within the beneath desk) to see how efficient cleansing the filters was at establishing water circulate. The 2 filters that took over 5 minutes to course of a liter of water on the finish of the second spherical of testing, the LifeStraw Peak Collection Gravity and the RapidPure Air purifier+, have been faraway from the check at the moment.

The ultimate testing web site was the Puyallup River, accessed on the city of Orting, Washington. At first look, the Puyallup appears like every other muddy river. However the Puyallup will get its shade from glacial sediment, a particularly fantastic silt that stays suspended within the water. This sediment additionally works its means into the interior workings of filtration methods like no person’s enterprise. Nobody would select to filter this sort of water except there was no different choice obtainable; generally, there isn’t a different choice obtainable.

Unsurprisingly, most of the filters struggled with cleansing three liters of water throughout this check, and one (the MSR Miniworks EX) was faraway from testing because it merely clogged up and stopped working. On the finish of this spherical of testing, the filters have been measured to see what their circulate charge was. Subsequent, the filters, the place potential, have been additionally backflushed, or in any other case cleaned, after which had their circulate charge measured once more. (Observe that a number of the instances for this stage have been once more quicker than the preliminary circulate.

Whereas I made an effort to standardize the quantity of elbow grease I used to be placing into every filter in the course of the timed check, it’s clear that I used to be placing extra elbow grease into the ultimate stage of testing than I did straight out of the field). The ultimate step of this check was to reweigh every of the filters to evaluate how their weight had modified from the beginning of testing. I pumped out as a lot water as I may from every filter after which positioned the filters in an enclosed room with a dehumidifier to take away extra water (with out drying out the filter elements themselves). After an hour, I took them out and reweighed them.

Gravity Filters

Squeeze Filters

Pump Filters

Extra testing was achieved on a number of chemical and UV remedy choices as a part of the inaugural Out of doors Life backpacking gear check. Whereas chemical and UV remedy choices don’t take away any dust or grit or microplastics from water sources, they will render micro organism, protozoa, and even viruses inert, making water secure to drink.

Greatest Backpacking Water Filters: Opinions & Suggestions

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa and micro organism
• Weight: 3.4 ounces (preliminary); 4.2 ounces (finish of testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 0:35 (preliminary); 0:40 (finish of testing)

Execs

• The quickest filter I examined general
• Light-weight
• Sturdy
• Might be paired with a SmartWater bottle

Cons

• Backflushing was extra sophisticated than the Sawyer Squeeze or Katadyn BeFree

Whereas the Platypus QuickDraw was a hair behind the Katadyn BeFree after the preliminary spherical of testing, it was out in entrance of the pack on the finish of testing. The one spherical the place the QuickDraw struggled was within the mucky water of the wetland, though I didn’t backflush it till after the glacial runoff spherical as its circulate was nonetheless forward of the vast majority of filters. As soon as backflushed, its efficiency was restored to shut to the extent that it had out of the field.

In contrast to the Sawyer Squeeze, you may backflush the Platypus QuickDraw with a SmartWater bottle. Whereas I appreciated that I didn’t want a separate device to backflush the Platypus QuickDraw (one thing I’m susceptible to dropping), I did discover that the cap to the filter prevented me from making a flush seal with the clear facet of the filter.

That being mentioned, the Platypus QuickDraw cap was way more sturdy than both the Sawyer Squeeze’s (damaged by the top of testing) or the Katadyn BeFree’s (getting there). When you can proceed to filter water simply fantastic and not using a cap, having it’s going to assist to extend the lifespan of your filter. I additionally discovered that the gentle pliable materials of platypus soiled sack mixed with the positioning of the filter factor on the inside (relatively than on the within of the bag), made this essentially the most nice filter to squeeze water out of in my check. 

