Did you know that according to the World Health Organization, 80 percent of all sickness and disease worldwide is linked to contaminated and unsafe drinking water?
Most hikers and campers want to travel light. There is only so much you can carry and you definitely do not want to carry a whole lot of water on you if you have other camping gears like a portable toilet, a big backpack etc.
In such cases, a portable water filter can be a life saver. In this exhaustive review, we find out which is the best portable water filter that you can find in the market.
Best pump and gravity filters list
Some of the best pump and gravity filters available in the market are listed below:| Picture | Product | Filter life (Liters) | Weight (lbs.) | Flow rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Katadyn Pocket Water Filter | 50000 | 2.3 | 1 liter per minute | |
  | MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter | 2000 | 1.59 | 0.74 liter per minute | |
  | Survivor Filter PRO Pump Filter | 100000 | 0.95 | 0.5 liter per minute | |
  | LifeStraw Family 1.0 Gravity Water Purifier | 18000 | 1.15 | 0.2 liter per minute | |
  | Platypus GravityWorks Filter System | 1500 | 0.67 | 1.6 liter per minute |
Best bottle and straw water filters list
Some of the best bottle and straw personal water filters available in the market are listed below:| Picture | Product | Filter life (liters) | Weight (lbs.) | Flow rate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System | 375000 | 0.6 | 1.1 liter per minute | |
  | Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System | 375000 | 0.13 | 0.7 liter per minute | |
  | Survivor Filter - Reusable Personal Water Filter | 1000 | 0.25 | 0.2 liter per minute | |
  | LifeStraw Personal Water Filter | 1000 | 0.18 | 1.7 liter per minute | |
  | Etekcity Water Filtration Straw | 1500 | 0.25 | ~1.0 liter per minute | |
  | LifeStraw Go Water Bottle with Integrated 1000-Liter LifeStraw Filter | 1000 | 0.49 | 1.7 liter per minute |
Best Chemical based water purifiers list
Some of the best water purifier tablets and drops available in the market are listed below:| Picture | Product | Filter life (liters) | Weight (lbs.) | Activation time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
  | Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets | 1 liter per tablet | 0.09 | 30 minutes | |
  | Aquamira Water Purification Treatment Drops | 1 liter per drop | 0.2 | 20 minutes | |
  | Aquamira Water Purifier Tablets | 1 liter per tablet | 0.05 | 30 minutes | |
  | Katadyn Micropur MP1 Tablets | 1 liter per tablet | 0.1 | 30 minutes |
Why do you need a portable water filter?
According to WebMD, a 150-pound person needs 75 to 150 ounces of water per day. This requirement can increase if you are living in a hot climate or physically demanding activity such as backpacking and hiking. If you are a hiker or a backpacker, an outdoor enthusiast or love going on camping, you would want to carry your own drinking water. 150 ounces roughly translates to 1.17 gallons which are equal to 3.785 liters. One liter of water weighs close to one kilogram, so 150 ounces is equal to 4.43 liters and will weigh 4.43 kilograms (about 9 pounds). That is a sizeable weight for one person to carry, and if you are the mule in the group or you are out for more than a couple of days, you may have to carry much more than that. That is precisely why most of us do not prefer to carry enough water.
Mostly, while camping you can come across water sources in the form of rivers, lakes, ponds or you can find water collected in shallow beds. The problem with these sources of water is that they cannot be considered safe for direct consumption. You can run the risk of water contamination. Many disease-causing organisms-bacteria, protozoa and sometimes viruses can contaminate these water sources.
Boiling water is one of the most foolproof ways to make water safe for drinking. But boiling water is a time-consuming process and you cannot set up a stove anywhere and start boiling your water. Moreover, after boiling, you will have to wait for the water to cool before you can consume it or transfer it to your carry bottle.
Due to these reasons, a portable water purification system is a must carry if you are serious about your health and well-being. If you have water sources available around the trail or near your campground, carrying a portable water purification system is much easier than carrying all that load of water you will need.
Water Filters vs. water Purifiers
Before we look at the factors to consider while picking the best water filters, let us look at how water filters differ from water purifiers.
Water filters are primarily meant to remove dissolved impurities, bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella and protozoa such as Cryptosporidium. They do this by passing the water through microscopic pores with a size of as little as 0.2 microns. Water filters do not provide protection against viruses such as rotavirus and Hepatitis A virus. Bacteria and protozoa are the most common pathogens that you would find in water in the US and Canada. So a water filter is sufficient to carry in these regions.
Water purifiers go one step further by providing protection against viruses as well. They do it by using UV or similar mechanisms that eliminate these viruses. Water purifiers are also generally costlier when compared to filters. If you intend to travel around the world, you should consider getting a water purifier instead of just a water filter.
