Top 5 Best Camping Water Purifiers

If you’re going camping and don’t want to lug around jugs of water, you need the best camping water purifier. Have you ever been camping and wasn’t sure you could actually trust the water? With the best camping water purifier, you won’t have to risk your health. After searching dozens of products, we found five top-selling purifiers, in addition to addressing common features and other considerations you should keep in mind. Keep reading below for camping water purifier reviews and ratings.

The 5 Top Camping Water Purifiers

High-quality water purifiers are important as they ensure your water is actually clean and safe enough to drink and cook with. We can help you choose the best camping water purifier for your next outdoor adventure through our reviews below.

* Ratings are determined using our specialized rating system.

JoyPur Portable Outdoor Water Purifier

The Joypur Portable Outdoor Water Purifier is the best camping water purifier that offers a three-stage filtration system. With the first stage, the medical grade PP cotton prevents clogging. The second stage is a carbon filter to help eliminate odor while improving taste quality. Lastly, the third stage is a medical grade hollow fiber UF membrane that helps filter out the water.

In an effort to provide efficient filtration, nothing larger than 0.01 microns in diameter is able to pass through. You’ll be able to get up to 3,000L of filtration before it needs replacing, and it even offers a fast flow rate measuring about 1.4L per minute. It’s made using military-grade ABS material for durability.

You may also notice the anti-skid properties on the sides and bottom so that it stays in place while you use it. There may be some issues attaching the intake hose, but it’s something that may become easier with practice. Otherwise, this purifier is compact and light enough that it’s easy to travel with and store once you’re done.

SteriPen Ultra Water Purifier for Outdoors

The SteriPen Ultra USB Rechargeable UV Personal Water Purifier weighs only around 4.8oz, and paired with its small height, it’s simple enough to pack up in almost any bag. Although it can be expensive, there seems to be a good amount of value found in it.

It utilizes UV light in order to destroy an estimated 99.9% of bacteria and viruses. This does appear effective, but the overall reliability remains in question because the UV may fail to respond at times. If it does, it may not purify the water.

When it does work, you should be aware of how everything’s working thanks to the easy-to-read Organic Light Emitting Diode display. This display highlights the status of the treatment, whether the treatment was a success or if it failed, the volume of the treatment, and the state of the battery.

As for the battery, it’s USB rechargeable through a computer or an outlet. If you have one, you can even recharge the purifier using a solar panel. It may be the best camping water purifier that’s easy to travel with and keep charged no matter where you’re at.

MoKo Portable Water Purifier & Filter for Camping

As the best camping water purifier you can find at an affordable price, the MoKo Portable Water Purifier weighs less than 8oz. It’s made from reliable aluminum and food grade plastic. On it, you’ll also find a well-constructed survival straw.

This is compact and lightweight enough to easily fit into your backpack. If you wish, you can decide to use the drawstring pouch that comes with the filter instead.

It uses a triple filtration system that consists of a pre-filter, an AC filter, and a MU filter. Making use of an activated coconut shell carbon filter, this may be able to effectively eliminate a number of different contaminates from chemicals to chlorine odor. It can purify up to 3,000L before replacing.

LifeStraw Portable Gravity Powered Water Purifier

The LifeStraw Family 1.0 Portable Gravity Powered Water Purifier is an award-winning filtration product that states it can provide clean drinking water for three years for a family of a four. This is the best camping water purifier able to produce large quantities as it manages to offer 18,000L of clean water.

It claims to filter out viruses, bacteria, and even protozoan cysts down to 0.02 microns. The purifier is designed rather durable so it can withstand the outdoors.

If you might encounter any issues, there may be some leaking that will occur around the nozzle area. In the event this happens, you may have to tighten it and start over. Once everything is setup properly, the system works itself.

In fact, it seems straightforward to use. With a flow rate of 9-12L per hour, all you have to do is set it up and allow gravity to do the work. As you pour the water into the top, it filters through and comes out clean in the bottom. There’s even a sealed bag it can pump into for storing larger amounts of water.

H2O SURVIVAL Water Purifier for Camping

The H2O SURVIVAL Water Purifier Travel Straw Bundle offers you two different purification straws. Both of them are still compact enough that you can simply slide it into your pocket and go about your camping trip.

