there's so many kinds/prices;

I like the idea of the 'life straw' as a small unit. Looking for '3 day bag' style back up.

Been reading for hours & grow weary of marketing overhype.

I've used the Sawyer one several times. It worked quite well. Very compact and light weight.

Life straw

All you need

I keep one of these in my get-home bag.

Grayl

A little on the spendy side, but they work great.

For just one person the Sawyer squeeze filters work well. If you're out for three days then carry an extra squeeze bag and a syringe (to backflush), just in case.

For more than one person (and out for several days), then something with more capacity is required, I use the 2 liter version. You can just fill the dirty water bag and filter into the clean water bag on the move, if you have to.

Life Straw

sawyer squeeze or mini. Lightweight and easy to use.

For emergencies - Life Straw is good.

For legit backpacking use - a PUR/Katadin or MSR will work great.

Geigerrig hydration bladder and inline filter

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d...c=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd

I've had great experience with a platypus. Clean and dirty water bags. I think around a 3 liter. We take it hunting for 7 days, 3 - 5 people.

Just remember back to high school, viruses are TINY. And none of these filters can combat viruses, just larger organisms. If you are worried about viruses, than some way to chemically sterilize the water after filtering is appropriate.

https://thesummitregister.com/...ent-101-viruses-3-2/

Sawyer squeeze, you can put it in line with a camble back type, or screw it onto any soda type bottle, or suck right out of a creek

Next on my list is the MSR Guardian. It isn't cheap, but I prefer to filter out viruses, too.

http://www.guardianpurifier.com/

Generally, most backpackers in North America don't have to worry about viruses much in our outdoor water sources.
However, if you are specifically concerned about them, Sawyer also makes .02 micron filters that will filter out viruses.

Sawyer also makes portable filters that remove Heavy Metals, Viruses, Bacteria, Protozoa, Chemicals and Pesticides.

I've also used the Platypus bag system on a trip. While the filtered water was fine, it was slightly discolored (from tanins in the water?).

quote:

Originally posted by bubbatime:
And none of these filters can combat viruses, just larger organisms.

The Grayl does. Gets pretty much everything.

This is the latest iteration of the design pioneered by the MSR MIOX purifier. It is small, durable, and will make what the manufacturer calls "a mixed oxidant disinfectant" of chlorine and other oxidants on demand using electricity, salt, and water. It has an integrated li-ion battery and can charge via the wall or with the integrated solar cell.

This device is useful beyond water purification. Having the ability to make small amounts of chlorine on demand would be helpful to sanitize things in the field, or in emergencies.

https://www.amazon.com/Potable...lar+powered+handheld

I recommend this in addition to the suggestions made above.

MSR is a great option. It's a bit bulkier but better for my needs. I've been wanting to try one of the UV purifiers. It doesn't get rid of impurities but kills the critters.

I have multiple life straws for camping and bug out bags. They are GTG.

Lifestraws are okay, the downside is you can't really fill a container with them.

I had a Kataydn Hiker Pro which I liked quite a bit but lost it somewhere. It's a good option for filling larger containers pretty quickly but it is kinda bulky.

My favorite for filling smaller containers on the trail is the MSR Trailshot. It's lightweight and compact enough to fit in your pocket and can fill up a water bottle in about a minute or two.

That MSR Guardian is bad ass.