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa and micro organism
• Weight: 2.3 ounces (preliminary); 3.1 ounces (after testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 0:40 (preliminary); 0:50 (after testing)

Execs

• Simple to wash
• Quick circulate
• Light-weight

Cons

• Troublesome to squeeze all the water out of the bag

When it got here time to wash the filters after three rounds of testing, I spent a number of time on YouTube, studying find out how to clear ceramic filters and backflush with a SmartWater bottle. However when it was time to wash the BeFree, the directions have been nearly comically easy. Simply take it out of the bag, place it in a clear bowl of water, and swish it round a bit of. To be sincere, I used to be uncertain this was going to do a lot, however I knew from conversations with the oldsters at Katadyn that backflushing this filter was not an choice, as it could harm the hole fibers and impair their capacity to weed out protozoa and micro organism. 

To my shock, the swishing appeared to work. The bowl of water rapidly turned a murky brown. I repeated the method a few instances and retested: the circulate charge had improved by nearly 20 p.c. Not dangerous. 

The Katadyn BeFree was the second lightest filter I examined, weighing a mere .2 ounces greater than the Sawyer Mini regardless of coming with a bigger soiled water sack—when you paired the Sawyer Mini with a SmartWater bottle as an alternative of the offered soiled water sack, this could be the lighter of the 2. For UL purists seeking to replace their Sawyer Squeeze, this could undoubtedly be in rivalry.

There have been a few issues that I want have been totally different concerning the Katadyn BeFree. First off, the filter is housed inside the soiled water bag, which makes it tough to squeeze all the water out—more often than not, this received’t be an enormous deal, however when you’re sitting at a seep within the Southwest, the place the water is popping out at a trickly liter each 10 minutes, it may begin to get outdated. The opposite is the design of the lid cap, which principally resembles what you’d see on a sports activities drink on the comfort retailer. Once I frivolously twisted it to check the sturdiness it began to snap off. After all, I can nonetheless use the filter so long as I maintain onto the cap, however I might relatively see a extra sturdy cap in change for a number of further grams.

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa and micro organism
• Weight: 3 ounces (preliminary); 5 ounces (finish of testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 0:55 (preliminary); 0:45 (finish of testing) 

Execs

• Cheaper than its rivals
• Quick circulate
• Light-weight
• Might be paired with a SmartWater bottle

Cons

• Requires a separate device to backflush
• Picked up 2 ounces between the beginning and finish of testing

The Sawyer Squeeze has been a backpacking mainstay for many years and testing confirmed that hikers’ loyalty is well-founded. Whereas this filter was slower than each the Platypus Quickdraw and the Katadyn BeFree in the course of the first spherical of testing (by about 15 seconds and 25 seconds respectively), it was out forward of the BeFree by the top of testing, and solely 5 second behind the QuickDraw. Whereas my testing confirmed that the Sawyer Squeeze was quicker on the finish of testing than it was at the beginning, I believe that I had merely gotten used to placing in an extreme quantity of elbow grease into the filters after pushing over 40 liters of glacial runoff via 14 filters.  

A part of what makes this filter so efficient is its backflushing system, which entails filling a easy syringe with water after which pushing its contents into the outflow nozzle on the filter. After working the filters via three liters every of the Puyallup River, I wasn’t stunned to see the water shoot out brown initially, but it surely cleared up after solely a few rounds of backflushing. 

Sadly, the Sawyer Squeeze picked up two ounces of weight between the beginning and finish of testing, suggesting that it’s holding onto extra moisture (and probably unbackflushed grit) contained in the filter than different comparative fashions.

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa and micro organism
• Weight: 2 ounces (preliminary); 2.9 ounces (after testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 1:10 (preliminary); 1:50 (after testing)

Execs

• Lightest filter in my check
• Least costly filter in my check
• Smallest filter in my check

Cons

• Took twice as lengthy to filter a liter of water as a number of the different high picks

The mini-me model of the Sawyer Squeeze is the proper filter for UL fans—sufficiently small that it received’t take up a lot actual property in your backpacking backpack and lightweight sufficient (even after the ultimate weigh-in) which you can scrub an oz. or extra off your spreadsheet. Even higher, it’s so reasonably priced that it wouldn’t damage your finances a lot to simply exchange it every season. The place it wobbles, unsurprisingly, is in water circulate taking about twice so long as the usual Sawyer Squeeze to filter a liter of water. After all, when you plan to connect the filter on to a SmartWater bottle and suck the water out from there, which may not matter a lot to you.