So as discussed above, unless you are globetrotting, a water filter should be your choice while exploring the outdoors in the US or Canada.
How to pick the best portable water filter?
When picking a portable water filter system, we need to look at the following criteria to arrive at a decision,
- Type of the water filter system
- Ease of use
- Filtering capacity
- Time to filter
- Portability
- Maintenance
Portable water filters are of three different types,
- Pump filters
- Gravity filters
- Filter straws
Apart from this, there are two other water purifying water systems
- Chemical based water purifiers
- electronic water purifiers
What are pump based water filters?
Pump based water filters are the most common type of filters that are used for water filtering. These filters operate by pumping water through a filter which has a very small pore size, small enough to not allow bacteria and protozoa to move through it.
These filters can allow you to pump and filter an endless amount of water. Pump filters are a good choice when you want to have clean water for multiple days for a single person or a group. The filter used in pump filters is a generic ceramic piece infused with carbon or silver.
Cleaning these filter is very easy, it can be scrubbed clean to remove any blockage or can be boiled and dried to clear them. These filters have pore sizes of 0.2 microns which is more than enough to filter most bacteria and protozoa.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of portable pump water filters?
- Can filter water very quickly, averaging 1 litre per minute
- Easy to clean, most filters just require removing the filter and scrubbing them. On some of these, the hose can be rerouted so that the filter can be back-flushed
- Can filter a large amount of water before the filter needs to be changed. Most of the units can filter anywhere between 500 to 50000 litres
- Costly than the other options
- Heavier and bulkier compared to other options
Which are the best portable pump water filters?
Katadyn Pocket Water Filter – Editor’s choice pick for the best portable pump water filter
The Katadyn Pocket Water Filter consists of the highest quality construction and is ideal for long lasting continuous use.
It consists of a silver impregnated ceramic element filter which is effective in removing bacteria and protozoa, using a Micro-Filtration method.
It can filter up to 1 liter of water per minute and the filter will last up to 50000 liters depending on water quality. This portable pocket water filter is the ideal choice for campers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Survivor Filter PRO – Best value pick for the best portable pump water filter
The Survivor Filter PRO is designed for frequent and heavy use. It is easy to clean repeatedly without the usage of any tools. It has 3 filter elements – an ultra filter, a cotton filter and a carbon filter to give unmatched filtration. It can filter up to 0.01 microns which can clear out even viruses. The filter lasts for 1000 litres of water.
What are Gravity water filters?
These type of filters use gravity to push water through a filter from one bag to another resulting in filtered water, ready for consumption. This mechanism eliminates the need for a pump to filter the water. They are fast, easy and effortless. Their filter mechanism is similar to a pump but without the manual pumping. You hang one bag on an elevated platform like a tree branch or hold it high while gravity pushes water through a filter into another bag used for collecting the filtered water. You can also collect the water into a drinking bottle. Generally, a glass or hollow fiber filter is used.
Gravity filters are compact and are lighter than a pump filter. Generally, their filters do not last that long, but using the clearest water possible helps increase their longevity.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of portable gravity water filters?
- Can filter water relatively fast, averaging half to one litre per minute
- Not as heavy compared to pump filters and are easier to carry
- Easy to clean, just reversing the water flow can clear the filter
- No moving parts, less maintenance
- Most filters can clean from 750 to 15000 litre of water which is quite less compared to pump filters
Which are the best portable gravity water filters?
Platypus GravityWorks 4.0L Filter System – Editor’s choice pick for the best portable gravity water filter
The Platypus GravityWorks 4.0L Filter System is the most widely used brand of gravity water filters due to its ease of use and simple design.
It provides clean drinking water faster than most pump water filters averaging 1.75 liters per minute.
Cleaning the unit is also very easy, just reverse the bags for seconds and you are done.
You can even attach a bottle at one end and store clean water in as many units as you want. The Platypus GravityWorks 4.0L Filter System is our Editor’s choice pick in the portable gravity water filters.
LifeStraw Family 1.0 Water Purifier – Best value pick for portable gravity water filter
The LifeStraw Family 1.0 Water Purifier is an award-winning world-renowned water filter that has been used across major human disasters since 2005.
It has a simple design where you add water to a 2-liter feed bucket and clean water comes from the other end which can be stored in different units. The filter has a life of 18000 liters and cleaning is very easy.
Another great feature of this filter is that it can filter out viruses from water apart from bacteria and protozoa.
The LifeStraw Family 1.0 Water Purifier is our Best value pick for the best portable gravity water filters.
What are Water filter straws?
