Best Water Treatment for Backpacking Hiking Reviews 2019
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| Water Filter | Score | Weight | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top Pick: Katadyn Hiker | 97 | eleven oz | Pump |
| Best for Groups: Platypus GravityWorks 4L | 93 | 11.5 oz | Gravity |
| Best for Individuals: Katadyn BeFree | 92 | two oz | Clasp |
| MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter | 91 | 16 oz | Pump |
| All-time Value: Sawyer Squeeze | 87 | three oz | Squeeze/Inline |
| Sawyer Micro Squeeze | 86 | ii oz | Squeeze |
| Sawyer Mini | 85 | 2 oz | Squeeze |
| LifeStraw | 85 | 1.6 oz | Direct |
| Steripen Adventurer Opti | 82 | 4 oz | UV Light |
| Aquamira Water Treatment Drops | 73 | ii oz | Chemical |
Nosotros put 10 of the all-time backpacking water filters and purifiers to the exam. Afterward months of field utilise and tests, we determined that the Katadyn Hiker was our all-around Summit Pick. It'southward convenient, easy to use, and filters large volumes of water speedily.
For larger groups, nosotros absolutely love the Platypus GravityWorks 4L. For individuals, the Katadyn BeFree was our favorite. Finally, if you lot want a versatile filter at a great cost, the Sawyer Clasp won our Best Value award.
Read on for our full reviews and for advice on choosing the best backpacking water filter or purifier for your next trip.
Superlative Selection: Katadyn Hiker
The Katadyn Hiker is our acme all-around pick. It's versatile, intuitive to use, and quick to set up and kickoff filtering.
Katadyn claims a menstruation rate of 1 liter per minute, and based on our tests that's pretty much spot on. Filtering one liter, including setup time, took just over a minute and a one-half. This filter was past far the quickest at filtering iv liters, at a little under v and a half minutes.
We loved the versatility of this pump. It includes ii adapters, one for water bottles and one for water bladders.
The bottle adapter fits on a wide-mouth Nalgene (although we would have liked a slightly more secure fit as information technology had a tendency to pop out while we were pumping). The h2o bladder adapter snaps into the hose attachment of most water bladders (we tested information technology on a Camelbak and an Osprey).
One drawback with this filter is that replacement filter cartridges are pricey, and in our feel the filters don't final quite equally long as another brands. We have too seen some reviewers complain that the plastic hose attachments can break off, although we used the Hiker extensively and never had this issue.
11 oz may exist a bear upon the heavy side for solo or ultralight backpackers, but the trade-off in convenience, ease of use, and speed is more than than worth it for those who aren't counting ounces.
Product Specs
- Weight: 11 oz
- Group Size: 1-2
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Glassfiber/carbon filter
Best Backpacking Water Filter for Larger Groups: Platypus GravityWorks 4L
For capacity and convenience, nada beats the Platypus GravityWorks 4L.
Although the GravityWorks was one of the slower filters, well-nigh all of that time is passive. No pumping or stirring — just relax, enjoy the scenery, and let gravity practice all the work for you lot.
Information technology was the slowest in our exam at filtering just ane liter, just information technology's fabricated to be a higher capacity filter. Once you get to iv liters, it'southward about on par with the pump filters.
Although nosotros didn't test the fourth dimension to filter eight liters, we'd bet that this would be by far the fastest to go you that quantity of clean h2o.
The GravityWorks also has an amazing amount of storage. Each bag has a 4-liter capacity. This means with the clean water pocketbook full and the dirty h2o handbag ready to become, yous tin can have 8 liters of water on tap at campsite. We never realized how much of a luxury that was until we used the GravityWorks.
It's not perfect, though. Finding a place to hang the bags can be tricky, and we worried that the plastic would tear while nosotros were trying to maneuver information technology through tree branches to discover the perfect spot. It seems fairly durable, though. We never had whatever issues.
Trying to fill the dirty water bag in a pond or small stream is tricky. If your water source isn't a decent-sized stream, filling the bag tin can exist slow and frustrating. It'south difficult to get it to naught closed securely.
For smaller groups of backpackers trying to movement fast, this isn't the best selection. It'due south non the quickest way to filter a couple of liters on the go. Merely for larger groups, or for backpackers who like to base of operations camp in a spot for a couple of days, this is ane of the virtually convenient ways to have readily available clean h2o around camp.