I used the offered soiled bag throughout testing and was impressed with its sturdiness. Even after squeezing the bag as arduous as I may to push the water out over ten rounds of filling and filtering to succeed in the specified 5 liters, the bag nonetheless seemed like new. I solely want that it was bigger—the bag that comes with the mini is 16 ounces relatively than the usual liter. One thing else I seen throughout testing was that the filter itself didn’t seem to screw onto the bag accurately. Every time I attempted to repair it, the angle would nonetheless be lopsided. Fortuitously, there have been no leaks throughout testing so this seems to be primarily an aesthetic concern. 

Whereas the circulate charge for the Sawyer Mini was not particularly spectacular (about 4 instances so long as the Katadyn BeFree), I did recognize that it got here with a light-weight syringe to backflush the filter when it begins to clog an excessive amount of. 

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa and micro organism 
• Weight: 2.3 ounces (6.8 ounces for the gravity model)
• Filter Pore Dimension: .1 micron

Execs

• Filters water rapidly
• Easy mechanism
• Light-weight
• Inexpensive

Cons

• Troublesome to get the final of the water out of flask
• No capacity to backflush

At its core, all a water filtration system must do is transfer soiled water via a filter, with out inadvertently contaminating the clear water vessel on the opposite facet. One of the common kinds of backpacking water filters leans into this simplicity: all a person has to do is refill a plastic bag with soiled water, connect the filter, after which squeeze the water via into their consuming vessel.

The thought behind a gravity filter is pretty simple, as an alternative of compressing or pumping soiled water into your consuming vessel, let gravity do the be just right for you. After filling up the soiled bag—which holds as much as three liters within the case of Katadyn—you then elevate it by inserting it on a big rock, hanging it in a tree, and even holding it your self, no matter works. The upper the water is, the quicker it’s going to circulate via the filter, however it’s going to work so long as the bag itself is larger up than the top of the outlet hose. Then you may simply stroll away whereas gravity forces the water from the soiled water sources into your clear container.

Of the three gravity filters in my check, the Katadyn Gravity BeFree had the quickest circulate each when initially unboxed and after the ultimate stage of testing. It was additionally lighter than the opposite two fashions in my check by a number of ounces. 

One small, however probably vital, distinction between the Katadyn BeFree and the Platypus GravityWorks and LifeStraw Peak Collection Gravity is that the hold strap shouldn’t be connected to the water flask when the gravity is first unboxed. This strap, nonetheless, shouldn’t be thought-about elective. The bail deal with on the high of the water flask shouldn’t be supposed to be slung over a department, and is just too small for the department dimension that you’d want for the filter to be safely suspended. 

One other distinction between the Katadyn Gravity BeFree and the opposite two filters in my check is that it’s not designed for backflushing (which may harm the fibers), however the filter may be cleaned by rigorously swishing it in water. Whereas the filter did seem cleaner after I swished it, oddly, the time it took to filter a liter of water elevated by a minute (I reran this check to substantiate the outcomes).

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa and micro organism 
• Weight: 11.5 ounces (preliminary); 12.8 ounces (after testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 1:10 (preliminary); 7:30 (after testing)

Execs

• Largest capability flasks of any filter in my check
• Sturdy circulate after the primary two rounds of testing

Cons

• Costly in comparison with different gravity filters I examined
• Struggled to filter glacial runoff

All of the gravity filters in my check got here with a flask of not less than three liters, which is good if you’re touring with a number of folks, because it reduces the variety of rounds of filling up your soiled flask that you should do. The Platypus GravityWorks takes this a step additional, with a unclean flask capability of 4 liters. Even higher, it comes with a second bladder to filter your clear water immediately into it.  

In testing, the GravityWorks took about twice as lengthy to filter a liter of water after the primary stage of testing because the Katadyn BeFree; nonetheless, it was practically unable to course of the glacial runoff, taking an hour to filter a liter of water after the third stage of testing. After utilizing about six liters of water to backflush the GravityWorks, which is achieved by merely elevating the clear water reservoir above the soiled reservoir and permitting the water to circulate backward, the circulate improved considerably, however to not the extent of the Katadyn BeFree Gravity.