With this bundle, you’ll receive a mini straw that has a life capacity around 70L. Meanwhile, the max straw has a larger capacity of around 2,000L. There’s a sediment grate on the bottom of it to ensure that it won’t clog up.

In addition, this may be the best camping water purifier that’s designed with 11 separate filters on the max and 12 separate filters on the mini in an effort to clean as much of the water as possible. Both are capable of filtering from a number of different water sources you may come across while camping such as from streams, lakes, and ponds.

There is a precaution you need to take with this, however. The straws both contain iodine, something that can cause adverse reactions if you’re allergic or pregnant.

Important Camping Water Purifier Features to Consider

You may not always have fresh water on-hand while camping, so it pays to have a portable filtration system to keep yourself and anyone else you’re with safe. Having a water purifier can be one of the best and easiest ways to stay hydrated while camping.

Many aspects go into finding the best camping water purifier from addressing common features it should have, to understanding the advantages of using it, to addressing anything you should look out for.

No two water purifier designs are exactly the same. There are various types you can find, different layers of filtration, and various constructions. All are important features to keep in mind when finding the right filter for your camping needs.

Types of Purifiers

There are three main types of water purifiers you may choose from for camping: pump, gravity, and UV. Pump water purifiers, which are great for filling drinking containers like canteens, camping mugs, and camping water bottles, can purify a couple gallons of clean water at a time. Gravity purifiers work faster than with pumps and can purify large quantities of water using gravity, but you’ll need space to hang the bag. UV purifiers are water purifiers that kill germs by exposing them to UV radiation. They can be a good backup when relying on a larger source of carried water like a hydration bladder or hydration pack.

Layers of Purification

Some tools to purify water offer three different stages of filtration. This may allow the product to clean out as much contaminants as it can before it reaches you. These stages are often seen in pump water purifiers. Straw purifiers may contain more layers, over 10 in fact.

Also, check the diameter of what can pass through. For instance, some filter to 0.01 microns or 0.02 microns, which can further aid in cutting down what can try to get through.

Purification Speed

Quality water purifiers should perform their job well enough that you achieve safe water. Going beyond that, you should find a purifier that doesn’t take too long to work. This way, you’re not sitting around all day waiting for fresh water.

On average, many well-made purifiers can manage around 1L or so within a single minute.

Size and Portability

The best camping water purifier is one that you can actually take camping. This means that it shouldn’t be overly bulky or heavy. Having something light in weight and compact may help you pack it up better so it doesn’t get in the way of the rest of your gear.

Benefits of Using Camping Water Purifiers

The advantages of using water purifiers, whether you use a gravity water purifier, UV water purifier, or water purification tablets while camping are obvious. You’re not always aware what’s in the water you encounter while you’re outdoors, and if you run out of the water you brought with you, it’s important you can readily replace it.

Contaminated water can cause a number of health issues ranging from minor irritations to hospital stays. That’s why it’s important to purify as much as you can. For maximum cleanliness, try using the best camping water purifier in tandem with a camping water filter, whether you use a traditional one or use a water filter bottle, gravity water filter, or a water filter straw. This way, you always have a clean supply of water to drink, cook with, and even bathe with.

Precautions to Using Camping Water Purifiers

When it comes to water, you should always take caution. As we stated above, there are many risks associated with contaminated water. That’s why the purifier you choose to take on your next camping trip should be well made and simple to maintain.

Before you go camping, always be sure that the purifier is properly cleaned so that it can work to its best ability.

Of course, camping water purifiers clean germs in water but do not always filter out particulates if high-level filtration is not used as part of the purification process. Consider using a water filter pitcher in conjunction with a camping water purifier to guarantee your water is truly clean.

Conclusion

Sometimes packing loads of water for a camping trip isn’t feasible, so portable water purifiers can come in handy. As we gave you plenty of options to choose from, we do feel that the Joypur Portable Outdoor Water Purifier is the best camping water purifier.

Its three-stage filtration system works well at eliminating contaminants down to 0.01 microns. The flow rate is fast as it manages 1.4L per minute, and it can also last you awhile as it has a capacity of 3,000L before needing to be replaced. This purifier is also lightweight and easy enough to pack up in a bag and set aside when it’s not in use.

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