The Ideal Ways to Treat Water While Backpacking and Hiking

If you are considering going on a multi-day backpacking or hiking trip, know that preparation and planning are both extremely important. Starting this kind of adventure without proper outdoor clothing, food, medical supplies and information can result in an extremely negative experience.

Proper hydration on this kind of adventure cannot be overlooked. You might think that it’s okay to drink the water found in pits and pounds, but water from natural sources can still contain harmful elements like pollutants, bacteria, parasites and viruses that could make you very sick. Unless you want to weigh down your pack with water, you should consider bringing with you a water filtration or purification method.

The range of water filtration and purification methods that’s available on the market means getting safe, clean water in the backcountry has never been lighter or easier. From water sterilising tablets, to high tech UV purifiers, and ultralight squeeze filters, you have a variety of options for treating water on the trail and staying hydrated and happy on your backpacking or hiking trip.

Which is better water purifier or filter, you may wonder? Both methods are efficient at removing pathogens from water, and they both have their downsides. Filtration systems provide a barrier that blocks most pathogens while still allowing water to pass through.

While it works well against protozoa and bacteria, it doesn’t always stop tiny viruses from slipping through with the water. Purification gets rid of or immobilizes most (if not all) water-borne pathogens, including viruses that are too small to be caught through filtration methods. Purification is mainly done through sterilization or chemical methods.

Purification Systems

Chemical water treatment is considered the “old-school” purification system and it’s still one of the most effective methods of treating water. Chemical water treatment is done using purification tablets – you simply add a tab into your water container, shake it around, and then wait the indicated time for the chemical to kill the pathogens.

Lightweight, inexpensive and easy to use water sterilising tablets are used by many outdoor experts. Even if you choose a different method of water treatment, you should still carry some tablets as a backup option just in case your equipment malfunctions.

Different chemical water treatments are available, including iodine and chlorine dioxide tablets. Due to the drawbacks of iodine tablets, such as terrible taste, danger to pregnant women and individuals with thyroid problems, and ineffectiveness against the Cryptosporidium parasite, chlorine dioxide is a better option to consider.

Another type of water purification system commonly used is boiling. It is a low-tech and easy technique where water is rolling boil for a minute. Since you’ll already have a cook-set with you, it can be the most cost-effective solution to treat water. However, the time you’ll need to bring the water to a boil, and wait for it to cool down enough to drink, makes it a slow water treatment option when compared to others like the efficient water purification tablets.

And there are also ultraviolet light purifiers, which is the most modern method for purifying water. An ultraviolet light purifier is a pen-like device with a probe that you place into the container of water you want to treat. Once you insert the probe into the water, you swirl it around for about a minute to neutralize the pathogens.

One of the greatest things about this device is that you never have to clean or replace any of its parts (like with most filters) making it very easy to use. The downside of this system is that the device requires batteries and one of the complaints from users is that it goes through battery power quickly. You’ll also need multiple treatments to purify large amounts of water. Furthermore, if the water sits around for a while, the neutralized pathogens may become active again.

Filtration Systems

The pump filters technique is a popular filtration system consisting of a filter, a hand-held pump, and tubes. With this system, you place the intake tube in the water source while the outlet tube is placed into your water container. You then pump water with the hand-held pump from the source through the filter and into your container. Depending on how fast you pump, this technique is fairly quick and works well in shallow water. The problem with this filtration system is that it can be tiring and can also be bulk to carry – the tubes and filter can take quite a bit of space.

The gravity filtration method works similarly to pump filters, but instead of using a pump, gravity does the work for you. This system usually comes with two water bladders (one for dirty and the other for clean water), along with some hoses and the filter unit. You fill the “dirty” bag with water from the natural water source and hang it on a tree or tall place before hooking up the hoses and filter along with the “clean” water bat at the bottom. You can then sit back and relax while you let gravity filter your water, which is done at a pretty fast rate. The only downside with this system is it could be more difficult in shallow water as you need to fill the water bladder.

How to Store Treated Water

Once you’ve purified or treated the water for drinking, you’ll need a safe way to store it to prevent it from getting contaminated again. Clean containers are the best option. Wash your containers thoroughly and let them dry in the sun to avoid contaminating your freshly portable water with waterborne pathogens or other pollutants.