If you have an adventurous soul, then backpacking and hiking trips make for a perfect weekend getaway. Most of us have had our share of luxurious vacations, but no arranged city tour can ever match the adrenaline rush and gorgeous view of a backpacking trip through the mountains.
While you hike through difficult terrain, rough mountains, and pristine nature, drinking contaminated water can play spoilsport. Backpacking takes a lot of energy and you need to constantly replenish yourself with food and water.
Since trails are typically devoid of any drinkable water supply, you may find yourself turning to stagnant bodies of water and water streams. That, my adventurous friend, is dangerous.
While there are several poisonous elements throughout a jungle or mountain, man-made pollution has also been cropping up in uninhabited places.
Luckily for us, there are portable water purifiers that can turn any muddy, contaminated water into pure drinkable bliss.
Things To Look For In The Best Portable Water Purifier
The best portable water purifier has the following key characteristics.
1. Compact and lightweight
The best portable water purifier should be lightweight and easy to carry. It should easily fit in your backpack without adding much weight.
2. Superior Filtration
Water from uninhabited places will be muddy and full of organic and non-organic impurities, which makes them more difficult to purify than city water. Hence, your purifier should feature an excellent purification system.
3. Less Waiting Time
When on an adventure trip, dehydration can bring you down quicker than you think. Hence, it’s important that your portable water purifier can get you clean water in no time.
1. DOTSOG Personal Water Filter Straw
Equipped with 4-stage purification technology, a pre-filter, an activated carbon filter, a 0.1-micron UF membrane, and Poly-Iodine resin filter media, this filter straw can remove up to 99.99% of heavy metals as well as any organic and harmful minerals from your water in less than 0.5 seconds. Whew! Such quick filtration can save your life in an emergency.
You can connect this filter to any water bottle or stream and drink purified water from it directly. This filter does not add any artificial smell or taste. All you get is clean, drinkable water. After you’re done using the filter, simply blow through it to keep it clean and avoid clogging. It’s a beautiful thing.
Moreover, the filter is compact and takes up very little space in your backpack. Alternatively, you can carry it in your hand or hang it around your neck.
Product Specifications:
- Advanced 4-stage water filtration technology
- Removes 99.99% of waterborne harmful substances
- BPA-free food-grade plastic
- Weighs only 0.461 pounds
- Up to 2000 liter capacity
- Filtering time of 0.5 seconds
- Comes with a rope for convenient carrying
Pros
- Instant water purification (0.5 seconds)
- 4 stage purification with no added taste or smell
- Compact and lightweight
- Easy to carry
- Removes even the smallest plastics (0.01 micron)
Cons
- Not every salt or non-heavy metal is removed; these aren’t harmful but can impact taste
2. Waterdrop Gravity Water Filter Straw
The hollow fiber membrane removes turbidity while activated carbon removes any unwanted smell or taste to give you clean, pure, and tasty drinkable water.
Connect one end of the filter to the included 1.5-gallon water bag full of dirty water and the other end to an empty water bottle and watch purified water drip into the latter.
The super-wash technology avoids any need to backwash the syringe. You get clean drinking water up to a 100,000 gallons.
Also, the entire filtering system weighs only 0.29 pounds, so you can easily carry it in your backpack.
Product Specifications:
- Hollow fiber membrane and high-grade coconut shell activated carbon fiber filtration
- Removes 99% of harmful substances from water
- Weighs only 0.29 pounds
- 100,000-gallon filtering capacity
Pros
- Super-wash design eliminates the need for continuous cleaning
- Works even in low water pressure conditions with the use of a water bag
- High filtering capacity
- Improves odor and taste
- Lightweight and easy to carry
Cons
- Single water filtration technology does not fully work with the city’s chemically polluted or sewage water
3. Camptemp Hand Operated Pump Purification System
The PP cotton, activated carbon fiber, and medical-grade hollow fiber UF membrane, work together to purify water from lakes, rivers, springs, and stream. It weighs 0.56 pounds and hardly takes up any space in your backpack.
One single replaceable set can purify up to 5000 liters of water with an impressive flow rate of 1400 ml per minute. With only a cost-effective filter change, this purification system can serve you in more than one camping, fishing, hunting, or hiking trip.
Product Specifications:
- Replaceable 3-stage filter
- 1400ml per minute flow rate
- 5000-liter capacity
- Weighs only 254 grams
- BPA –free water filter pump
- Food-grade material
Pros
- Cost-effective due to easily replaceable filter set
- Lightweight and compact
- High flow rate because of pumping
- High volume filtering capacity
Cons
- Doesn’t work with saltwater
- Not recommended for use with water that has flavor, sugar, or carbonic acid
Final Verdict
They’re all pretty great, and here’s a breakdown of the best portable water purifiers:
- For the most advanced filtration needs, opt for the DOTSOG filter.
- If you need the maximum volume of purified water, you can’t go wrong with Waterdrop.
- For a low-pressure water supply, Camptemp is best.
- If you want to keep your backpack as light as possible, invest in a Waterdrop filter.
If you’d like to read more buying guides and product reviews like this one, visit our website mywaterfilterchoice.com.