How to choose a backpacking water filter?

Backpacking filter

 

If you are into trekking, then one of the main things that you need to think about before starting your journey is how to get a clear source of drinking water. It is a definite fact that the source of your drinking water will never be totally clean or hygienic. You need to find a moderate source and filter the water by the backpacking water filter that you carry with yourself. These backpacking water filters are nothing but portable water filters that help the travellers to drink healthy water, even if there is no reliable source of the same. This is a very common situation for trekkers. The factors that a trekker or such other travellers who need backpacking water filters during their journey, need to consider while taking a backpacking water filter are:

 

Factors affecting the choice of backpacking water filters

 

  1. Firstly, the travellers must consider the size and weight of the water filter. The travellers need to remember that they have to travel long distances and difficult roads with a heavy bag on their back. They need to carry their clothes, medicines and many other essentials, so they cannot keep a water filter that is big and heavy. The backpacking filters which require a lot of parts to be assembled during filtering the water should also be avoided. This is because, when you are too tired of trekking, you will be irritated to assemble the subparts and start filtering the water. Keep a backpacking filter that can filter at least 2-3 litres of water at a stretch. This should be enough to keep you going for 4-6 hours.
  2. The time required to filter the water is important. Generally, travellers prefer a filter that does the job in a short amount of time. However, a strong recommendation would be to choose a backpacking filter that takes the right time to filter water. When you are drinking at home, then there are a certain amount of bacteria, iron and chlorine quantity that you should be worried about. However, when you need to drink water from the outside source, then there are a lot of viruses and other germs that you need to worry about. In fact, you should keep the water-borne diseases like jaundice, typhoid, cholera, etc. in mind, before choosing your backpacking filter. In order to stay away from such detrimental diseases, a traveller needs to choose a filter that takes 1-2 hour time to filter, but removes the necessary impurities from it and makes it safe to drink. It is better to invest time in purifying that to waste time in buying medicines and staying on a bed.
  3. Source of the water is another concern of the travellers. So one should choose a basic backpacking filter that contains the basic filtering technology to remove the heavy metals when he or she will have a moderately clear source of water to drink. However, if you go to an area where only muddy and water filled with viruses are available, then you would require water purification technologies that can remove viruses, debris, mud, clay, etc. from the water. Therefore, if the source of the water is too muddy or clayey or filled with harmful germs, the backpacking filter will have to work more and will be corroded easily.
  4. The last important thing is to choose a filter for which you can buy the necessary spare parts easily from the market. As earlier mentioned, if the water to be filtered is full with germs and heavy metals, then the internal filters will get exhausted and clogged within a few days just to filter 4-5 litres of water a day. In that case, it would be better to replace the filters after one week of rigorous use.

In conclusion, backpacking water filters are a saviour for travellers, but they always need to keep in mind the things mentioned while buying them.


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