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa, micro organism, and viruses
• Weight: 17.3 ounces (preliminary); 21.5 ounces (after testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 0:45 (preliminary); 0:45 (after testing)

Execs

• Efficient towards viruses along with protozoa and micro organism
• One of many quickest circulate charges I examined
• Backflushes the filter with every pump
• Can stand up to freezing temperatures (assuming you let it thaw out afterward)

Cons

For backpacking water filters, safety towards viruses, together with norovirus and rotovirus, usually comes with a tradeoff—in order for you a filter with a sufficiently small pore dimension to weed these suckers out, you higher be ready to place in some severe elbow grease. However the MSR Guardian manages the hat trick, filtering out viruses at a quick circulate charge with the identical, and even much less, elbow grease required as from different filters.

A part of this because of a novel function to the MSR Guardian: as an alternative of directing all the water out via the underside of the filter with every pump, a portion of the water is directed again via the filter—basically backflushing the filter with every pump. Throughout testing, this meant that the filter had the identical efficiency over the last spherical of testing because it did in the course of the first: forty-five seconds for a liter of water.

I used to be additionally impressed with how straightforward the MSR Guardian was to make use of straight out of the field: after it had been unmoored from its packaging, I merely unscrewed the cap on the underside of the filter, plopped the consumption filter into my pool of water and began filtering water. In addition to the prefilter, which generally is a bit tough to place within the water supply because of a 90-degree angle, the largest draw back to the Guardian is its value, and its weight: it was about ten instances as costly as different comparatively quick filters (the Katadyn BeFree, Platypus QuickDraw, and Sawyer Squeeze) and 5 instances as heavy. However when you’re searching for a no brainer filter that may take away the complete spectrum of micro organism, protozoa, and viruses out of your water with principally no upkeep required, then that is the filter for you. 

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa, micro organism, and viruses
• Weight: 3 ounces
• Time to deal with a liter of water: half-hour (customary), 4 hours (if cryptosporidium is current)

Execs

• No pumping or squeezing required
• No backflushing wanted
• Light-weight

Cons

• Prices can mount if used for longer journeys
• Not a sensible choice for water sources recognized to harbor cryptosporidium

Aquamira remedy drops have lengthy been a favourite of backpackers and backpack hunters who’d relatively not take care of the trouble of water filters in any respect, together with OL workers author Tyler Freel. (See: What’s Greatest for Backcountry Water: Filters or Drops?) And I can see why: Whereas these of us that use filters are hunched over and red-faced, squeezing out a liter of water from a sketchy pond, Group Aquamira has time to take care of different camp chores whereas they watch for the water remedy drops to take impact.

First a word on how Aquamira works. There are two bottles, Half A and Half B. When combined collectively, they produce chlorine dioxide, which is reactive in water, breaking the bonds that maintain micro organism, protozoa, and viruses collectively. To make use of Aquamira you combine collectively seven drops of Half A with seven drops of Half B within the bigger of the 2 caps. After 5 minutes, you may add the combination to a liter of water. Twenty-five minutes after that, your water will likely be secure to drink. Observe: you can’t pre-mix components A and B earlier than you head out in your trek. It have to be achieved within the discipline proper earlier than you deal with your water.

In the event you’ve been burned by water filters previously, then Aquamira is a dependable various that requires little elbow grease. It does, nonetheless, require you to maintain observe of the time, which may be tough. On our backpacking testing journey, it took me a while to develop a system to handle treating a number of liters of water. And even then, asking a mountaineering companion to assist with part of the system was tough, because it was straightforward to inadvertently knock over the combination within the cap because it was activating. Backpackers and backpack hunters searching for a light-weight water remedy choice could be higher served by the Katadyn BeFree, Platypus QuickDraw, or the Sawyer Squeeze.