Product Specs
- Weight: 11.five oz
- Group Size: 2-4
- Filter/Purification Machinery: Hollow fiber filter
Best Personal Backpacking Water Filter: Katadyn BeFree
For filtering h2o on the go, the Katadyn BeFree quickly became our go-to. This tiny, easy-to-utilise filter weighs just two oz and fits but near anywhere.
We too loved how the filter sits inside of the canteen, making it easy to use and acquit. Other personal filters that nosotros tested stuck out from the top of the bottle, requiring juggling a separate cap for the bottle or carrying around an bad-mannered appliance. The Katadyn BeFree felt more streamlined and enjoyable to use.
It was i of the quickest h2o filters in our test, taking just under a minute to filter a liter of h2o. Whether drinking directly from the bottle or using it to squeeze h2o into a Nalgene, the malleable bottle was the easiest to handle and squeeze.
The filter is incompatible with most other water bottles and containers, unfortunately. If you desire to switch out the included container for something larger, equally of this writing you lot're express to Hydrapak'southward collapsible water containers.
The unique filter requires footling maintenance — cleaning it is as simple as swishing some water around in the bottle to dislodge any particles.
We recommend doing this often to maximize the lifespan of the filter. Reports of the flow charge per unit decreasing profoundly over time abound. Later on a summer of field testing we've yet to experience a substantial decrease in flow rate, but we'll update this review should that change.
Overall, this is an awesome filter that we loved throwing in our packs for long days on the trail or for quick fill-ups when nosotros didn't want to suspension out a full treatment system.
Product Specs
- Weight: 2 oz
- Group Size: 1
- Filter/Purification Machinery: Hollow fiber filter
Best Value: Sawyer Clasp
The Sawyer Clasp hands won our All-time Value honour. It's lightweight, unproblematic to use, versatile, and incredibly affordable.
Nosotros tested three dissimilar squeeze-style filters from Sawyer, and this was our favorite. It had the quickest menstruum rate and was the easiest to squeeze h2o through.
Sawyer wins versatility points over the Katadyn BeFree. This filter is compatible non only with numerous brands of collapsible h2o bottles, including Evernew and old Platypus containers, but too with nearly plastic h2o or soda bottles.
The Squeeze is definitely a little bad-mannered to drink from, with the filter sticking out on tiptop of the water canteen. Nosotros as well found that Sawyer's included collapsible bottles weren't as easy or enjoyable to apply as Katadyn'south more flexible bottle.
Those are minor gripes, though. The versatility and quality that you become for a relatively depression toll blew us away. The Squeeze is an piece of cake choice for our Best Value honour.
Product Specs
- Weight: 3 oz
- Grouping Size: 1
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Hollow cobweb filter
Reviews of the 6 Other Backpacking Water Filters & Purifiers Nosotros Tested
MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter
The MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter is a relatively burly backpacking filter with a ceramic and carbon medium that produces clean, clear, gustation-gratis water.
We love that the filter is easy to make clean and maintain in the field, though it requires fairly regular cleaning.
MSR claims a flow rate of i liter per minute, but we were far from that in our tests. Pumping four liters of articulate h2o felt tedious, fifty-fifty after stopping to clean the filter.
We counted over 70 pumps per liter, compared to around 50 pumps per liter for the Katadyn Hiker. The pump as well required more than force than the Katadyn Hiker, making pumping water into a bit of a chore.
Another pocket-sized gripe is the lack of versatility or compatibility with water containers. The filter screws neatly onto a Nalgene and MSR's water bladders, but it's difficult and awkward to filter water into anything else.
Ceramic filters typically last longer than other types. If y'all filter a lot of water, this may be a better long-term value than other pump filters. If yous're willing to put up with a picayune more work and maintenance, this filter is all the same a neat option.
Product Specs
- Weight: 16 oz
- Group Size: ii-4
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Ceramic and carbon
Sawyer Micro Squeeze
We were impressed with how well the tiny Micro Squeeze worked.
It weighs the same as the Sawyer Mini, but information technology was essentially faster at filtering and easier to drink through (though the larger Squeeze still trounce it out). Information technology'south the least awkward of the three Sawyer filters to drinkable from, thank you to its shorter design.
The Sawyer Squeeze but barely inched ahead and took our Best Value award because of its versatility and amend menstruum rate. Simply the Micro Squeeze is yet a practiced selection for a meaty and inexpensive filter.
Product Specs
- Weight: 2 oz
- Group Size: 1
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Hollow fiber filter
Sawyer Mini
Overall, we liked the compact and slim design of the Sawyer Mini. It has the benefit of being slightly less awkward and pinnacle-heavy than the Sawyer Squeeze when attached to a water canteen.
