The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Little else ruins a good backpacking trip like a midnight run for the bushes. We’ve been there, and we’re not keen on going back, which is why our experts have found the best backpacking water filters. We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, hunters, and mountaineers, and we’ve logged a not small number of miles ourselves, filtering our water along the way.

Our experts collectively tested a wide range of filters for the creation of this guide, from our top-pick Sawyer Squeeze to the budget-conscious LifeStraw Personal. We’ve been squeezing water through countless tubes and dropping tablets in Nalgenes each season to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 filters you see today.

Continue reading to learn more about the best backpacking water filters, written by Chris Carter, Mary Murphy and Will Brendza.

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Little else ruins a good backpacking trip like a midnight run for the bushes. We’ve been there, and we’re not keen on going back, which is why our experts have found the best backpacking water filters. We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, hunters, and mountaineers, and we’ve logged a not small number of miles ourselves, filtering our water along the way.

Our experts collectively tested a wide range of filters for the creation of this guide, from our top-pick Sawyer Squeeze to the budget-conscious LifeStraw Personal. We’ve been squeezing water through countless tubes and dropping tablets in Nalgenes each season to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 filters you see today.

Continue reading to learn more about the best backpacking water filters, written by Chris Carter, Mary Murphy and Will Brendza.

Mwandishi wa Blogu ya Picha
Senior Editor
Chris Carter
Wrought from a somewhat unconventional childhood in rural Kenya, Senior Editor Chris Carter derives his journalist inspiration from a life lived under the brutal but beautiful African sun.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

Gear Junkie: The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

The Best Backpacking Water Filters of 2025

Little else ruins a good backpacking trip like a midnight run for the bushes. We’ve been there, and we’re not keen on going back, which is why our experts have found the best backpacking water filters. We’ve spoken to thru-hikers, hunters, and mountaineers, and we’ve logged a not small number of miles ourselves, filtering our water along the way.

Our experts collectively tested a wide range of filters for the creation of this guide, from our top-pick Sawyer Squeeze to the budget-conscious LifeStraw Personal. We’ve been squeezing water through countless tubes and dropping tablets in Nalgenes each season to bring you the streamlined selection of 15 filters you see today.

Continue reading to learn more about the best backpacking water filters, written by Chris Carter, Mary Murphy and Will Brendza.

Mwandishi wa Blogu ya Picha
Senior Editor
Chris Carter
Wrought from a somewhat unconventional childhood in rural Kenya, Senior Editor Chris Carter derives his journalist inspiration from a life lived under the brutal but beautiful African sun.
Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari
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Hapa kwenye Sawyer
March 16, 2026
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Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

I treat my clothing with Sawyer Permethrin before hitting the trail.

Mac
Mac
Mwandishi wa Kuchangia

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

Water Filter: Sawyer Squeeze

Gustavo
Hiker

Majina ya Vyombo vya Habari

I like to use my CNOC as a gravity system with the Sawyer Squeeze filter.

Mike Unger, Liz Thomas, & Naomi Hudetz
Treeline Review Staff
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