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa, micro organism, and viruses (however not cryptosporidium)
• Weight: .1 ounce per tab
• Time to deal with a liter of water: half-hour

Execs

• Extraordinarily light-weight
• Cheap

Cons

• Noticeable style
• Not efficient towards cryptosporidium

For years, I carried a bottle of iodine in my first-aid package. I nearly by no means used it (iodine tastes horrible), however within the occasion that my water filter broke, I wished to have one thing surefire readily available. Whereas in the present day’s backpacking water filters are way more dependable than the outdated pump fashions of yore, carrying a number of tabs of backup water remedy nonetheless brings me peace of thoughts on longer, extra distant backcountry treks.

Like Aquamira, Aquatabs take about half-hour to take impact, though no premixing is required right here. However whereas Aquamira has no discernible taste, there’s a slight chemical taste that goes together with the Aquatabs (though our testing group didn’t discover that they’d the identical unpalatable taste as different opinions). Whereas that is solely a minor concern in a real survival state of affairs, long-term use of Aquatabs may end in particular person backpackers inadvertently hydrating lower than is perfect for his or her surroundings.

Whereas Aquatabs received’t be changing a water filter in my package anytime quickly, they are going to be getting in my first-aid package as a backup water remedy choice for longer treks.

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Key Options

• Efficient towards protozoa, micro organism, and viruses
• Weight: 2.6 ounces
• Time to deal with a liter of water: 1.5 minutes

Execs

• Quick performing
• Efficient towards viruses
• Can’t clog

Cons

• Delicate to humidity
• Obscure why it’s malfunctioning generally

SteriPENs, the most well-liked type of UV water remedy for backpackers and backpack hunters, are one of many strangest water remedy choices in the marketplace. Whereas chemical remedy and water filter choices make some form of intuitive sense, the eerie glow of UV remedy appears nearly magical. For some folks, that is interesting; for others, it’s a nonstarter.

Which will get a bit on the coronary heart of the expertise of utilizing a SteriPEN. I used the unique model of the SteriPEN for years and have become pretty acquainted in that point with its pitfalls: don’t pack it away moist, heat it up earlier than utilizing it in particularly chilly water, watch the sensors rigorously when submerging. By rigorously following these guidelines, we may get about as a lot reliability out of our SteriPEN as customers of the squeeze bag filters have been getting.

On our testing journey, I handed off this newest model of the SteriPEN to one among our testers whereas going to place away my tent. Once I got here again, quarter-hour later, she nonetheless hadn’t managed to filter a liter of water. I watched her fifth try and see if I may troubleshoot what was going improper, however I couldn’t see why she was getting error readings (or recall within the second what the totally different flashes of shade meant).

Then I attempted it and it labored completely. This about sums up most individuals’s expertise with SteriPENs. Once they work, it’s like magic. Once they don’t work, you’ll need to pull your hair out. In the event you do go this route (it’s the solely non-chemical remedy at this weight that’s efficient towards viruses), then you should definitely check it out extensively at dwelling and take a backup water remedy methodology alongside for a number of journeys till you might be comfy with it.

Learn Subsequent: How Lengthy Can You Survive With out Water?

Greatest for Worldwide Journey: Grayl Ultrapress

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Key Options 

• Efficient towards protozoa, micro organism, and viruses
• Weight: 12.5 ounces (preliminary); 13.9 ounces (after testing)
• Time to filter a liter of water: 0:50 (preliminary); 6:30 (after testing)

Execs

• Filters out viruses
• Constructed-in water bottle

Cons

• Heavy
• Brief cartridge life
• Can’t deal with sediment

You could be questioning, why is there a journey advice in a narrative on backpacking water filters? I’ll let you know: It’s as a result of I get requested fairly ceaselessly why I don’t advocate this water filter for backpacking. In spite of everything, it’s received some spectacular options. It’s a combo water filter and water bottle. It filters out viruses. And, out of the field, it’s lots quick in comparison with the opposite finest backpacking water filters.

Let’s first take a look at how the Grayl works. It’s a bit like a French press. You pull out the interior tube, fill the bottle up with water to the specified line, after which push the interior tube again down on high of the water till it’s all pushed via the filter on the underside. This works finest when you put the water bottle on the bottom and permit your physique weight to do the work of pushing the water via.

