Water-Purification Gear for Under $50

These will save you from drinking contaminated water—and shelling out a ton of money

FEATURED

Sawyer Squeeze Water Filter System

$40 from REI

Collect stream water in one of Sawyer's 32-ounce pouches, then filter it through the hollow-fiber membrane to remove bacteria and protozoa. The pouches are collapsible (each weighs only three ounces) and reusable, and you can drink straight from the filter's nozzle or pour the water into a bottle for later.

MSR TrailShot Pocket-Sized Water Filter

$50 from Backcountry

Like the LifeStraw, MSR's TrailShot lets you drink straight from the source, but its also good for filling a water bottles. Drop the long straw in the stream and squeeze the hand pump to get the magic started. It works fast, treating a liter of water in 30 seconds.

Katadyn BeFree Collapsible Water Filter Bottle

$45 from REI

Katadyn took a handy one-liter water bottle, which rolls up small to save space in your pack, and put 0.1-micron microfilter in its nozzle that removes 99.9 percent of nasties. The BeFree can purify up to 1,000 liters over its lifetime.

Head here to find the complete scoop on water purification gear under $50 put together by Graham Averill.