When you find a water source when hiking it is essential you purify it. The question is: what system of water purification for hiking do you need? This guide will help you choose the best backpacking water filter system, you will discover all the advantages and disadvantages of the most popular ways of water purification and filtering.
Comparison Table of the Best Backpacking Water Filters
Last update on 2023-12-10 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Last update on 2023-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Some of you may ask why collecting and purifying water when I can carry my own potable water from home. That may be possible when it comes to small distance hikes or day hikes but for long treks, or overnight hiking water becomes the heaviest item to carry, and sometimes your daily needs in water are just too much to be carried.
In general, you will need an extra liter of water for every 4 to 5 miles (6.5 to 8 km) of hiking. One liter of water weighs 1 kg so make the calculation.
This article will help you choose a water purifier system that corresponds best to your needs or realize that the one you use is not appropriate.
If you think that putting a Micropur tablet in a bottle of water allows you to drink any water, you are wrong.
If you think that filtering polluted water with the latest best hiking water filter will prevent you from being sick, you are wrong again.
It’s like when you are buying antivirus for your computer, when we buy a water purification system, we quickly have the impression that we are protected against all contaminants – especially when it is an expensive one. The reality is entirely different.
How to properly collect water and prepare it?
Whether you purify your water or not, you must collect and prepare it properly to limit the risks. Here are a few tips to do this:
- Collect water as clear as possible and the most upstream as possible of human activities.
- Collect water as far as possible from all polluting activities.
- Avoid stagnant water; micro-organisms develop there more easily.
- If the water is cloudy or contains particulate matter, it is preferable to pre-filter it or to decant it to get rid of these particles.
Why and how to obtain clear water?
If you intend to purify water, it is essential that it be clear if you use a filter, a chemical purifier, or a UV treatment. It will prevent clogging your filter or reducing the effectiveness of the UV chemical or treatment. If you do not intend to purify water, this is not essential, but it will avoid the taste of mud and the sand that crunches under your teeth.
The settling of the water consists of putting the water in a container and allows it to rest. It allows the particles in suspension in the water to fall to the bottom of the container. The smaller and lighter the particles, the longer the process will take.
If the particles are very small or very light, it is preferable to pre-filter the water. You can do this by passing the water through a coffee filter, a piece of cloth, a tee-shirt, or another filter medium.
Once your water is clear and ready to be purified, shake the container to oxygenate the water and get rid of a part of the anaerobic organisms.
Boiling
The principle of this method is simple. You just need to boil the water for a while to kill the pathogenic organisms. It is undoubtedly the first thing that most people think of to get rid of the contaminants present in the water. The problem with this method is that it has a lot of drawbacks and only a few benefits for hikers.
Advantages:
- Ideal for cooking.
- Eliminates most of the bacteria, viruses, and micro-organisms.
- No additional hardware required (if you already have a stove) and fuel, of course.
Disadvantages:
- Uses extra fuel.
- Long process – even longer in higher altitude.
- The purified water is hot. It is not ideal if you want to drink it and refresh yourself.
- Bad taste – after boiling water has a flat taste.
- Does not eliminate particles.
- Does not eliminate chemical pollutants.
How much time do we need to boil water?
The required boiling time is difficult to determine because it depends on the type of pathogenic organisms present in the water as well as the altitude where you are.
At sea level, water boils at 212°F (100°C). The majority of biological contaminants are killed in less than a minute at this temperature.
For the same result, it is necessary that the boiling lasts a few minutes when the water is at 85°C (boiling temperature of water at 4500 m or 14,700 ft of altitude) and approximately 30 minutes when the water is at 70°C (boiling temperature of the water on the summit of Everest).
Backpacking water filters
The theory of a filter is simple: water passes through small size pores which retain the microorganisms and particles – like a sieve to drain pasta.
Many different types of filters exist. Some are equipped with a membrane, others with cartridges, some are made of glass fiber, and others out of ceramic. The size of the pores varies – the smaller the pores, the more effective the filter is.
Most current hiking water filters have pores with a size from 0.1 to 0.3 microns (micrometers) and retain everything that has a size bigger than that. Some will go down to 15 nanometers (0.015 microns).
Some filters use only a mechanical filter, while others combine chemical treatments, active carbon, silver nanoparticles, or other, for greater efficiency and versatility.