Whereas Grayl boasts a really quick circulate charge for this bottle, the precise charge may be very a lot affected by how a lot effort you set into it. Most individuals can count on a half liter to take about 30 seconds, whereas expending reasonable effort. The filter itself can be distinctive, because it makes use of carbon to draw viruses utilizing electroabsorption (which is a essentially totally different course of than filtering them out, such because the MSR Guardian does). 

For backpackers, there are a handful of points that add as much as this being not fairly the precise selection. First off, it’s fairly heavy, even when considering the good thing about having a built-in water bottle. Within the backcountry, this added weight goes up much more, because the final half inch or so of water within the Grayl doesn’t filter via the interior tube, and is solely left sitting on the backside of the bottle after filtering. The filter itself additionally has a a lot shorter lifespan than different backpacking filters, with Grayl promoting which you can count on about 350 liters out of it.

Throughout testing, the filter was very affected by our gnarliest testing web site, the glacial runoff, suggesting that in much less pristine components of the backcountry this filter might final considerably much less time than 350 liters. And when this filter begins to battle, it turns into an actual nightmare to attempt to use. At the least with the squeeze baggage you may sit down whilst you battle away (and possibly even backflush!), with the Grayl you’re caught standing up, throwing your whole physique weight down on high of a tiny lid that’s only some inches in diameter. 

However what concerning the virus filtering? Effectively, only a few backcountry water sources are contaminated by issues like rotavirus, as a result of these are usually human-borne pathogens. Backpackers don’t want this sort of firepower. Right here’s who does: anybody residing in or visiting components of the world the place the water popping out of the faucet isn’t reliable. That water might be working clear, too, so the lifespan of the filter will likely be that for much longer. In the event you’re searching for a journey water bottle that may defend you from nearly every thing, from e.Coli to giardia to cryptosporidum, that is the filter for you. 

FAQs

Issues to Contemplate Earlier than Shopping for Backpacking Water Filters

Filter vs Air purifier

The distinction between a water air purifier and a water filter comes right down to its filter pore dimension. Conventional water filters have pore sizes, usually .2 microns or 200 nanometers, which might be sufficiently small to weed out micro organism and protozoa, however not the a lot smaller viruses, similar to rotovirus (70 nanometers) or norovirus (38 nanometers). People touring to backcountry environments recognized to be contaminated with viruses ought to take further warning that their filter will defend them, however it’s not frequent for water sources to be contaminated with viruses.

Camp vs Path

In the event you plan to place a ton of miles in your mountaineering sneakers, then the lighter weight of a squeeze-bag model filter could also be the next precedence for you. Nonetheless, if you’re solely mountaineering a brief distance to camp, then the comfort of a gravity filter or the lower-effort pump filters could also be a neater selection.

Sediment and Particles

In the event you count on the water sources in your subsequent backpacking journey to be unusually soiled—stuffed with swirling sediment or plant matter—then it’s finest to decide on a backpacking water filter with a prefilter. The prefilter helps to make sure that a number of the muck within the water supply doesn’t make its means into the extra delicate fibers of your filter, which might in the end clog it and render it inoperable.

Closing Ideas

The very best backpacking water filters produced by respected manufacturers like MSR, LifeStraw, Katadyn, Platypus, RapidPure, and Grayl present glorious safety towards waterborne illnesses within the backcountry. Which filter is best for you will rely largely on whether or not you prioritize value, weight, or long-term sturdiness. That will help you make a ultimate determination on an environment friendly particular person backpacking filter, we put the Sawyer Squeeze, Katadyn BeFree, and Platypus QuickDraw face to face in a brand new testing surroundings: the desert. Whereas there are rising numbers of low-profile filters in the marketplace which might be able to eradicating viruses from water sources, throughout testing these have been so arduous to make use of after even the primary spherical of testing that I might advocate backpackers pair a chlorine-based disinfectant or perhaps a UV-based air purifier like a SteriPen with a water filter as an alternative.