You’ve hiked seven miles in the blazing hot sun on a humid day.  Every last drop of your water is gone. 

In a desperate attempt to hydrate, you cup your hands beneath creek water and lift it to your mouth.  It is in this moment when you regretted not preparing ahead of time by shopping for the right hiking and camping gear.

The situation described above is every hiker’s worst nightmare.  Aside from losing your bearings, being attacked by a bear or breaking an ankle, there’s nothing worse than running out of water in the wilderness.

Pack a portable water filter or even two such filters and you’ll always have a means of hydrating in the vicinity of pond, lake or stream water.

The Safe Drinking Water Hikers Need and Deserve

Spend a little bit of money for a portable water filter and you’ll have the tech necessary to separate particles from liquid.  These seemingly futuristic water filters conveniently fit in backpacks with room to spare.

Though a little bit of work is required to remove chemical contamination, it is worth the effort. 

Choose your mobile water filter wisely and you’ll eliminate microplastics, heavy metals and other potentially poisonous particles.  The moral of this story is to be selective when shopping for hiking equipment.

When in Doubt, Filter It

Think back to the last time you were exploring a natural wonderland and stumbled upon a pristine body of water. 

It looked clear, clean and fulfilling, didn’t it? 

Whether you find water moving in a creek as a stream, stagnant water in a pond or that in a lake, it must be filtered.  If you were to drink unfiltered water, you would consume contaminants that lead to severe illness.

There is no sense risking your health when the market is chock-full of portable water filters.  As long as you follow the usage guidelines on the filter’s packaging, it will be effective.

Shop Wisely

The industry’s best water filters filter out biological pathogens including:

• E.coli
• Campylobacter
• Cryptosporidium
• Giardia lamblia
• Other bacteria

Straining is necessary to ensure water is digestible, safe and hydrating.  The top filters have reliable cartridge components with tiny pores that trap bacteria, protozoa and debris.

Though internal pores will be clogged after extensive use, a thorough cleaning helps refresh the filter for continued use.  In contrast, water purifiers rely on chemicals to nullify viruses.

Take a close look at the filter description and you’ll likely find activated carbon that eliminates undesirable flavors.  This feature removes leaf tannins that compromise the taste of the liquid.

Moreover, activated carbon decreases contaminants including industrial chemicals and nasty pesticides.

Mind the Prefilter

Choose a pump-style portable water filter and you’ll likely find it has a prefilter.  If necessary, buy a prefilter separately and add it to the filter.

The purpose of the prefilter is to eliminate sizable particles from water found in nature.  This barrier greatly enhances the treatment process.

Snag a portable water filter with a prefilter and you’ll find it boosts the flow rate, allowing you to spend less time cleaning the unit.  Prefilters are also important as they extend the filter’s useful life.

The icing on the cake is the prefilter’s efficacy in the context of chemical treatments.  This seemingly minor addition really does bolster chemical treatments’ impact on potentially harmful water.

Lotz Makes Hiking and Camping Easy

Check out our inventory and you’ll find everything you need for camping, hiking and other outdoor activities.

Create a new account and you’ll be treated to 5% off all purchases. 

Simply click the blue button in the bottom right corner of your screen to start referring and earning.