Backpacking is a great way to connect with nature and enjoy the outdoors. However, if you’re going to be backpacking for more than a day, it’s essential to make sure you have access to clean water.
Having a water filtration system is the best way to ensure that your drinking water is safe and healthy. But what kind of system do you need?
Types of Water Filtration Systems
Water filtration systems come in all different shapes and sizes. The type of system you need depends on how much water you’ll be using and the quality of the water source. For backpacking, you’ll want a lightweight and compact system that can filter out bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and sediment.
Pump Filters:
Pump filters are popular for backpacking because they are easy to use and reliable. They work by pumping contaminated water through a filter, which captures any contaminants.
Pump filters are effective at removing most bacteria, protozoa, and sediment from the water. However, they may not be as effective at removing viruses from the water source.
Gravity Filters:
Gravity filters are becoming increasingly popular for backpacking because they are lightweight and easy to use. They work by suspending a bag filled with contaminated water above a filter cartridge.
Gravity pulls the contaminated water through the filter cartridge, which captures any contaminants before releasing clean filtered water into another bag below it. Gravity filters can effectively remove bacteria, protozoa, sediment, and some viruses from your drinking water source.
UV Filters:
UV filters are an effective way to purify your drinking water while backpacking. They work by passing contaminated water through an ultraviolet light chamber that kills most bacteria and viruses in the process. UV filters are lightweight and easy to use but may not be as effective at filtering out sediment or other larger particles from your drinking water source.
Conclusion:
When choosing a filtration system for backpacking, it’s important to consider how much water you’ll need and what contaminants may be present in your drinking source. Pump filters are reliable but may not be as effective at removing viruses from your drinking source; gravity filters provide good protection against bacteria, protozoa, sediment; while UV filters can effectively kill most bacteria and viruses in your drinking source but may not filter out sediment or other particles from your drinking source effectively.. It’s important to choose the right type of filtration system that meets all of your needs when planning for backpacking trips!