The Greatest Backpacking Water Filters of 2023

You don’t need much to have a successful backpacking trip. Yes, you’ll need some gear (like a tent, a sleeping bag, and a pack). But most importantly, you’ll need a way to get clean, safe water while on the trail.

Before we explain in depth how each water filter works, here are a few things that will help you through this guide. There are many different methods of filtering (or treating) water. The most common methods are through a cartridge or tube, with either activated carbon, UV light, or chemicals.

Filters also come in different styles: straw-style, pump filters, gravity filters, and UV or tablet treatments. They all make water safe to drink but differ slightly in size, durability, and price.

We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, put many of these to the test, and read hundreds of customer reviews to find out which water filters on the market are truly the best.

Scroll through to see all of our recommended buys or jump to the category you’re looking for. Also be sure to check out the water filter comparison chart at the bottom, our comprehensive buyer’s guide, or our FAQ section for help in snagging the best water filter for your adventure.

The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2023

Best Water Filter Bottles

Water filters aren’t just great for backpacking and hiking, but can keep you feeling healthy and fresh while road-tripping or traveling abroad. A few of the options below are great for both!

Below are some of our top choices for travel water filters, whether your adventures take you overlanding, RVing, on day trips, or on international adventures.

Water Filters Comparison Chart

Why You Should Trust Us

The GearJunkie team is made up of adventurers from a plethora of different outdoor sports and activities, but each of their hobbies requires a central discipline: proper water filtration in the backcountry. It’s key to survival, and if done poorly, can quickly put you in a dangerous situation.

For this guide, we carefully took a look at the most reliable, functional water filters that outdoor enthusiasts from all ends of the spectrum depend on in the wild. We brought each of these filters on adventures and made sure that we would feel comfortable with all of them as our primary means of accruing filtered water in the field.

Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose a Water Filter

Water filters and water purifiers work in similar ways, but it’s helpful to know the difference when choosing.

Filters vs. Purifiers

Filters protect against protozoa or parasites (such as cryptosporidium and giardia) as well as bacteria (like E. coli or salmonella), microplastics, dirt, and debris. Bacteria is the main concern when you’re drinking out of unsafe water sources in the backcountry or remote areas. Popular filters include the Sawyer Squeeze, and the Katadyn BeFree Gravity filter.

Purifiers go an extra step by protecting against and filtering out viruses. This is more of a concern when you’re traveling internationally or to rural places where clean water may not be accessible. Products like the MSR Guardian will purify your water while also filtering out larger debris, while purifiers like the SteriPEN Adventurer use UV light to purify water, but won’t clear the water of visible dirt and sediment. You can run the water through a bandana or t-shirt first before using these types of purifiers to clean out the biggest particles.

For truly heinous dirty/stagnant water, it can be wise to use a number of different methods to make certain you don’t get sick. Some will filter their water with something like the Platypus QuickDraw, and then boil it, add a purification tablet like Katadyn’s Micropur M1 tablets, or add a couple of drops of bleach to ensure everything is killed. This can be time-consuming, and make the water taste interesting, but it’s far better than catching a trip-ending sickness in the wilderness.

Types of Water Filters

There are a variety of different types of backpacking water filters, and we cover a broad range of them in this guide. Each one has its place in the backcountry, and which type you choose will depend on how clear the water will be on your adventure, how lightweight you are trying to go, and if you are traveling internationally.

Gravity and Inline Filters

These filters use gravity to pull water from a dirty bag, through a filter, and into a clean bag or directly into your mouth. These are often the easiest filters to use as you simply hook it up to a tree branch or tent and wait. These are usually heavier and take some time to set up, so aren’t the best options for fast and light missions. They tend to work best for large groups or to keep around a base camp.

Gravity filters allow you to keep a large amount of water handy, but they can be difficult to fill up in shallow water sources, so keep that in mind when choosing a campsite. We found the Katadyn BeFree Gravity filter to be one of the best options for large group trips.

