Water filters and UV purifiers

When choosing a water source, you need to consider the area you're heading to. Even with a water filter, it's important to be cautious, especially in regions with various diseases – mechanical filters can't remove all viruses from water. Contaminated water sources are much safer (though definitely not one hundred percent) to filter using a combination of a UV purifier and a mechanical filter. In any case, always think about whether you'd drink from that spring or stream without a filter – those sources are usually the safest, and besides really dry areas, you’ll likely come across them multiple times a day without much trouble.

Why use travel water filters?

• Health and safety: The filters will remove most bacteria (e.g., E. coli, Salmonella), parasites (e.g., Giardia), and impurities.
• Weight reduction: With a filter or UV lamp, you won't be so dependent on sources with 100% drinking water. You don’t have to carry large supplies of drinking water, even if there are natural sources along the way.
• Versatility: Modern filters are lightweight, compact, and easy to use in any terrain.

Types of filters

• Mechanical filters: They remove dirt, bacteria, and parasites. Not all of them can eliminate viruses.
• UV purifiers: With the help of ultraviolet radiation, they eliminate all bacteria, parasites, and most importantly, also viruses (unlike most mechanical filters).

Safety first

In the Gramino range, you'll find several types of water filters from brands like the trusted maker of soft collapsible bottles Platypus, or a filter specialist Katadyn or Sawyer. Each of these filtration systems has its pros and cons, which we'll take a quick look at now.

Platypus has proven itself to be a reliable brand over the years on our treks with packable bottles and hydration bladders, but they also offer water filters for their hydration systems relatively recently. Platypus filters are versatile and you can easily use them with original soft bottles from this manufacturer, as well as with standard PET bottles. The stated lifespan of the filter Platypus Quickdraw, which, besides its low weight, boasts mainly a high flow rate and a thoughtful filter body design, has a capacity of around 1000 liters.

A similar lifespan to Platypus is offered by water filters Katadyn BeFree that stand out primarily for their simplicity and easy cleaning, but unfortunately are not compatible with standard PET bottles (the thread width must be 42 mm for compatibility with the Katadyn filter). Still, it’s an elegant and lightweight solution that will please any thru-hiker.

For many manufacturers, the long-standing king in the world of water filters is Sawyer, which with its system Sawyer Squeeze made a small revolution in the world of mechanical filtration systems. Compared to the competition, Sawyer offers an incredible lifespan of up to 3 million liters of filtered water and great efficiency. It's the obvious choice, especially for lovers of long-distance trails and adventurers who hit the mountains really often and for extended periods.

Tips for effective use of the filter

• Choosing a water source: Prefer flowing sources over stagnant ones. Try to collect water without silt and sediments – the filter will clog up less with dirt and will have a better flow rate.
• Maintenance: Regularly backflush the mechanical filters and store it in a dry place.
• Don't let your filter freeze: If the filter freezes, its effectiveness will be permanently reduced.
• Before use: To achieve better flow, make sure that the fibers of the mechanical filter are soaked with water. This will simplify the first use and increase filtration efficiency.
• Use filtered water immediately: Long-term storage can lead to bacterial regrowth.