Portable Water Filter

Having a portable water filter with you is really handy. These things are great for hiking and camping. They are faster and more convenient than boiling or using chemicals. They won't work in definitely but depending on the specific filter you can usually do like 1000 liters before having to change the filter medium. There are a bunch of different options available when picking out a filter.

Survivor Filter

This is a full size pump. It is well rated and works really well. It isn't overly expensive. It is about middle of the road. Overall it is a solid system. It pumps 0.5 liters per minute. It will last 2,000 liters before the filter medium needs to be changed.

MSR Guardian Water Purifier Pump

This is one of the more expensive filters we have seen. If you want something that is really good get this one. It is fast. It pumps 2.5 liters per minute. Much faster that the less expensive filters out there. It will last 10,000 liters before the filter medium needs to be changed.

Life Straw

This is the best choice when you want something really compact, fast, and convieneint. The Life straw is relatively inexpensive, even for a mini filter straw. It still works great and will filter around 1000 liters. This specific straw style filter is well rated.

Other Methods - Trade Offs

There are other methods of purifying water. You can use tablets or iodine. Boiling is a great all around option. These are all OK methods but each with trade offs to consider.

Tablets or Iodine:

The bottles are compact.
It is not great to ingest chemicals long term.
They may taste bad.
You may have to wait a while (30 mins with iodine).
They won't remove heavy metals.
Some people are alergic to it.

Boiling:

It won't remove heavy metals.
It takes a while.
You need to make a fire or have a stove.
You can keep doing it indefinitely (no filters or tablets to run out of).

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