It is essential for you to know what are the advantages and disadvantages of backpacking water filters.
Advantages:
- Quick process – allows you to purify a large quantity of water quickly enough (depending on the type of filter). The smaller the pores, the lower the flow, and the slower the process.
- Possibility of drinking the water directly after the filtration.
- Eliminates particles and sediments.
- Some eliminate a part of the chemical contaminants – when the pores are quite small.
- Eliminates most of the bacteria and micro-organisms – this is the case of the conventional filters of 0.1 to 0.3 microns or smaller.
Disadvantages:
- High price.
- Maintenance – it is necessary to clean the filters. Otherwise, they become clogged, and the biological contaminants can develop there. It is one of the things that the active carbon or the silver nanoparticles in some filters prevent.
- Weight – this varies depending on the filters but is generally higher than other means of purification.
- Most filters do not eliminate viruses (in any case the smaller one). This is the case of the conventional filters at 0.1 to 0.3 microns. However, there are filters that will eliminate almost 100% of viruses, either through the tiny pores or through an associated chemical treatment.
- It is necessary to hand pump most of the filters, which can be tiring. It is a bit like using a bicycle pump. Some filters use gravity or suction and do not have this inconvenience.
- They can become dirty and clog up. The flow of water can then become very low or even stop.
- They can crack or get damaged due to frost, shocks, or other. In this case, they become ineffective or unusable.
Good to know:
Some bacteria are not eliminated by the filters of 0.2 microns or more. For example, this is the case for the bacterium responsible for leptospirosis which has a size of 0.1 to 0.2 microns.
Active carbon
Some filters use activated carbon. Active carbon makes the water clearer, improves the smell and the taste, and above all absorbs a large number of chemicals such as chlorine, iodine, some heavy metals, pesticides, etc. that are therefore not present in the filtered water. On the other hand, when it is associated with a filter, it decreases the flow of filtered water.
Useful Tip:
It may be difficult to filter water directly from a small river or a puddle of water, keeping the collection nozzle high enough in the water to avoid particles on the bottom. In this case, it is convenient to have a container with which to collect the water and decant it if necessary. The water can then be filtered from the container.
You can find the best backpacking straws and pump water filters reviewed here.
Chemical purifiers
The principle is the same as for any decontaminator. It consists of introducing a chemical product in the water and waiting for some time for the chemical reaction to take place to get rid of biological contaminants. There is a multitude of chemical purifiers. For hiking, the most common are purification tablets.
Advantages:
- Light – with a few grams you can purify dozens of liters of water.
- Not bulky.
- Inexpensive.
- Eliminates most of the bacteria and viruses.
- Some eliminate micro-organisms depending on the chemicals used.
Disadvantages:
- Bad taste – tastes like drinking the water of a swimming pool.
- Expiration date – the purification tablets have an expiry date beyond which it is not advisable to use.
- Long process – the waiting time (contact time) goes from half an hour to 2 hours depending on the brand and the degree of disinfection than you want, even longer when the water is cold or cloudy.
- Must be used with clear water.
- You must respect the temperature of effectiveness.
- Some chemical purifiers do not eliminate all types of micro-organisms – some do not eliminate Giardia and Cryptosporidium, for example.
- Do not remove particles.
- Do not remove chemical pollutants.
- Should not be used too regularly – can damage the intestinal flora.
- Not recommended for people suffering from blood diseases or glandular disorders nor for pregnant women.
The characteristics of all chemical purifiers are very different. Here are those of two very commonly used:
- Micropur Forte is effective after 30 min for bacteria and viruses, and 2 hrs for the majority of micro-organisms (including Giardia), and amoebae. It contains silver ions, which allows you to keep the treated water for 60 days.
- Aquatabs is effective after 30 minutes for bacteria, viruses, and some micro-organisms (Giardia for example but not Cryptosporidium). The water can be stored for 24 hrs only.
Useful Tips:
- To eliminate “the taste of pool”, it is possible to add some fruit juice in powder or vitamin C into the treated water. Do this once the purification is complete because Vitamin C can neutralize the effect of iodine or chlorine.
- Given that it is necessary to wait for the chemical purifiers to be effective, I advise you to take at least two containers to alternate. In this way, one of them will contain purified water and the other the water in the purification phase.
UV (ultraviolet) water filters
This process uses UV rays that neutralize the organisms present in the water by preventing them from reproducing.