Inline filters are often used in gravity systems, but they can also be paired with a hydration pouch or water bottle for quick use. Filters such as the ubiquitous Sawyer Squeeze or the Platypus QuickDraw can be used in this way. These generally rely on the user sucking the water from a pouch or water bottle, through the filter, directly into their mouth. With the correct adapters, several models of inline filters can be used with a hydration pack you may already be carrying, offering easy filtration without adding much weight.

Straw Filters

While we don’t recommend them as your primary method of water filtration in the wild, straw filters are undeniably one of the easiest ways of procuring fresh water fast. Our favorite budget filter, the LifeStraw Personal, fits this bill. These are great for trail running, mountain biking, or as a backup to your primary filter. These filters allow you to get down and dirty by a stream or lake and drink directly from the source by sipping the water through the filter like a straw.

The main downside to straw filters is that they don’t offer any way to carry filtered water with you, unless you can fit the straw into a water bottle of dirty water you are carrying with you, which can be really annoying. It can also get frustrating having to practically lie down on muddy or rocky banks to get a drink any time you get thirsty. These filters suffice for day hikes, but you’ll probably want something different for any extended backpacking trip.

Pump Filters

Pump filters, such as the MSR MiniWorks, work great for pulling water out of shallow pools or creeks, and can be a solid choice for small backpacking groups. They tend to run on the heavy side, take a little more effort to use, and can be quite complicated to clean. For these reasons, you don’t see as many pump filters in the backcountry as you used to, but they do still have their place.

In some cases, as with the MSR Guardian, pump filters do a better job at purifying truly nasty water, by removing viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, such as E. coli, giardia, and cryptosporidium. Something to consider a little more seriously while adventuring internationally.

Water Filter Bottles

Water filter bottles are handy to have for traveling, road-tripping, or light hiking, but are often on the heavy side for dedicated lightweight backpacking trips. Some of these bottles, like the LifeStraw Go Filter Bottle, filter water with a simple hollow-fiber straw that extends from the nozzle into the water, while others use fancier technology to deliver a pure, fresh swig.

The GRAYL GEOPRESS uses electroabsorption and activated carbon to purify water by simply pressing it firmly on the ground, while the CrazyCap bottle uses UVC light to remove viruses and bacteria. These aren’t your average Nalgenes! Check out our in-depth review of the GEOPRESS if you want to nerd out a little more.

Chemical/UV Purifiers

Finally, purifying your water chemically, or with UV light, is another simple way to target viruses that may be present in a water source, as opposed to just bacteria and protozoa. Chemical purifiers use iodine or chlorine dioxide to deal with contaminated water, while UV purifiers employ ultraviolet rays. Some backpackers will also use bleach to treat their water (two drops per liter, then wait 30 minutes). This is a super simple solution but does leave your water tasting, well, somewhat like a pool.

We like Katadyn’s Micropur M1 tablets for chemical treatment, as they tend to leave a more subtle aftertaste compared to other brands. The SteriPEN Adventurer has been our go-to UV filter for its long lifespan and light weight.

This is a great way to purify your water more effectively, but since these don’t have filters with them, it’s important to use them with clear water that doesn’t have a lot of debris in it. Chemical or UV purifiers are lightweight and simple, but should probably not be used as your primary method of filtration on a backpacking trip. It’s hard to get filtered water fast, they can leave an unsavory aftertaste, and sometimes rely on batteries and electronics (in the case of UV purifiers). Since they are so light, however, it’s always a good idea to have them as a backup.

Filter Time and Flow Rate

Our picks for best water filters vary widely in terms of how quickly they can filter water, ranging from 30 seconds to 30 minutes to 4 hours (chemical treatments). Types of filters and methods of purifying will play a part, as will flow rate.

Flow rate is a unit that measures how quickly a certain amount of water can be filtered. Flow rates for gravity, pump, or squeeze filters listed here vary anywhere from 1-3 L per minute. If you are encountering a slow flow rate with your filter, it may require priming or backflushing.

