10 Best Backpacking Water Filters

What are the best water filter and water purification treatment systems used by backpackers? That really depends on your preferences, the quality of the water you need to filter or purify, and the number of people you need to treat water for. For example, squeeze-style water filters, UV purification, and filter bottles tend to be good for solo users and clear water sources, while chemical purification and pump filters/purifiers are good for larger groups and riskier for murkier water sources. Cost and filter longevity are also worth considering.

Here are the 10 best backpacking water filters and water purification systems we recommend for backpacking, hiking, and camping in 2021.

LAST UPDATED

October 28, 2024

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Section Hiker

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Philip Werner is a full-time outdoor author and backpacker who resides in New England. His website SectionHiker.com is ranked as the #1 Hiking and Backpacking Blog on the internet by AdventureJunkies.com in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021.

The name of this site, Section Hiker, refers to the Long Trail which I section hiked in 2008 and the Applachian Trail that I’m still working through. To date, I’ve completed 1400 miles of the AT and hope to complete all of the sections between Georgia and Maine someday. I’ve also hiked thru-hiked the TGO Challenge (Coast-to-Coast across Scotland) twice and I’m currently section hiking the Cape Wrath Trail, also in Scotland.

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Much of his work centers around telling stories of underserved voices. He documents indigenous stories, especially up in the Arctic, and stories from the BIPOC community that revolve around their connection to the outdoors.

Pro Photo Supply Retail

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Get clean water during your adventures with this ultralight filter that removes 99.99999% of bacteria such as salmonella, cholera, leptospirosis, and e. Coli. It also removes 99.99999% of protozoa!

Derek Rasmussen
Marketing Director at Outdoor Vitals

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Its a project where residents are given buckets that connect with water filter, a Sawyer PointONE model, that is designed to last over 20 years, effectively removing harmful bacteria, parasites, and protozoa.

Judy Wilson
Contributing Writer