Whenever you go in to the outdoors long enough that you cant carry all the water you will need with you, you need to bring a water filter of some kind, or another method of making sure that the water is clean and drinkable. Water filters for hiking come in all different shapes and sizes, but the crucial thing that they all do is filter out anything in your water that might potentially get you sick, and ensure that your water is clean and drinkable.
Water Filters for Hiking
What to look for when you want water filter for hiking.- Per Minute – Some filters will process water quite a bit faster than others, and unless you want to be sitting there, pumping away for a long time, it helps to pay attention to just how fast your water filter will pump water out. That way, you don’t exhaust yourself pumping your water filter.
- Filter Life – Each filter will last a certain amount of time before it needs to be replaced. Most go for somewhere between 1000 and 2000 liters of water, which is quite a bit, but others will go for less, or even more. If you use your water filter a lot, it’s a number worth paying attention to.
Best Water Filters for Hiking
Some of the very best water filters for hiking with.- Platypus GravityWorks Filter - The GravityWorks uses gravity, rather than your pumping, to get the filtering done, which is definitely a nice touch. It also puts out an impressive 1.75 liters of water per minutes, which is more than you'll get with just about any pump filter. And the filter will go for 1501 liters of water. How it works is there's two bags, and you hang the bag with the dirty water above the one with the clean water. Gravity does the rest. You can even hook up other platypus containers, like water bottles, to the output. So a fantastic, if a bit unwieldy option. The whole thing weighs 10.7 ounces, which is 305 grams.
- MSR MiniWorks EX Filter - The MiniWorks is a solid, if slightly heavy water filter from MSR. It only pumps out water at approximately .83 liters per minute, which is not exactly impressive. But the filter will go for a full 2000 liters, which is plenty for most people. The output will also made to work with other MSR products, as well as a few more popular water bottles, like the Nalgene bottles,though it will also work with anything else too. But a weight of 14.6 ounces, which is 416 grams will definitely not appeal to those concerned about weight.
- Katadyn Hiker PRO Microfilter - Another pump filter, this one a popular choice with hikers and backpackers. It will give you a solid 1 liter of water per minute, though the filter needs to be replaced every 750 liters of water, which is probably the biggest weakness here. Still, at 11 ounces, which is 310 grams it's a good, lightweight water filter for hiking with.
