Backpackers should have a gravity filter

Clear water. I can’t live long without it. It’s vital to the human body, and sickness from polluted water is a constant concern.Whether you’re venturing down streams in your local national park or climbing remote mountains, a gravity filter water or gravity filter you can rely on. It’s a lifesaver (literally) when you have it by your side.

In this guide, we put hours of research into the best lightweight water filters for backpacking, trekking, and travel adventures around the world.

Types of water purifiers and filters

Gravity filter

These filters use the natural force of gravity to push water through the filter from one container to the next. It’s the quickest and easiest way to filter water because it requires little manual effort other than filling a dirty container with water and hanging or holding it on a tree.

Gravity filters work by using the downward force of gravity to move dirty water through a filter and into a clean container. Platypus – Our top pick for the best filters for backpacking is a gravity filter that does an amazing job of producing 4 liters per minute. Due to their speed and efficiency, gravity filters are ideal for couples and small groups of backpackers who want to share the same water filter.

They produce enough water to cook and drink in a short amount of time. The only drawback is that the system is a bit larger than a pump or straw system. This is because for sewage he will always need one section or bag, and then another section or bag for supplying clean water.

Minimal backpackers and solo backpackers may find gravity filters overkill, but for long trips and group rides, gravity filters are a great option.To place your bag in a tree or Note that you’ll want a gradient (or just hold the bag). However, there are no real restrictions on where we can use the bag.

Pump filter/purifier

The most common option, these filters use a pump to push water through a filter and into a container of clean drinking water. Pump filters have been around for the longest time and are an effective solution for moving water through filters. The pump action pressurizes the water and forces it through a fine filter to a clean edge, ready for drinking or cooking.

The downside is that unlike gravity systems, it requires some manual effort to operate. Pumping with a modern system takes less than a few minutes to produce the right amount of water, but you still have to work hard to reap the rewards.

Older filtration systems with less efficient pumps can be a little more work and require a little more care and cleaning, but if you’re on a high-end model, all the benefits of a filter and water purifier are there. You get one.

Bottle filter/water purifier

These are smaller, more compact systems that use suction from your mouth to force water through a filter as you drink. The water content is pretty low, but enough to drink straight from the bottle until thirst.

Some systems allow the water to be squeezed into a container that can be stored later, while others allow it to flow directly through the filter into the mouth when drinking from the bottle.

Most bottle systems are filters, but some like the Grayl Ultralight use a French Press system that acts as both a filter and a water purifier, compressing the filter in one action while processing the water. The only problem is that the filters have a fairly short lifespan and don’t have much capacity. This makes it a good option for hikers roaming alone in high-risk areas and looking for additional virus filtering protection.

Straw filter

Ultralight and perfect for solo backpackers, hikers and minimalist packers – the Straw Filter is a simple little tube he filter that sucks directly from the source to your lips.

Straw filters use tiny pores to filter out particles and bacteria when water is into the cartridge. The water purifier is small, but it effectively removes protozoa and bacteria (such as salmonella and E. coli), but you have to suck a lot to get the reward.

Straw filters are great for drinking on the go, but they don’t produce the amount of water you need for cooking (besides the fact that they’re convenient to take from your mouth to your pot!).

Highly polluted water sources, which may contain human waste, usually have viruses that straws cannot protect against, so if this is a concern, a more robust gravity filter or Look for the pump system. For most trips in low-risk areas such as high mountain streams and snowmelts, straws are a safe bet.

Straw filters are a lightweight, cost-effective drinking solution, but you can’t filter and store water for later, so you rely on your water source to make it available.

Considerations for choosing water filters

Water filters effect

Effectiveness is the ability to produce desired or intended results. When evaluating water treatment and filtration systems, it is important to examine their effectiveness. You don’t want to buy a water filter that doesn’t do its job of killing or removing disease-causing contaminants.

Boiling is 100% effective and the best way to treat water, according to the CDC. The CDC suggests boiling water for 1 minute to kill pathogens. For altitudes above 6562 feet, boil for 3 minutes.

Realistically, most backpackers don’t treat themselves to boiling water. Not a practical method for people who walk all day. What is the best water treatment method for backpacking?

The less popular but real answer is a combination of filtration and disinfection. As it stands, choosing one over the other is a bit of a problem. Water purifiers are great at removing protozoa and bacteria, but they let harmful viruses through.

Water filters Weight

As a general rule of thumb, it’s a good idea to pack light backpacking gear to lighten the load on your body and make the hike enjoyable and injury-free.

There are a lot of unnecessarily heavy water purifiers on the market, so everything I recommend in this post is lightweight.

Water filters comfortable

Spending time on the road is an inconvenience if it’s not fun. It’s fun to eat, swim, fish, take a nap, and watch the clouds. Especially if you travel long distances and have limited sunlight, you can’t pump water.

Filtering and treating water today need not be inconvenient and time-consuming. There are many useful options, all described below.

Filter pore size

The pore size of a mechanical water purifier refers to the size of the holes in the filter through which water is squeezed out. The idea is to have a pore size that is smaller than the pathogens it filters, but large enough to only let water through.

Before buying a filter straw, be sure to compare the pore size, which is usually measured in microns, to the size of the pathogens you want to filter out. Surprisingly, not all filters can filter out all types of pathogens.

Replacement Parts

Mechanical filters all have a filtering element which must eventually be replaced. In some cases, the filter and unit are disposable and must be replaced entirely when the filter has met the end of its life span.

In the case of UV purification, batteries must be recharged or replaced. For chemical water treatment, the chemicals themselves will eventually run out.