What is the best and easiest to use personal water filter system in general use today?

In simple terms, I'd like to discuss usage methods, accessories, and effectiveness.

Private well we use a 10" whole house, 5 micron, change it out every 6 months.

I'm not an expert but I have put a few in my houses over the years.

From what I know, essentially there is a single stage, two stage and a three stage filter.

single stage is sediment, two stage will reduce chemicals that effect taste and smell, and three stage include reverse osmosis or a very fine filter/membrane which gets into the more heavy chemicals like lead.

So by "personal water filter" do you mean lightweight, portable,, reasonably priced, effective for one person? If yes: The sawyer.

For tabletop/countertop in the kitchen - the Berkey's.

ahh personal, like a Brita ?

I do have a couple of lifestraws in my G.O.O.D. bag

Personal water filters that can be easily carried on your person for back country use.

I use a Sawyer also, and have had no issues. Easy to use, easy to clean.

I can't give and real-life comparison to any others though, it's the only one I've used.

These results were surprising to me.

Googled "the sawyer"...

It's either a hotel in Sacramento or a pet friendly apartment complex in North Cackalakee...

Apologies. try "Sawyer Water Filter" and see if that doesn't get you closer.

I don't live in Cleveland and there's nothing wrong with my well...

We just had a long discussion on them on the backpacking forum. Go here: WATER FILTERS

I have a Sawyer water bottle that goes everywhere with me plus three more Sawyer filters with bags and other hookups, I use in different ways..


Jayco 👍

That helped... Which Sawyer filter do you recommend? How easy is it to use for filling a bottle?

And... Would you use it to filter and drink water from a park pond? Or how effective is it?

Does it fill a bottle with suction? Gravity? A pump of some sort?

And a SteriPen which I have used a lot...


Jayco 👍

I have a Sawyer in my pack. At home I use a Berkey. I filter my tap water for drinking with it and it may come in handy if I ever need to convert rain or ground water in a pinch.

One sip of tap water will kill you!!!!

Its radioactive, and it full of carcinogens and pathogens, it'll even kill your plants and pets, DO NOT CONSUME TAP WATER!!!

Thankfully you can buy any number of bottled water brands, most of which are.....wait for it.....tap water from somewhere else!

One of the biggest jokes I've ever seen was a restaurant with nothing on the menu but a long list of imported bottled water. No food, no alcohol, just water.

Technically, a water purifier, I installed a 5 stage reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink for around $250. Our tap water consistently tests around 130 TDS (total dissolved solids), the purifier reduces the incoming tap water to 8-10 TDS. Most brands of purified bottle water will test in the 15-23 TDS range. The system easily generates enough water for the ice maker, coffee maker and daily drinking. The flavor of coffee using filtered water is unbelievably better.

Installation of the system is surprising easy. I have installed them in two previously owned homes and it is a pretty quick task. Probably not for everyone, but it ends the onerous task of constantly purchasing bottled water.

Katadyn befree bags are what I use, Light, last forever, easy to see how much water is left, and quick to fill and drink from.

For a portable filter I really like the sawyer

I have two. One is a MSR Mini Works that I carry while on the move and is or was issued by the USMC, and the other is a Katadyn Base Camp when staying put in one place for periods of time longer than a night or two. The MSR is a ceramic filtered manual pump filter slightly taller than a pop can. It filters everything down to viruses.

The Katadyn Base Camp is basically a 2.5 - 3gal bag that utilizes the Katadyn Hiker Pro filter cartridge in the bottom and works on gravity. It filters everything except viruses. Fill it, hang it and let gravity do the work. I also have a 5-liter MSR water bladder that I fill up and use to stay ahead of the Katadyn if there are multiple users. Both filters produce about 1 liter of filtered water/minute. I've never noticed any excessive time to fill a 40 or 48oz water bottle. BTW, the MSR screws onto standard water bottles, the MSR water bladder, Camelbacks and other brands of hydration systems for filling. The Katadyn Base Camp seems to work faster if hung higher and with longer tubes attached. When stowed, both take up little room and add little weight to a pack. For the most part we aren't hiking any distance anyway and use ATVs or boats of one flavor or another when on the move.

The Katadyn filter can be sterilized for reuse by boiling it, but it should be changed after 200 liters anyway. Normally, I just toss it when I'm done using it and replace it with another before the next outing. I also carry a spare when oot and aboot especially in moose camp which can be a few days or up to 3-weeks. The MSR filter is cleaned by a Scotch pad and boiling after use. Using the scratchy pad takes ceramic material off off the filter element and MSR supplies a plastic gauge to determine when enough material is scratched away warranting replacement. Theoretically, the MSR should filter about 10k liters - depending on raw water quality - before wearing down enough to require replacement.

I also carry chorine dioxide tablets for the Katadyn in the event I suspect there may be viruses in the raw water supply. I've never used them in the years I've been using the Katadyn other than throwing one in the 5-liter MSR bladder as a precaution to keep the water stored in it from getting yukky. For proper treatment, use on tab per liter. I think I see a Steri-Pen in my future too.


Most of the concerns in AK are giardia and other bugs and bacteria. Viruses are pretty fragile in the outdoors and I would imagine are rarely present unless downstream from a garbage dump or sewerage plant.

I have a lifestraw in each vehicle and more at home just in case.

Johnw,

I recommend a household unit to start and then a separate field unit. They don't have to cost a fortune. Most everyone is accustomed to chemical laden municipal water. Change to the top purification unit and you'll likely feel the difference as your body responds to the improvement. You'll never go back to tap water again.
Here's a couple of tests from a lab who wasn't sponsored by any companies. However, after a couple of years the owner decided to sell the best unit.
He tests glyphosate/ roundup contamination of water in the first battery of tests. The second link covers the broader range of contaminates.


https://healthrangerreport.com/glyphosate-testing-of-water-filters-heres-how-we-did-it

My home purification unit is the best money ever spent on health. I bought one many thousands of gallons ago and would buy one again if I had to start over. Here are the test results of it and the popular competitors.
https://www.waterfilterlabs.com

Gayd,

The devil has you up early working for him today.

"A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth.
He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers;
Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord.
Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him:...
A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren."

That's you Ring Wraith.

Katadyn and MSR make good backpacking water filters

I bought a Sweetwater a few years back when I was hiking with the scouts