A portable water filter is a filter that is designed and used to remove impurities from water when camping, hiking, traveling, backpacking, or in emergency situations. Choosing the best portable water filter for your needs can be difficult, but there are some key points to consider.
Choosing the best portable water filter
Water source
When traveling, you can’t manage to carry water that will satisfy all the days that you are out.
You should first know where you will get your water for drinking. Remember every water source has its contaminants.
If you are traveling in areas near agricultural land that water has contaminants like pesticides, herbicides, and other chemicals.
Some areas have water that is muddy, and salty, and water that has sediments and silts.
Other water sources have contaminants such as bacteria, viruses, and cysts.
Weight and size
When you are traveling, you can’t manage to carry a heavy or large filter that is not easy to pack. Choose a filter that is light and small enough to pack in your bags.
Time
When buying a portable water filter, consider how long it will take to filter water. The faster the filter can purify the water, the better.
Filtration method
There are different methods of water filtration, and each method filters specific impurities.
We have methods such as carbon filters, sediment filters, ultraviolet light, ultrafiltration (UF), and reverse osmosis.
- sediment filter: pre-filter- removes sand, silt, rust, worms, and large particles.
- carbon filter: Carbon filter which eliminates chlorine and heavy metal ions.
- ultrafiltration (UF): microns hollow fiber UF membrane inline filter- that removes waterborne protozoa, pathogens, bacteria, and cysts.
For instance, your water source has virus contaminants; these are rotavirus, Norwalk virus, Hepatitis A, and Norovirus purification method needed reverse osmosis or ozonation, chemical process, and ultraviolet light.
If your water has bacteria, these are salmonella and E. coli you need reverse osmosis or ozonation, chemical process, and ultraviolet light
There are water sources that have protozoan cysts these are Giardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium the method used to filter is the ozonation chemical process and ultraviolet light.
Other impurities that are found in water are heavy metals, sediments, mud, silt, and large or small particles they require carbon or Reverse osmosis to filter them.
Make sure you choose the system that filters out all contaminants in your water.
Contaminants the system removes
Every water source or every place has different water contaminants, so when buying a portable water filter, you should know which dirt it removes from the water.
Filter capacity
All portable water filters have a lifespan their last from one month to one year
When buying a portable water filter, consider how long the cartridge will last and how many gallons of water it will filter.
Types of portable water filters
Portables water filters types are
- Portable water filter bottles
- Portable Water filter straw
- Portable water filter pump
- Water treatment tablets and mixes.
- Portable water filter pitcher
- Portable gravity water filter
Portable water filter straw
A portable water filter straw comes with a straw to help drink water directly from the source. The following is the best portable water filter straw:
Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System
The Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System is a lightweight, easily portable, 0.1 absolute micron hollow fiber membrane inline water filter. The fact that the pores don’t have a pore size larger than 0.1 microns makes it possible to remove bacteria, protozoa, and cysts.
This Squeeze Water Filter System does not remove chemicals, dissolved solids, or viruses which are indeed not found in most cities.
The filter comes with a 32-ounce collapsible Mylar foil pouch (100% BPA free), which can be rolled tightly for easy packing and reused hundreds of times.
How do Sawyer Products PointOne Squeeze Water Filter System
You fill the pouch with any water source Screw the PointOne filter onto the pouch, then squeeze the bag to filter water into your container of choice or drink directly from the filter via its push/pull cap.
If you don’t have a pouch, you can use a threaded bottle and attach the PointOne filter to clean your dirty water.
The first point is that it is easy to maintain using the included syringe filter cleaner, which is used to backflush the filter to promote a high flow rate as well as longevity.
Water treatment tablets
Water treatment tablets are chemicals put in the water to kill all the contaminants. The following is the best water purification tablet:
Katadyn Micropur MP1 Purification Tablets
The tablet is effective against all microorganisms.
It comes in a set of 20–30 tablets, and each tablet treats 1 liter of water. After treating the water no unpleasant taste or gross lingering aftertaste
This purification water tablet Meets EPA microbiological water purifier test standards.
It requires a 4-hour treatment time for its full effectiveness
Portable water filter jug or pitcher
This is a portable filter that has a sleek design and can fit in any travel case. The filter treats tap water and fill any water pitcher or jug.
EveryDrop by Whirlpool Premium
The EveryDrop by Whirlpool Premium Water Filter removes chlorine and chloramines, which cause an unpleasant taste and odor in water.
The filter cleans one gallon in 2 minutes, and it is replaced every two months or after 60 gallons of usage (approximately 450 water bottles).
The package includes one blue EveryDrop water filter, one protective travel case, and two microcontaminant replacement filters.
The sleek design and small size make the EveryDrop by Whirlpool Premium Water Filter perfect for those always on the go.
Beautiplove portable water filter
Best portable water filter brands
The top brands of portable water filters are:
- LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
- Brita
Portable water filter maintenance and cleaning tips
Keeping your portable water filter after use is essential it prolongs its lifespan and protects the filter from clogging.
To clean the portable water filter, some have a syringe to clean inside.
There is another portable water filter with non-replaceable filters you need blowback through the straw to remove dirty water and flush filter membranes.
Portable Water Filter comparison
| Name | impurities removed | filter | type | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Etekcity Portable Water Filter | particulate, chlorine, heavy metal ions, bacteria and protozoa | hollow fiber membrane inline filter, prefilter &carbon filter | Straw filters | Check Amazon for best price |
| Katadyn Vario Water Filter | bacteria,chemical, bad odor, and taste | Glass fiber filter, Ceramic pre-filter&Active charcoal | pump filters | Check Amazon for best price |
| LifeStraw Personal Water Filter | bacteria and protozoa | hollow fiber membrane | Straw filters | Check Amazon for best price |
| Sawyer Products Mini Water Filtration System | bacteria and protozoa | hollow fiber membrane inline filter. | Straw filters | Check Amazon for best price |
| Survivor Filter | bacteria, virus, heavy metal &protozoa | Membrane Ultra Filter, carbon filter and prefilter | Straw filters | Check Amazon for best price |
| Brita Sports Water Bottle | particulates, chlorine taste and odor | water filter bottle | Check Amazon for best price | |
| GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier | chemicals, heavy metals, flavour/ odour, bacteria, protozoa & virus. | ceramic fiber, ion exchange &Activated Carbon | Ultralight Water Purifier | Check Amazon for best price |
| Katadyn Micropur MP1 Purification Tablets | Water treatment tablets | Check Amazon for best price | ||
| Katadyn Survivor 06 Desalinator | Desalinator, bacteria& viruses | Portable desalination filter | Check Amazon for best price | |
| MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter | bacteria, protozoa, particulate, unpleasant tastes and odours | ceramic &carbon filter | Ceramic water filter | Check Amazon for best price |
| Sawyer Products Water Filtration System | sediments, bacteria, protozoa& cysts | hollow fiber membrane | gravity filter | Check Amazon for best price |
| Sawyer Products PointOne | bacteria and protozoa or cysts | hollow fibre membrane inline water filters | Squeeze filters | Check Amazon for best price |
Commonly asked question
Does portable water filter work on salty water?
Most filters do not remove salt or work as water softeners they are only meant to remove impurities.
But there are a few brands that have portable desalination filters.
Advantages of portable water filter
- They are portable
Disadvantages of portable water filter
Most of them use one method to filter water, so they are ineffective compared with other water filters such as under-sink filters or faucet filters.
