# Portable Water Filtration.



## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

OK well I have a water filter pump and two spare filters in my BOB I don't even remember what it is it was bought more because of price rather than high ratings. I remember looking enough to see it wasn't junk but it is undoubtedly not the best out there. Soooo..........

My Question is what does everyone else have for a portable water filter system? Why did you select what you did? 

I also back a filter up with straw type filters and tablets and my favorite Polar Pure. But I"m interested in the pump type filters mostly for this. I personally want somthing that has a cleanable pre filter, a long lasting and possibly back flushable main filter and still not crowd too much stuff out of a BOB, 

So whatcha got how do you like it?


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## GlockPrepper (Nov 12, 2012)

I am deficient in water filtration for sure. I have A LOT of tablets and bleach, two bladders for the bathtub, and just learned how to distill. I definitely need a good filter, which I will be getting this week. 

I have been looking at those LifeStraws for emergency use. Does anyone know anything about them? Are they as good as advertised? According to the manufacturer I should be able to drink out of a puddle in a parking lot.


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I have been on the road for over forty years in my work. we were issued Katadyn filters and I still have my first one. Since that time I have bought several of them for my family from vendors I know well. They hold up really well. There are several good ones on the market. I know Sawyer makes good filters as well. The thing I like about Katadyn is I can find spare elements a lot of places. 

Your filter in combination with water treatment pills and some coffee filters (MR Coffee type) for prefiltering out sediment can give you a nice portable system. GB


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## GlockPrepper (Nov 12, 2012)

Just bumping this once because I am interested in what you guys think about this. Thanks.


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## CrackbottomLouis (May 20, 2012)

I have an msr pump filter. I rely heavily on purtabs when hiking. Generally use t shirt for sediment filter. I take water from fast moving sources. Those general rules and equipment should set ya straight while on the move. Just using a pump filter without purtabs would make me nervous.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

Steripen and coffee filters for my portable filtration. I'd like to get a Katadyn but it will have to wait. Those can be a little spendy and I've been patching other holes in my preps. 

I also have several of the waves for water bucket filters and those are good, but they dont go all the way down to .2 microns, so I still need to seriously consider boiling even after filtration. I think the biggest risk is giardia. 

I wonder how rain water works with that. is giardia small enough to hitchhike with water molecules that are part of evaporation and then form rain clouds and come back down? that does seem a little unlikely??


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

Nah rain water is pretty much pure till it hits all the crap in the air and "washes" it out. I always wondered about a way to set up a water catchment that would dujmp the first 20 min or so of rain then save the rest after it had washed the air. Most of that stuff will settle out anyway. But the giardia isn't hitching along.


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## Dakine (Sep 4, 2012)

I've seen some water catchment devices for down spouts on gutters that would recognize that the catch barrel is full and then shunt the water to a run off port out into a 2nd barrel, the yard, driveway or wherever you have the backup path directed.

It seems like you could try to rig up something similar, but it would be a little tricky. You just need to have a little tube or something fill up, gravity then drops it down, which moves a lever, and locks the redirector duct on the catchment into your primary "clean" water reservoir. 

It would definitely be a neat gadget, but i can easily see it driving me nuts trying to build it and then tune it, plus we get precious few rain storms here to try it out on, a heavy misty fog/rain'ish is a lot more common around here.


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## jsriley5 (Sep 22, 2012)

With the droughts running rampant around probably best to catch every drop you can and just plan to filter it. At least filter what you will drink or do dishes with. In years past water was plentiful and losing the first few minutes of a rain wouldn't seem so wasteful.


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## Highwater (Mar 22, 2011)

GlockPrepper said:


> I am deficient in water filtration for sure. I have A LOT of tablets and bleach, two bladders for the bathtub, and just learned how to distill. I definitely need a good filter, which I will be getting this week.
> 
> I have been looking at those LifeStraws for emergency use. Does anyone know anything about them? Are they as good as advertised? According to the manufacturer I should be able to drink out of a puddle in a parking lot.


I would not drink out of a puddle in a parking lot with the LifeStraw. If that lot is asphalt, I would avoid it. The LifeStraw removes microbial contaminants so I would be much more inclined to drink straight from a puddle in a cow field.


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## Highwater (Mar 22, 2011)

For pump filters, Katadyn is King. The Katadyn Pocket sets the standard. It has a silver impregnated ceramic filter with a capacity for 13,000 gallons. That could last you a lifetime. It also has a lifetime warranty, although you might see claims of a 20 year guarantee. I asked Katadyn and they will repair or replace any Pocket that is faulty.

Sawyer gravity drip and squeeze filters and purifiers have many advantages: lightweight, affordable, no need to replace filters, and they have a one million gallon guarantee. They are also made in the US. Katadyn are Swiss made.

MSR and General Ecology make excellent filters and purifiers as well.

You probably won't find a better deal for Katadyn, Sawyer or LifeStraws than at Highwater Filters. LifeStraws are currently on backorder but should be arriving soon. You need to use coupon codes to get the deep discounts on Katadyn filters.


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