Approximately 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Unfortunately only 2.5 percent of it is fresh. Even then, just one percent of our freshwater is easily accessible, with much of it trapped in glaciers and snowfields. For those who regularly venture away from a reliable water source, particularly in dry and arid climates, this can pose a serious problem because water isn’t a convenience, it’s a necessity.
Water Treatment for the Trail
Whether you’re heading out for a simple day hike, or making an extended trek into the backcountry, ensuring that you have the proper tools at your disposal – particularly when it comes to water filtration – will save you, or someone you know from a potentially dire situation. Yet, to carry sufficient clean water while on the trail has always been a weighty problem.
First on the market were the easily portable water filtration tablets – but choking down iodine flavored water always felt more like a punishment than solution. As technology advanced other purification methods were introduced, and while these iodine alternatives worked efficiently, they often demanded valuable space, time and weight. Today, the methods for ensuring you have clean water to drink in the backcountry are lighter, faster, and easier than ever before.
With a multitude of effective strategies and purification options available, there is never an excuse to hit the trail without a treatment option on hand. Yet the extensive number of choices available can also make picking the right solution difficult. As such, our editors have composed a list of five water treatment options that we personally use and rely upon in the field. Each of these options transform random water sources into thirst-quenching satisfaction – even better, they won’t weigh you down or take up valuable pack space.
Vapur MicroFilter
The Vapur MicroFilter takes everything we love about the Vapur anti-bottle, and adds in a filter that crushes 99.9999% of nasty bacteria and gut-wrenching protozoa from tainted water sources. Capable of purifying up to 500 liters of water, this advanced ultra membrane is comprised of 60 meters of hollow fiber membranes packed into a singular compact casing.
While designed to pair with the anti-bottle, the MicroFilter design enables you to also use it as a stand-alone filter and drink water directly from the source. Alternatively, when paired with the anti-bottle you can squeeze water through the filter into another hydration vessel thereby providing clean water for your group. And because it’s Vapur, the bottle folds up when not in use so you can tuck it away into your pack, saving weight and space.
GEIGERRIG In-Line Crypto Filter
Several years ago, GEIGERRIG ushered a literal paradigm shift into the world of personal hydration systems. After a 15 year drought in design and technical advancements, GEIGERRIG emerged from the wilderness with a pressurized hydration reservoir that has changed the way people hydrate during active outdoor pursuits.
This pressurized hydration system offers an array of benefits, one of which is the ability to pair it with a convenient in-line plug-and-play filter thereby allowing your hydration pack to provide protection from waterborne bacteria. Simply fill your hydration bladder from virtually any available water source. The pressurized system pushes the untreated water through GEIGERRIG’s 5.5″ x 1″ water filter providing on-the-go access to natural fresh water. Capable of filtering 50 gallons of water, this 1.5 oz water filter adds a new level of convenience and safety to day hikes or multi-week backpacking treks.
Potable Aqua PURE Electrolytic Water Purifier
The PURE Electrolytic system takes a different approach to water purification. Using a simple brine (salt + water) solution, the PA PURE device produces a powerful mixed oxidant disinfectant capable of purifying even the dirtiest of water. Unlike UV light, which requires pre-filtration to guarantee inactivation of all microbes in very cloudy water, PA Pure mixed oxidants can inactivate microorganisms in all types of water with no pre-filtration.
Fill the reaction chamber with your brine solution, select the volume of water you wish to purify, then push the activation button which begins the process of creating a mixed oxidant disinfectant solution. When the solution is done, add it to your water and wait the specified amount of time. Potable Aqua PURE inactivates viruses, bacteria, Giardia and Cryptosporidium killing 99.9% of all organisms that will wreak havoc on an otherwise memorable outing. The compact design, scalability and durability makes it perfectly suited for campers, hikers or anyone needing drinkable water in the great wide open.
LifeStraw & LifeStraw Go
Award-winning LifeStraw technology was originally introduced in 2005 as an emergency response tool to filter water that was typically contaminated following natural disasters. Today, LifeStraw is used in water filtration products around the world and offers two easy solutions to tainted water sources in the LifeStaw and LifeStraw Go.
Weighing a meager 2 ounces and measuring only 9 inches long, the LifeStraw personal water filter can travel anywhere making it perfect for adventures planned and unplanned. Utilizing advanced hollow fiber technology, this straw-style filter design transforms up to 264 gallons (1,000 liters) of contaminated water into safe, drinkable water. This powerful filtration captures dangerous bacteria and protozoa, exceeding EPA standards for water filtration. In other words, LifeStraw just made that alpine lake your own personal sippy cup.
Incorporating the same LifeStraw technology into a refillable water bottle, the LifeStraw Go takes all the work out of cleaning water so you can spend more time on the move. Simply scoop water from the available water source screw the lid on, and sip safe, clean water through the mouthpiece. Just like the LifeStaw, the LifeStraw Go eliminates all of the dangerous bacteria so you can hydrate with peace of mind. A perfect option for life on the trail, or travel abroad, the LifeStraw and LifeStraw Go are also the filtration options that come with us on every stand up paddle boarding session.
Platypus GravityWorks
Whether you’re hitting the trail with a large group, or heading into the backcountry for a quick weekender, GravityWorks™ traps everything a pump model does, but handles larger volumes of water. Available in a 2.0L and 4.0L options, our team has consistently relied upon the convenience of the 4.0L system because of its ability to deliver four liters of purified water is just 2.5 minutes – no chemicals, batteries or moving parts required.
To use the system, fill the dirty water reservoir with the cleanest water available, zip seal the bag closed and then let gravity filter the water for you. All GravityWorks filters meet EPA & NSF guidelines for the removal of Bacteria and Protozoa, including Giardia, Cryptosporidium, E.coli, Salmonella and Cholera. The lightweight bags are not only easy to use, but pack up small and go virtually unnoticed in your pack. This is one product that has dramatically impacted our group backpacking adventures for the better.
Final Thoughts…
By no means is this an exhaustive list of water treatment options. Nor is it an all-inclusive list of the filtration and purification devices that our team has used in the field. From from gravity filters to UV light, even silver membrane filter technology, there is no shortage of products available. Which method or product you choose depends partly on personal preference and partly on your specific field needs.
That being said, the five water treatment options listed above have rightfully earned a place in our packs for every adventure, on every trail, every time, without exception. They are fast, effective and reliable ensuring that no matter where you wander, you will always have quick access to safe, clean water in the field.