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Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

We put the best backpacking water filters and purifiers to the test so you can stay safely hydrated on your next trip into the great outdoors.

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Last updated:
February 19, 2025
|  5 min read

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

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We put the best backpacking water filters and purifiers to the test so you can stay safely hydrated on your next trip into the great outdoors.

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Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

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The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Little else ruins a good backpacking trip like a midnight run for the bushes. We’ve been there, and we’re not keen on going back, which is why our experts have found the best backpacking water filters. We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, hunters, and mountaineers, and we’ve logged a not small number of miles ourselves, filtering our water along the way.

Our experts collectively tested a wide range of filters for the creation of this guide, from our top-pick Sawyer Squeeze to the budget-conscious LifeStraw Personal. We’ve been squeezing water through countless tubes and dropping tablets in Nalgenes each season to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 filters you see today.

Continue reading to learn more about the best backpacking water filters, written by Chris Carter, Mary Murphy and Will Brendza.

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Little else ruins a good backpacking trip like a midnight run for the bushes. We’ve been there, and we’re not keen on going back, which is why our experts have found the best backpacking water filters. We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, hunters, and mountaineers, and we’ve logged a not small number of miles ourselves, filtering our water along the way.

Our experts collectively tested a wide range of filters for the creation of this guide, from our top-pick Sawyer Squeeze to the budget-conscious LifeStraw Personal. We’ve been squeezing water through countless tubes and dropping tablets in Nalgenes each season to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 filters you see today.

Continue reading to learn more about the best backpacking water filters, written by Chris Carter, Mary Murphy and Will Brendza.

Photo thumbnail Blog Author
Senior Editor
Chris Carter
Wrought from a somewhat unconventional childhood in rural Kenya, Senior Editor Chris Carter derives his journalist inspiration from a life lived under the brutal but beautiful African sun.
Media Mentions

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Little else ruins a good backpacking trip like a midnight run for the bushes. We’ve been there, and we’re not keen on going back, which is why our experts have found the best backpacking water filters. We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, hunters, and mountaineers, and we’ve logged a not small number of miles ourselves, filtering our water along the way.

Our experts collectively tested a wide range of filters for the creation of this guide, from our top-pick Sawyer Squeeze to the budget-conscious LifeStraw Personal. We’ve been squeezing water through countless tubes and dropping tablets in Nalgenes each season to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 filters you see today.

Continue reading to learn more about the best backpacking water filters, written by Chris Carter, Mary Murphy and Will Brendza.

Photo thumbnail Blog Author
Senior Editor
Chris Carter
Wrought from a somewhat unconventional childhood in rural Kenya, Senior Editor Chris Carter derives his journalist inspiration from a life lived under the brutal but beautiful African sun.
Media Mentions
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Babies carried in treated wraps were about two-thirds, or 66 per cent, less likely to develop the disease.

Maeve Cullinan
Global Health Security Reporter

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This particular formula is nongreasy, nonsticky, and lacks a strong odor, making it highly appealing for direct skin application.

Jill Di Donato
Writer

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The best filter, I took care to sleep with it on cold nights and back-flushed her in town.

Lauren “Mothra” Mullen
Hiker, Writer
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