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Best Hiking Water Filters & Purifiers – Clean Water Wherever You Go!

Water, it's the lifeblood of us all, something we need to take in every day and we can't go very long without it. It's so central to our body's ability to function that we need to take it in very regularly, even more so if we are hiking or trekking long distances.

Australia is famously a very dry continent and as such there are not a great deal of clean water sources.

Water is also heavy to carry so by using a portable filtration system, you can shed some kilos off your back and use the available water you may find on your trek. Whether it’s a dam, creek, river or lake, by using one of the water filtration purifiers we have reviewed below, you can safely drink water from almost any source.

 

LifeStraw Water Filter

Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets

SteriPEN Classic 3 with Pre-Filter

Epic Nalgene OG

Grayl GEOPRESS Portable Purifier


LifeStraw Water Filter
Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets
SteriPEN Classic 3 with Pre-Filter
Epic Nalgene OG
Our Pick
Grayl GEOPRESS Portable Purifier

$82 $65.60 from Epic Water Filters with coupon code 'OUTDOOREXPLORER'

22.5 x 2.5 x 2.5 cm

13 x 5.2 x 2 cm

18.6 x 4.3 x 4.3 cm

23 H x 8.5 Dia cm

26.5 H x 8.6 Dia cm

4,000 L

1,000 L

8,000 L

380 L

250 L

Protozoa, bacteria 99.999%

Protozoa, bacteria, viruses 99.99%

Protozoa, bacteria, viruses 99.99%

Heavy Metals, Trace Pharmaceuticals, Endocrine Disruptors, Pesticides, Herbicides

Protozoa, bacteria, viruses, particulates, chemicals, pesticides and heavy metals

57 g

20 g

82 g

??

450 g

1 Year

??

3 Years

??

10 years

Best Hiking Water Filters & Purifiers

LifeStraw Water Filter

LifeStraw Water Filter

Best Basic Option

Pros
  • Uses advanced microfiltration membrane technology
  • Simple and safe
  • Lightweight and slim design
  • 99.99% of bacteria including E.coli and Salmonella
  • 99.99% of parasites including Cryptosporidium and Giardia
  • Long-lasting
  • Budget-conscious
  • No batteries required
Cons
  • Doesn’t filter heavy metals or pesticides

The LifeStraw is an ingenious product with its design and development intended for the developing world and was first seen utilised in the 2010 Haiti earthquake. It has been used in many other natural catastrophes around the world ever since, being the predominant system in many developing countries.

The LifeStraw is now available for commercial use and its simplicity, low cost and large filtration amount has seen this product boom all around the world, including Australia.

You essentially can stick this large straw into almost any dirty water and drink straight out of it. While it’s easier to fill a container and drink out of that – the LifeStraw has literally changed the lives of millions of people.

This is a product that we should all have and at the very least sitting in your car boot for those who live in the country or head that way camping or hiking quite often.

It could save yours or somebody else’s life, costs very little and will last you for years and years and can be used in any natural water source.

Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets

Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets

Best Backup Option

Pros
  • Uses safe levels of chlorine and silver ions
  • Lightweight and simple
  • Budget-conscious
  • Kills viruses and bacteria in 20 mins
  • Kills amoebas and giardia in 120 mins
Cons
  • Is not immediate
  • Gives water a chemical taste

This form of water purification has been around for a long time, with different chemicals like iodine or chlorine being used to kill bacteria and viruses in contaminated water. These tablets are very light and very effective, however, the results are better if you filter your water as much as possible beforehand.

Tablets take a lot longer to work and make the water taste a little unpleasant and the Katadyn Micropur Forte Tablets are no exception. This approach to water purification is old school and was used everywhere until the newer filtration style became available because they do work very effectively.

They should be taken with you if you have nothing else and are the kind of thing you should keep in your first aid or survival kits for emergency use.

Alternatively, if you already have a hydration pack that doesn't include a filter, you could potentially use these tablets in your pack. Consult the instructions on the tablets to confirm what container materials they are suitable with.

Customer reviews are all good as with this style of purifier you already know what the result will be. While the taste and longer-acting sterilization does not make this the hiking water purifier of choice, it's a great backup or addition to survival kits at the very least.

SteriPEN Classic 3 with Pre-Filter

SteriPEN Classic 3 with Pre-Filter

Best For Extended Trips

Pros
  • Uses UV light for disinfection
  • Lightweight and simple
  • Lasts longer than any other filtration system with 8,000 L cleaned before a filter change
  • Takes only 48 sec to treat 500ml of water
  • 99.99% bacteria including E.coli and Salmonella
  • 99.99% of parasites including Cryptosporidium and Giardia
Cons
  • Requires batteries
  • Not very durable

There are a number of ways to purify water and the SteriPEN Classic 3 uses an innovative approach with ultra-violet light waves that irradiate the bacteria and parasites in the water, making it safe to drink.

This hiking water filter can produce a massive 8,000 L of water (the LifeStraw comes second with 4,000 L) ensuring you will never run this system down on even a multi-week hike or camp. It comes designed to fit into wide mouth water bottles for ease of use and doesn't take very long to work.

Customer reviews are mostly positive, with almost everyone loving its ease of use and long lifespan, however as it runs on batteries, if they fail it won’t work.

Likewise, a few negative reviews are based on this device breaking on their trip and becoming a useless accessory as they can be a little fragile, which is not great considering the price tag attached – putting this system on the expensive side.

Epic Nalgene OG

Epic Nalgene OG

Honourable Mention

Pros
  • Uses microfiltration technology
  • Simple and effective
  • Each section is 100% replaceable and 100% recyclable
  • Removes 99.99% of all water contaminants including pesticides
Cons
  • Filter lasts for 380 L
  • Requires hard sucking

* Use coupon code 'OUTDOOREXPLORER' for 20% off!