UV Purification Systems (portable UV lamps) have been recently developed and treat water through the emission of UV rays. They are generally similar to a pen, that is immersed in a container filled with water. Then you just have to activate it and to shake it for a few minutes to purify the water.
Advantages:
- Not bulky
- Lightweight
- Convenient
- Effective – eliminates 99.9% of pathogenic organisms
- Fast – 1 to 2 minutes for 1 liter of water.
Disadvantages:
- Require batteries – which are not practical in hiking, especially for long hikes or treks
- Requires rather clear water
- High price
- Fragile
- Do not kill the organisms but prevents their reproduction. After a UV treatment, it is, therefore, necessary to avoid exposing the treated water to the light of the day during a prolonged period – which could allow some organisms to reactivate.
- Does not eliminate chemical pollutants.
Good to know:
Some people use the sun to do this. The water to be purified is contained in a plastic bottle (PET), which has been shaken to oxygenate the water and eliminate certain organisms. It is then placed in the sun for 6 to 24 hrs depending on the solar radiation. Of course, this method is long, debatable, and requires sunlight. But it is better than nothing and good to know in an emergency or survival situation.
How to choose your system of backpacking water purifier and filter?
The advantages and disadvantages of each system presented above should already give you a good idea of what filter would be better for you.
Ask yourself first what types of contaminants you may encounter (viruses, chemical contaminants, etc) and choose from there. Your choice will mainly depend then on your practice and what you prefer – this may be the weight, the taste, the price, the versatility, the speed, etc.
Some people use a combination of different systems to improve efficiency and better respond to their needs.
Combination of water purification systems
Here are a few examples:
- Boiling + filter with activated carbon: boiling eliminates viruses, bacteria, and micro-organisms. The carbon filter eliminates chemical contaminants and particles.
- Filter + chemical purifier (or UV treatment): the filter eliminates most of the bacteria and micro-organisms and larger viruses as well as particles. The purifier (or the UV treatment) eliminates the smaller size viruses once the water is clear.
Some thoughts:
In most of your hikes, when it is possible to find drinking water at the bivouacs, you don’t need to purify all the water that you will consume. You can then use Micropur Forte “just in case” where and when there are not enough points of drinking water on your trek.
Two crucial points: Get informed on all the freshwater options during the preparations for your hike, and properly collect your water.
These are all the more critical in desert regions like in Australia where the evaporation increases the concentration of chemical contaminants in certain waters.
A few additional tips to conclude
You should now know what system is best for you. There are other systems less frequently used, such as oxidation, distillation, or reverse osmosis, but I will not be introducing them here as they are not practical for the trail.
In conclusion, a few tips, in no particular order:
- It seems to be a piece of basic advice, but read the instructions and the characteristics of the purifier system. Each system is different, and it is therefore imperative that you understand how it works, in what conditions as well as the types of contaminants that it will eliminate. Once you have read, follow the instructions. Otherwise, it’s like drinking the water without purification.
- Pay attention to the neck and cap of your containers. Microorganisms may be hiding there. Clean these parts with purified water.
- It is always handy to have two containers at a minimum, either for decanting, pre-filtering, or purifying the water.
- Have you thought about a backup solution if ever one of your systems of purification does not work? A filter can be clogged or cracked, and a UV lamp can cease to function, etc.
- Pay attention to your hygiene. Filtering your water is necessary, but if you do not have correct hygiene, there’s not much point in it. It would be like having spotless dishes but not wash your hands to eat.
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A lot of great information!
This topic is new to me and I’ve just started to learn about the importance of backpacking water Filter & Purifier.
I’m glad you like the article Charles!
Thank you so much Lara, for sharing your valuable information with us. Your ultimate guide of backpacking water purifier will help us to pick the best one.
Thank you Harry, glad you liked it.
Great article, very informative.
Taste isn’t really an issue in the White Mountains, so I use a Sawyer squeeze bag, and a drink-through filter. I was carrying 5.5 lbs of water (2.5 liters). Now I just bring a liter, and use the filter for the rest.
Thanks for sharing this.
Thanks, Lisa.
I know the feeling, they use to call me the water carrier 😉
Thanks for sharing the post. It is necessary to purify your water before drinking to stay fit and healthy.
Thanks for the tip.