Water purifiers can give you the best of both worlds: clean, safe water on demand, without destroying the environment in the process.
Clean water is the key to overall health and survival. Sadly much of the water in the world is polluted, particularly in third world countries. Even within North America, truly clean water can still be difficult to come by.
A pump filter will work better for large volumes of water, but most are larger, pricier, and harder to carry. A UV pen, meanwhile, is a simple purification option, but it won’t work on murky water, as the light won’t be able to reach as deeply as it needs to.
The piped water that comes from taps is often chlorinated or fluoridated, or both, and pass through old water pipes on its way to homes and business, where it can absorb heavy metals that have very harmful effects on our body.
According to WorldWaterReserve, of the waters covering 70% of the earth’s surface, only 3% is fresh, and only 0.4% is actually available to us.
Below you’ll find a summary of the best portable water purifier filters for travel.
Table of Contents
Photo: Amazon
Steripen Ultra
The most well-known portable water purifier, the various models of Steripen use a UV lamp to kill the bugs and bacteria. You just dunk the lamp into a cup or water bottle, stir for a minute or two, then drink.
Ultra model charges via USB, compare to the cheaper versions use hard-to-find disposable batteries.
Photo: Amazon
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
The LifeStraw Personal Water Filter is one of most highly rated, popular and acclaimed water purifiers on the market with an almost cult-like following.
The good thing about LifeStraw is, that it is really small and light and thus it doesn’t take much additional space. It is also very convenient.
The manufacturer of the LifeStraw is a Swiss-based public health company called Vestergaard.
Photo: Amazon
Sawyer Mini Water Filter
Sawyer’s water filtration products are known for their ability to filter contaminated water to a higher standard than US bottled water.
Sawyer has a humanitarian mission to bring safe drinking water to developing countries
Being able to keep the filter in a pocket close to the warmth of your body will help prevent the filter from freezing if you’re using it in sub-zero temperatures.
Photo: Amazon
Survivor Filter Pro
The Filter Pro has three-stage filtration, with the carbon filter capable of handling 2000 liters before needing replacement, and the other two filters handling up to a huge 100,000 liters.
It works very well for filling from rivers and lakes, but can be a bit fiddly to use from a tap. Still, there’s always the sink!
Photo: Amazon
Katadyn Hiker Pro Clear Microfilter
Outdoor Gear Lab’s favorite pump filter wins praise for its light weight and easy use, especially in shallow water sources. The Katadyn Hiker Pro is a classic and reliable hand pump. It filters out both bacteria and protozoans like Giardia and Cryptosporidium
It is estimated that by 2025, 1.8 Billion People will live in water-scarce areas.
Water is finite. The amount of water circulating through the earth’s hydrologic cycle is the same amount that has been there since the earth’s beginning, not a drop more or less. What has changed is the number of people living on earth, and thus, the amount of drinkable water required for human sustenance.
With humans being made up of 60% water, our natural instinct might be to fight for it. But by collaborating to find ways to access the untapped groundwater beneath us, helping to conserve clean water use, and preventing further pollution of our clean water sources, it is possible for all peoples to have access to clean water.
If you want to learn who are some of the market’s best solutions in portable water filters check our Filtered Water Bottles for Travel article.
Photo credit: Element5 Digital from Pexels
