Water Filters - Outdoor Gear Advice

You Are Here:

Home >> Gear >> What gets your vote for best all-around water filter?

View the entire 300-plus collection of must-have gear items tailor-made for your adventurous lifestyle. PLUS: A special section on womens gear.

Today's Question
What set of walkie-talkies should I get for a three-month trip on Hawaii’s Big Island? answer

Who makes the best three-season one-person condensation-free tent? answer

Today's Question
What's the best sleeping bag for a side sleeper? answer

What’s the best hybrid bike under $1,000? answer

Online Favorites

Special Issues

Photo Galleries

March 14, 2005

What gets your vote for best all-around water filter?

MiniWorks
(courtesy, MSR)

Gear Wizard, what's the best backpacking water filter on the market these days? If reliability, ease of use, speed, and size trump price, what's the best?

— Josh
Denver, Colorado

Got your own gear question?

Express yourself in the Gear Forum

I like MSR's MiniWorks EX ($80, www.msrcorp.com). I've been using one for years and have found it supremely user-friendly and effective—at least, I haven't contracted giardia while using one! The two features I particularly like are the lever-type pump handle, which I find easy to use, and the fact the filter can be screwed directly onto a Nalgene bottle, so there's no need to try to balance a bottle or pot on a rock and hold an outlet tube over it. The EX is an updated version of the MiniWorks I've long used, with a new filter element and improved pumping action.

The SweetWater Microfilter ($59) is also a can't-miss filter. Like the MiniWorks, it's now made by MSR (which purchased SweetWater a few years back) so it has the same basic filter, just a slightly different design. It's being marketed as the "light and fast" filter, while the MiniWorks is for someone who's willing to carry a few more ounces and gain some durability.

Neither the MiniWorks nor the Microfilter is a water purifier, however. That means they'll catch giardiasis, protozoa, and that sort of thing, but not viruses. For that you'll need to carry along a chemical treatment. SweetWater Purifier ($9 a bottle) does the trick, without adding any aftertaste.

Everything you need to know about pumps, filters, and chemical purifiers in Outside's 2004 Buyer's Guide.

•	Subscribe to Outside and get a FREE Gift!

•	Give the gift of Outside Magazine!

•	Subscribe to Outside Online's free weekly e-mail newsletter featuring gear reviews, fitness advice, galleries, podcasts, and more.

RECENT QUESTIONS

What set of walkie-talkies should I get for a three-month trip on Hawaii’s Big Island?

Who makes the best three-season one-person condensation-free tent?

What’s the best boot for a Denali summit?

What’s the best altimeter for a winter ascent of Mount Rainier?

What day pack should I use for winter adventures on the Gaspe Peninsula?

GEAR GUY FEATURES

Check out the bio of Douglas Gantenbein, aka the Gear Guy.

Readers' Mailbag: The Gear Guy digs into some of your more bizarre, obscure (and let�s face it, downright weird) posts from years gone by to see if he can make sense of it all, or if it�s just time to run up the white flag. Previous column: Beat the Cost of Gear.

The Gear Guy reports from the 2005 Outdoor Retailer summer trade fair, with his rundown of ten products to watch in 2006, plus the inside scoop on what shook down at the bi-annual gearapalooza.

MORE GEAR

The Outside Gear Blog

2005 Buyer's Guide

State of the Art: 2005 Bikes

Many of the items reviewed by the Gear Guy can be found at REI.com. Click here to find the internet's biggest selection of outdoor gear and apparel.