Water Filters and Containers

The Sawyer Gravity System (1 Gallon) is a group-sized backcountry water filter kit good for basecamp and group use. Costing $40, it comes with a 1-gallon water reservoir, hose, Sawyer mini water filter, caps and adapters, and a syringe for cleaning the filter if it starts to clog up. The …

The Sawyer Squeeze Point One and Sawyer Mini Water Filters are the most popular water treatment and purification systems used by backpackers today (approximately 40% use them according to a recent survey). The Sawyer Squeeze Water Treatment System (which includes 2 x 32 oz. water reservoirs, a cleaning syringe, etc.) …

Evernew water reservoirs are transparent soft bottles that can be collapsed when not in use. They’re available in four sizes: 600 ml, 900 ml, 1.5L, and 2L and can be used to haul clean or “dirty,” pre-filtered water. They weigh 0.9 oz., 1.oz., 1.3 oz., and 1.5 oz. respectively. They have a …

Hydration reservoir pockets and drinking tube ports are a common feature on most daypacks and overnight backpacks. But as far as we know, no one has ever studied how prevalent their use is and whether using a hydration reservoir and hose is preferred by day hikers over carrying water bottles. …

What are the best water filter and purification options for backpacking? We put that question to 565 backpackers in a recent survey on SectionHiker.com to get an updated view into the types of solutions that backpackers use today. Most Popular Water Treatment Methods Over 39% percent of the backpackers we surveyed …

While there will always be a heated debate about what the best water bottles or hydration system required for winter hiking is, I think we’d all agree that the minimum requirements for winter use are as follows: The water you bring on a hike can’t freeze The warmer the water …

The first time I tried filtering water from a stream, I knew that the distance I could hike in one day would never again be constrained by the amount of water I could carry. I remember the scene vividly: getting water out of a stream, surrounded by a sea of hobblebush, on …

The Aquamira Frontier Pro water filter is an exceptionally lightweight 2 oz. alternative to the more bulky water filters and water purifiers available on the market today. The Frontier Pro connects to platypus bladders or plastic bottles. To get water, you suck on a nipple, shown in black in the …

The First Need Water Purifier is one of the few filters on the market today that filters out all viruses, crypto, and protozoa without the need for additional purification tablets like Chlorine Dioxide. The only downside to this filter is that it weighs 15 oz, which is heavy for you ultralight …

I got a new water purifier a few weeks ago from Seychelle.com that works with a screw top bottle. The filter element qualifies as a purifier because it is EPA approved to remove viruses and bacteria to 99.9999%, and other biologicals like Giardia and Cryptosporidium to 99.99%. That’s excellent. It …

  I am not a fan of Camelbak hydration reservoirs, but I love their locking valves. So much, that I tear off the wimpy mouthpiece that comes with the Platypus hydration reservoir drinking system and add a Camelbak hydrolock valve to it. Camelbak hyrolocks rock because the valve stops the …

This past year, General Ecology, makers of the First Need Water Purifier system, changed their water purifier cartridges. The old cartridge model was called a First Need Deluxe (left) and the new one is called the First Need XL (right, in photo.) As far as I can tell, the Deluxe …

I am a big fan of Platypus hydration bladders and I normally carry a 3L reservoir with me when I’m backpacking. Platypus bladders are different from Camelback reservoir, which I have used in the past, because they have a much smaller opening screw top openings. This is important when you are …