Straw filters are compact, inexpensive and simple to use personal water filters that have become popular among outdoor lovers in the past decade.
As the name suggests, such filters consist of a cylindrical plastic or steel tube, which is about 1 inch in diameter. One end of the straw is put in the water and the other end can be used to suck water through the mouthpiece. And if you do not want to suck the water directly, you can fill up the water bottle or bladder with filtered water.
Such filters generally have two (activated carbon filter, followed by a hollow membrane) or three stages (additional pre-filter) of filtration and can last anywhere between 1000 to 1500 liters for Lifestraw and Etekcity to 350,000 liters for Sawyer filters. The filters are not replaceable, so once the flow from the straw stops, you would have to discard it and get a new one.
Straw water filters are more popular among solo hikers and ultralight backpackers.
The major advantages and disadvantages of water filter straws are listed below:
- Very compact in size
- Easy to use
- No moving parts and no frequent maintenance
- Cannot be used to filter and store water directly unless attached to a water bag or bottle
- Filter life is less compared to other type of filters
Which are the best portable filter straws?
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter – Editor’s choice pick for portable filter straws
The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter is an award winning water filter used around the world and the choice of millions when it comes to a portable water filter.
It is lightweight and easy to use. It can filter up to 1000 liters of water before the filter needs to be changed.
The filter can filter particles up to 0.2 microns without the use of any chemicals. Just stick it and suck it is all it takes to give you clean drinking water.
The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter is our Editor’s choice pick for the best portable water filter straws.
Etekcity Water Filtration Straw
The Etekcity filtration straw provides an efficient 3-stage filtration system which can filter up to 1500 liters (396 gallons) of water. The 0.01-micron UF membrane is superior to that found in other filtration straws.
Though its flow rate is less than the LifeStraw filter, it can filter 50% more water before needing a replacement. Moreover, each filtration system comes with a foldable water pouch, straw-extension and a syringe for back-flushing, making it a complete package. You can use the pouch and extension to fill in the filtered water and then consume it as per your convenience.
You can read more about it in the full review of Etekcity Filtration Straw.
LifeStraw Go Water Bottle
The LifeStraw Go Water Bottle provides the benefits of the LifeStraw personal Water Filter in a sports bottle that you can fill and start using to get clean drinking water.
The bottle can hold 23 ounces of water. The filter can clear 1000 liters of water before requiring replacement.
Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System – Best value pick for portable filter straws
The Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System is the ideal filter for camping, hiking, and outdoor activities. It is an ultra-portable device weighing just 2 ounces but do not get fooled by its size. It can filter up to 100000 gallons of water before the need to replace it.
The filter consists of a 0.1-micron hollow fiber membrane which is capable of filtering bacteria and protozoa. It comes with a 16-ounce reusable squeeze pouch which can be used to scoop water and use the filter to drink from it.
It also has a 7-inch drinking water straw and a cleaning plunger. The Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System is our Best value pick for the best portable filter straws .
What are chemical based water purifiers?
Chemical based water filter make use of chemicals to clean water by killing any living micro-organisms in them. They are extremely cost effective in terms of their cost and the amount of water they can filter. They can of course not remove any sediments.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of chemical based water purifiers?
- Extremely cost effective
- Ultra portable
- Slow to filter water
Which are the best chemical water purifiers?
Potable Aqua Water Treatment Tablets – Editor’s choice pick
The Potable Aqua Tablets is a great and an easy way to clean bacteria from unclean water. You get a bottle of 50 tablets which can help purify roughly 23 litres of water.
Due to its ultra-portable size, it is an ideal solution while backpacking, hiking or camping and you want to purify a large amount of water. Water is ready for consumption in 30 minutes.
The Potable Aqua Tablets is our Editor’s choice pick for the best chemical based water purifiers.
The Aquamira – Water Treatment Drops – Best value pick
The Aquamira – Water Treatment Drops is a liquid chlorine dioxide water treatment drops that clean water better than iodine or chlorine and leaves no after taste.
Two 1 ounce bottles can purify up to 113 liters of water. Due to its ultra-portable size, it is an ideal solution while hiking, backpacking and camping when safe drinking water is not available.
The Aquamira – Water Treatment Drops is our Best value pick for the best chemical based water purifiers category.
Final thoughts on the best water filters
When shopping for the best portable water filter, it is important to consider not only the size of the filter but also other important factors like outflow per minute, treatment capacity, filter pore size, ease of use, cost and the type best suited for your needs. In this guide, we compared some of the best portable water filter options available in the market and help you choose the best filter that suits your needs.
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Image credits: Amazon.com
Great article!
Thanks Mark for the feedback and keep visiting.