Notwithstanding, it was the slowest of the individual filters, and the nigh difficult to squeeze water through.
It's likewise the least expensive, so if you lot are looking for the cheapest way to filter your water and don't heed putting in more effort, it's a great product.
If yous tin can spend a few actress bucks on the Micro Squeeze or the Squeeze, though, nosotros'd recommend those for their amend flow rate.
Product Specs
- Weight: 2 oz
- Group Size: 1
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Hollow fiber filter
Long-Term Testing Notes
99Boulders owner and editor Alex Beale has been using the Sawyer Mini for the past two years. He's used it on backpacking trips across the country, from the Appalachian Trail in Georgia to the One thousand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in Utah.
It's incredibly compact and lightweight, he says, and notes that it'southward worth considering if you're trying to become ultralight.
His main gripe — consistent with our field testing results — is the depression flow rate. It was acceptable at the showtime, he says, simply it speedily decreased to exist quite slow. He's recently switched to a Sawyer Squeeze for the meliorate flow charge per unit, and now thinks the Squeeze is a better alternative for nearly hikers.
LifeStraw
With no storage chapters or power to pump water into another container, the LifeStraw has limited usefulness and definitely isn't meant to exist a primary water filter.
Notwithstanding, nosotros were impressed with this unproblematic piffling device. Information technology's equally easy to utilise as any straw. Simply pop off the caps, dip one cease into a h2o source, and beverage.
We found it easy to drink through, with fiddling resistance, and nosotros never noticed whatever sediment getting through even in some fairly murky ponds.
Lifestraw claims their products can filter up to iv,000 liters and last for up to 5 years before needing replaced. At only 2 oz, and with no parts to neglect, intermission, or lose, nosotros recall the LifeStraw is a good emergency backup if your primary water treatment mechanism fails.
Product Specs
- Weight: 2 oz
- Grouping Size: i
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Hollow cobweb filter
Steripen Adventurer Opti
The Steripen is unique in the water filter world. It'south not a water filter, but a UV water purifier. It uses UV light to disrupt the replication of bacteria and viruses, rendering them harmless.
It's also effective against viruses, which are besides small for nigh filters. While viruses typically aren't an outcome for backpackers in North America, if you are traveling internationally this can be a lifesaver.
The Adventurer Opti certainly has its drawbacks. While it is lightning fast for filtering a liter or two along the trail, it gets tedious to filter larger quantities of h2o. It besides simply works with a difficult-sided bottle of 1 liter or smaller.
What'south more, the Adventurer Opti model in particular is only compatible with wide-mouth water bottles such as a Nalgene. It won't fit inside standard-mouth bottles such equally smartwater bottles. (A different model, the Steripen Ultra, is compatible with smartwater bottles.)
As with any electronic device, Steripens can be finicky. The Charlatan Opti has overheated on us when purifying large amounts of water. We had to accept the batteries out to let information technology absurd down.
Of course, batteries dice. You'll need to bring backups or at to the lowest degree a backup filter/purifier if this is your main way to purify your water.
The Charlatan Opti too has a complex code of cherry-red and green flashes to signify everything from depression batteries, to the lamp beingness broken, to a successful cycle of purification. Nosotros were often left guessing at what the Steripen was trying to tell the states.
While it doesn't take a waterproof rating, we've accidentally dropped ours in a liter of water. When we pulled information technology out after nearly v seconds, the battery compartment was completely dry and the device suffered no sick effects.
Despite these reliability concerns the Steripen has never let us down. We've used it with some questionable water sources, too.
For minimalists and solo backpackers, or for international travelers, the Steripen is a fantastic footling gadget — 1 we recommend for those who empathise and don't mind the drawbacks.
Product Specs
- Weight: 4 oz
- Group Size: i-2
- Filter/Purification Machinery: UV calorie-free
Aquamira Water Treatment Drops
Aquamira is extremely uncomplicated to use — just mix equal parts of Part A and Part B in the cap provided and add together information technology to your water.
Aquamira recommends waiting 5 minutes for the chemicals to activate before calculation them to your water, and another 15 minutes (minimum) for the treatment to work.
20 minutes is a long time to wait for water to be ready, then information technology wasn't our preferred selection when trying to cover a lot of distance or refill quickly from steams along our road.
The taste wasn't as bad as we'd expected, and not as bad as some h2o purification tablets, but information technology was noticeable. We found ourselves missing that crisp taste of fresh mountain water.
Every bit with any h2o purifier, this won't remove whatever sediment from your water, so you should exist prepared to pair your Aquamira with a prefilter if necessary.