When it comes to simplicity and common sense, the last two hiking water purifiers are at the forefront of product designs for hikers and trekkers. They use a microfiltration technology like the LifeStraw but have taken it one step further by incorporating it into a drinking water bottle.

You simply take your bottle, fill it with water, screw on the lid and suck through the straw for pure water with not only bacteria and viruses having been eliminated, but also heavy metals and pesticides too.

In effect, your water bottle is the filtration system making this a simple and effective way to stay healthy on the trail.

Customer reviews are all very positive, with the only real downside being you have to suck pretty hard to get a good drink in fast and the filters will need replacing every 380 litres (or four months as the company advertises).

Aside from that, users love this product with many also using it all the time, even with tap water to ensure they are protected.

Grayl GEOPRESS Portable Purifier

Grayl GEOPRESS Portable Purifier

Best For Hiking

Pros
  • Uses microfiltration technology with compassion
  • Fast and easy to use, takes 8 sec
  • Improves smell and taste of water
  • 99.99% of waterborne pathogens
  • Filters out particulates
Cons
  • Filter lasts for 250 L

Along the same lines as the Epic Nalgene OG, the Grayl GEOPRESS is aimed directly at hikers and uses the same premise of filling up your water bottle and then having a filter on the lid.

This one differs as it also uses manual compression to assist the filtration process. This means you fill it up, close the lid and push down a filter to purify your water.

This approach makes it easier to drink as you won't have to suck on a filter too hard and the filtered water can also be transferred to another container or extra bladders you may have with you. Like the other filter approaches, this device takes out particulates too.

This is a great system and it’s difficult to even find a bad review anywhere, with only its filter lifespan being an issue, but it will still last for a few trips at the very least. The Grayl GEOPRESS may be the purifier best-suited for hikers, with the price tag being the only real issue for most.

What To Look For When Buying A Hiking Water Filter & Purifier

There are two main types of devices: purifiers and filters. They use different methods to ensure your water is safe to drink.

Purifiers

These typically work by using either chemicals or UV light to destroy all the contaminants in the water, but don't necessarily clean the water of sediment or particulates.

The water purification tablets chemical approach is easy and effective but not very tasty, while the SteriPen Classic 3 uses UV light to kill everything and anything, making it also effective, but you may want to strain or filter your water too as an added step.

Filters

These clean the water by using a system to filter out all the bad things we don't want in our drinking water.

There are many different types of filtration systems that are based on the same premise of pushing the water through a microfilter to remove bacteria and even heavy metals. The added bonus of these systems is that they also remove sediment and other particles we don't want to consume.

There are many recognised standards when it comes with water filters, you can read more about these standards in this guide by NSF.

Cost

Price is always a factor and the way you like to hike or camp will determine how much you want to spend.

If you like camping a lot and usually take all your own water in with you, then having some water purification tablets will be a cheap and handy thing to have as a backup.

Conversely, if you like ultralight backpacking and know of water sources you can use along the way – an Epic Nalgene OG or Grayl GEOPRESS, while more expensive will be much a better-suited system and worth the cost.

Water Filters & Purifiers FAQ

How do you filter water when hiking?

You need to use one of many systems as described above. The easiest are the water bottles with a filter in their lid where you can literally fill up a water bottle and drink filtered water almost immediately.

You could also use water purification tablets, but they do take a while – on the other hand you can keep hiking while they do their thing until the water is ready to go.

Which is better - a water filter or a purifier?

The two approaches are both effective and will keep you safe and healthy, for the majority of Australia a filter system is a better one as it will literally filter out all the contaminants, sediments and any other nasty elements that could be in the water.

Purifying the water chemically may still require you to filter your water separately, adding to the process and often doesn’t make the water taste very good.

If you were to be taking water from dams, puddles or any standing water that may have had cows (or humans) doing their business in it, you may even want to consider a two-step approach of water purification tablets and then filtration.

For international travel to Africa or Asia, this may be your best option.

Do water filters remove bacteria?

Yes, they do, the microfilters are fine enough to operate at a molecular level, only letting the H₂O molecules move through them and not the larger bacteria cells, living parasites, viruses and pesticides.

Final Thoughts

We all know how important water is when going hiking.

Anyone who loves the outdoors and hikes, camps or even picnics regularly should, at the very minimum, have water purification tablets or a LifeStraw in their car, first aid or survival kit.

This allows them to use water under any circumstances, as in our big brown country you never know when you may need a drink.

For hikers, runners or long trail enthusiasts – a filtered water bottle (like the Grayl GEOPRESS) approach which will save you weight and give peace of mind when out exploring should be an essential part of your pack.


This article may contain affiliate links. I will earn a commission if you choose to purchase a product or service after clicking on my link. This helps pay for the cost of running the website. You will not be disadvantaged in any way by using my links.

Note that while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, there may sometimes be errors. Check all specifications with the manufacturer before purchasing any product.

Our Testing Process

In creating this article, we have completed a rigorous review process on the best out there, comparing products in total, and reading hundreds of reviews from fellow campers to help form our opinions.

The primary goal of our research is to help figure which product is right for you, the user. We systematically go through all of the available options on the market to determine which ones are worthy of our list.

Here’s a full list of the options we considered for this article. Please note that we have never accepted free products from manufacturers.

Full List Of Considered Products


This article may contain affiliate links. I will earn a commission if you choose to purchase a product or service after clicking on my link. This helps pay for the cost of running the website. You will not be disadvantaged in any way by using my links.

Note that while every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this page, there may sometimes be errors. Check all specifications with the manufacturer before purchasing any product.

Louis

While Louis does most of his trips near his home in south-east Queensland, he has been camping as far afield as South America and Africa. He loves researching, testing and experimenting with camping gear whenever possible.

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