Photo by Robert Ritchie on Unsplash

Hydration, to go: a quick guide to water filters

We try packing light for every hiking, biking, and backpacking trip—then we stare down our water bottles, which weigh multiple pounds each. Yet, water is one of the most mandatory things to have with you on every adventure outing, so you really can’t skimp. Water filters are the most wonderful solution for saving weight and staying hydrated. You can stop at any stream, river, spring, or lake and top off. Some of them are sleek, easy-to-carry water bottles with built-in filters, while others are more robust systems that can quickly filter gallons of clean water for your entire backpacking dinner party. Our parents boiled their camp water and used chemical purification tablets, and while those options do work, today’s water filtration systems are fast, easy to use, portable, and make hydration (plus camp cooking, camp dishes, coffee/tea water, and most importantly hot toddy water) a cinch. It’s easy to get lost in the maze of options, so here’s a little overview.

A note on filters vs purifiers:

There are lots of nuances between the different types of water filters, but keep in mind that a purifier is a different thing—only a purifier can remove or kill viruses. Viruses are less of a concern in the US and Canada, but if you’re going abroad to a place where the water is x-tra funky, make sure the filter you get is also designated a purifier (or get purification tablets). No one likes exotic protozoa in their guts. Photo by Manny Moreno on Unsplash

Types of filtration systems:

Nearly every water filter relies on some sort of cartridge that sifts out the bad stuff (cooties and dirt) and sends clean drinkable water out. These cartridges all have their various branded selling-points, but all of them eventually gunk up and need to be replaced. Follow manufacturer care instructions carefully, rinsing and drying the filter after each trip so it doesn’t get funky in there. Replace it according to the manufacturer recommendations—it’s not an expensive thing to swap out, and it makes filtering go much more smoothly and effectively. Pumps: These guys aren’t quite as sleek as the filter bottles, but they really crank out some good volume. Typically you’ll drop an intake hose into your water source. Most models use some sort of pre-filter near the intake hose to keep large sediment out. As you pump, water streams in and gets pushed through the filter. This style of system is excellent for producing higher volumes of water—enough to keep your bottles and hydration bladders well filled, with plenty of water for making dinner, doing dishes, etc. In just a few minutes, you can “make” enough water for your evening camp. Gravity filters: These systems spare you the elbow-grease of pumping, and they’re an easy way to filter enough water for a big group (for whom pumping would get tiresome). You fill an upper vessel with unfiltered water, hang it up high on a tree or other structure, and let the water drip through the filtration cartridge. Slowly but surely, a clean-water reservoir fills up below. And you, simply for being patient, have a nice big batch of drinking water. Bottles: Much favored by the fast-and-light crew as well as day hikers, filtration bottles are really having a moment. Whether they’re rigid “French press style” bottles from a brand like Grayl or a soft-walled squeeze bottle with a filtered drinking valve like Katadyn’s latest models, you can filter small batches of water as you go through your day. Every time you cross a water source, you can dip in and top off your hydration.This is phenomenal if you’re covering miles in an area with recurring water sources, but not terribly useful if you only come across one water source all day and your bottle is a measly 750ml. That carrying capacity just won’t keep you hydrated for the rest of the day. If this is the case, you can use a “French press” type of bottle to clean water and fill larger vessels for transport throughout your day. Straws: Landing in the ultra ultra minimalist category are filtration straws, which bequeath you with the experience of crouching to the ground and slurping water right out of a puddle, stream, or lake, with the water passing through an in-straw cartridge. This looks very MacGyver-y but feels impractical for most adventurists’ purposes, as you can’t fill a bottle to carry with you, fill a pot of water for cooking or dishes, or access any potable water without a source right next to you. UV light purifiers: You may have seen UV light water purifiers on the market, and the good ones are indeed great—fast, simple, and effective. You just dip the glowstick contraption in your drinking water, agitate according to manufacturer directions, and presto.Their only downsides are that they cost more, require battery power, and won’t work in murky water. If you’re going somewhere with nice flowing stream water, it’s a solid way to go. But if you’re going to be out on a long trip, you’ll need to think about recharging the device, and if you’re headed to a place with cloudy or muddy water, it’s not the best bet.

Keeping backups in mind.

The systems described above all have their pros, cons, and failure points. Remember that you can always boil your water or drop in chemical tablets, which you should always carry with you even if you aren’t usually a chemical-y kind of person. The tablets weigh little and are a good failsafe in case your filter breaks when you’re miles from nowhere and need a slurp.

On-the-go filtering is a game changer.

With a little strategic thinking, you can plot your water carrying around your adventures’ water crossings and save lots of weight (and effort) lugging a bunch of heavy water around. It becomes a fun game of logistical optimization, drinking up when you’re at a stream, filling your vessel, and biding your time till the next top-off point. We love the challenge as well as the weight savings. *** There are usually plenty of UnNew water filters and purification systems just waiting for someone to snap them up on Geartrade, so have a gander and let us know what you love. We especially love getting tagged in your adventure pics, with that UnNew gear doing its thang in the wild.