Despite the drawbacks of Aquamira, there's no denying that information technology is constructive. We know backpackers who swear by Aquamira and have used it on many international trips where water contamination and viruses are a major business organisation.
If yous have the fourth dimension to expect for your water to be purified, Aquamira drops are a reliable fashion to go rubber drinking water just about anywhere.
Product Specs
- Weight: 2 oz
- Group Size: ane-2
- Filter/Purification Mechanism: Chlorine dioxide
Summary
Here are the best backpacking water filters and purifiers:
- Katadyn Hiker
- Platypus GravityWorks 4L
- Katadyn BeFree
- MSR MiniWorks EX
- Sawyer Squeeze
- Sawyer Mini
- Sawyer Micro Clasp
- Lifestraw
- Steripen Adventurer Opti
- Aquamira H2o Treatment Drops
How to Cull the All-time Backpacking Water Filter or Purifier for Your Needs
Types of Backpacking Water Filters & Purifiers
Pump filters – With these filters, you lot manually pump water from a water source through a filter typically made of hollow fibers or ceramic. These tend to exist heavier and bulkier than other options, but for many backpackers, the ease of utilize and reliability makes upwards for the weight punishment.
Gravity filters – These work similar to pump filters, except that gravity does all the piece of work. Gravity filters unremarkably take a piffling fleck longer than pump filters, only they involve much less work and are great for large quantities of water.
Individual filters – Designed to fit onto a water canteen or to drinkable directly from a water source, these small filters are meaty, simple, and perfect for getting clean water on-the-go. They don't have a very loftier capacity or much power to store water. You typically either squeeze or suck water through them directly into your mouth or another water bottle.
Chemical purifiers – Using either iodine or chlorine dioxide, chemical purifiers involve adding a small amount of chemicals to your h2o. Somewhen, these chemicals volition kill annihilation in the water, while remaining condom for you to drinkable. Although they are incredibly light and compact, chemical purifiers take a long time to piece of work (at to the lowest degree 15 minutes for i liter, and longer to kill off everything). They can also leave an unpleasant chemical taste in water. For most backpackers, this is a backup or last resort method of h2o treatment.
UV low-cal purifiers – Relatively new the the water treatment world, these gadgets use UV light to disrupt the replication of leaner and viruses, rendering them harmless. They are fairly quick and easy to apply for pocket-sized quantities of water, simply they have the drawback of relying on batteries and finicky electronics.
Filters vs. Purifiers
Water handling methods fall into one of two categories: filters or purifiers.
Water filters force the h2o through a medium that filters out particles over a certain size. They typically catch about bacteria, cysts, and protozoa, just they aren't effective confronting viruses. Filters are typically quicker and better for murky h2o sources.
Water purifiers don't remove anything from the water. Instead they use either chemicals or UV calorie-free to kill or return harmless any bacteria or viruses in the water. Purifiers are improve for more than heavily contaminated h2o sources and for international travel, where viruses are a concern.
Your H2o Source
Cleaner h2o: If the water sources for your trip will be primarily pristine, untouched alpine streams, then simply about any filter or purifier volition do.
Questionable or sediment-laden h2o: If you expect to be getting your water from murky ponds or potentially contaminated sources, y'all'll want to go a filter that tin handle murky water. You may want to avoid purifiers as they won't do anything to articulate out sediment. Or pair your purifier with a prefilter such every bit a bandana or coffee filter to remove equally much sediment equally possible.
Locations with viruses: Also consider where you'll be doing your backpacking. In North America, viruses similar norovirus and Hepatitis A typically aren't concern. In many places overseas, these and other viruses can pose a chance to backpackers. If yous are traveling internationally, a chemical or UV purifier, or a filter with pores small-scale enough to capture viruses, is your safest bet.
How We Tested
Ease of Set-Up & Utilise
Nosotros assembled and disassembled each pump multiple times, both in the field and at home. Nosotros considered, how quickly we could get it prepare, how intuitive it was to use, and the difficulty and frequency of maintenance required.
Menstruum Rate Test
We wanted to know how quickly each pump could filter h2o, and so nosotros timed how long information technology took to filter ane liter of h2o
Note: Nosotros did not include the LifeStraw in this test because there's no way to filter water into another container with it.
Field Testing
We used these water filters and purifiers in the field on our backpacking trips for a summertime, testing them in a multifariousness of atmospheric condition from murky ponds to clear alpine streams.
Source: https://www.99boulders.com/best-backpacking-water-filters