Water Treatment: Tablets, Squeeze Filter, Or Gravity
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Every backpacking water method does the same job: it turns stream water into water you can drink without getting sick. The differences are in speed, weight, and what happens when something goes wrong. Pick by how you hike and who you hike with.
Chemical Tablets
Chlorine dioxide tablets weigh almost nothing, can’t break, and can’t freeze. Drop one in a bottle and wait.
The wait is the catch. They need about thirty minutes to work, so you have to plan ahead or carry a second bottle. They also don’t remove silt, so cloudy water stays cloudy. Tablets make a great backup for everyone, and a fine main method for hikers who don’t mind the wait.
A Squeeze Filter
The Sawyer Squeeze is what most people carry. You fill a pouch, screw on the filter, and squeeze clean water into your bottle. It’s fast and light, and you can fix it in the field.
That last part matters more than it sounds. A clogged filter can end a trip. The Squeeze comes with a syringe for backflushing, which clears it out. Carry the syringe. If you leave it at home, a slow filter stays slow.
A Gravity Filter
A gravity system like the Platypus GravityWorks hangs a dirty bag above a clean one and lets gravity do the work. It filters four liters while you set up camp, and it does the work for a whole group.
For a solo hiker who filters on the move, it’s dead weight. It earns its place when you’re feeding two or more people at camp.
The One Rule For Any Filter
Never let a hollow-fiber filter freeze. One freeze can crack the fibers inside, and after that it will happily let water through without filtering anything. There’s no way to tell by looking. On cold nights, sleep with it in your quilt or bag.
Which To Get
- Solo, moving fast: the Sawyer Squeeze, with the syringe.
- A group at camp: the GravityWorks.
- Everyone: a few tablets as a backup, in case your filter clogs, cracks or freezes.