Similar to needing to prime a stove, some water filters require priming before initial use. Check the instructions (it varies by filter) on how to do this. Backflushing is a process where you need to clean water out of the filter system after use. This mainly applies to filters with pumps, tubes, or tubing, and it ensures that the inside of the filter stays dry and clean.

Another consideration here is location: if you are going to be traveling through a desert landscape, there may be few to no trees (a necessity to hang some gravity filters properly). For that type of setting, a different style of filter would be best.

And if you are going to be traveling with a companion or group, the personal LifeStraw filter obviously won’t be the best option (although we love it as a backup!).

Packed Size

This is an important point for ultralight setups and lightweight backpackers. You’ll want to choose a filter that works best for you and how much water you’ll need, but one that can also fit in your pack.

Filters like the Sawyer Squeeze and Katadyn BeFree are popular because the actual filter unit is so small, and the weight is close to nothing. The Sawyer Squeeze weighs just a couple of ounces, while the Katadyn weighs 6.8 ounces (but remember, it can filter up to 3 L of water at a time).

Filter systems that have water reservoirs and tubing also roll and pack down fairly small. Our personal preference on group trips is a gravity filter system, whereas on solo trips — though they weigh slightly more — our preference is a water bottle filter/purifier, given that we always carry a 1L bottle anyway.

Durability and Longevity

The lifespan of a filter greatly depends on its filter method (cartridge, hollow membrane, chemical, or UV light). Backpacking water filters can last anywhere from 250 to 4,000 L. Cleaning your filter regularly using the methods that the manufacturer recommends will also help prolong the life of your filter.

Filters that use a cartridge tend to last anywhere from 200 to 500 L before you need to replace the cartridge. On the other hand, with other filters that last longer, you may need to replace the entire unit at the end of its life. The LifeStraw is an example of this; it can filter around 4,000 L, and then it will stop working and need to be replaced.

For UV methods like the CrazyCap filter bottle and SteriPENs, they’ll last forever as long as you charge or continue to replace the batteries (barring any damage, of course).

FAQ

The best way to clean your water when backpacking is to use and find the cleanest water source possible. You’ll want to look for clear, running water — somewhere between a babbling brook and a rushing river.

Avoid stagnant ponds or areas where there might be runoff (from livestock, urban areas, etc.) or debris. You’ll also want to find a safe place to refill, pump, or hang your gravity filter.

With some filtering methods, like chemical filters and tablets, you’ll want to wait longer to ensure that the water is clean if it’s below a certain temperature (or cloudy).

Filters most commonly use a tube, pump, or gravity method of filtering. Purifiers use a combination of a tube or chamber with activated carbon or another chemical component to fight against one key difference: viruses.

All of the choices on this list protect against at least bacteria and protozoa, and many also protect against things like toxins, chemicals, and viruses. We recommend choosing the one that will work best based on your situation, budget, and preference.

The lifespan of a filter largely depends on the type of filter. Most hollow fiber or activated charcoal cartridges will need to be replaced every couple hundred uses, or after a certain number of liters have been filtered. Some filters, like the LifeStraw, can last for years, but when it’s run its course you’ll need to buy a new one.

There are also some filters and purifiers that just need new batteries or to be charged.

Yes! Purifiers like the Grayl Geopress Purifier are built especially to filter and protect against everything you could encounter, whether in the backcountry or in a developing country.

As long as you are following the instructions on your filter or purifier, it will protect against whatever it’s rated for (usually something like 99.999999% of bacteria and 99.999% of parasites and microorganisms).

Our top two considerations when buying gear like this are always: (1) how often we will be using it, and (2) price. Another important factor for many is how long a filter will last. If you backpack or hike 9-12 months out of the year, you probably want to drop more money on a filter that has a longer lifespan.

When all else fails, you can boil water to be safe. But let’s be honest, having a water filter on hand is much better.