The Most Dependable Personal Water Filters For Surviving The Outdoors

Perhaps the most well-known adage about survival is the rule of threes — a person can survive three minutes without air, three hours without shelter in extreme weather, three days without water and three weeks without food. There are plenty of people who have exceeded these guidelines, of course, but these rules are a useful shorthand for surviving in extreme conditions. That’s why every serious outdoor adventurist carries a bug-out bag, which consists of essentials for staying alive. A small piece of equipment that can go a long way in a survival situation is a personal water filter.

Personal water filters are pocket-sized tools that typically have a built-in straw, allowing you to directly drink from them or filter them into a water bottle. Their chief application is as an emergency source for outdoorsmen. If you run out of water, a pocket water filter allows you to drink from an untreated source like a river. These filters can remove nearly all bacteria and waterborne parasites without the use of chemicals like chlorine. They also don’t rely on battery power.

Even if you’re not one for the outdoors, a personal water filter can be a good option for travelers who aren’t sure about the water supply in the place that they’re visiting, or just any time you want to make sure the water you’re drinking is as clean and pure as it can be. Best of all, many of these water filters are highly affordable. These are the ones to get.

See the full list by Jonathan Zavaleta on Spy.com's website here.