No matter what your particular form of outdoor recreation, there’s one thing that remains constant, the need for clean, purified water to prevent dehydration. Now, as much as we hope that we can all agree on the need for water to prevent dehydration, it’s that “clean” aspect of the water that becomes the tricky part. As much fun as Beaver Fever seems to be, if we can just avoid it altogether, that’s probably for the best, right? So what are the best ways to prevent that from cropping up on your next backcountry excursion?

When it comes to purifying and cleaning your drinking water there are three main options. The first option is the simplest, which is to boil the water. While very effective at getting rid of contaminants that will make you sick, boiling water comes with its own set of challenges and issues. The first problem is that you actually have to stop and set up your stove each time you want fresh water. This is often just not practical. The second issue is that the water is then boiling hot and, if you’ve ever had boiling hot water, you’ll know instinctively that this is not the most refreshing type of water to drink on a hot day.

Now that we’ve determined we need something other than boiling hot water to quench our thirst on a hike, that leaves us with two options. The first option are treatment tablets like the ones from Potable Aqua or these MSR AquaTabs. There are a few very appealing aspects to water-purifying tabs of this sort. The first benefit has to be weight and space savings. It really takes very little effort to throw a few packs of these into your pack for your trip and be good to go. The other great thing is the ease of use. You can stop at a stream, fill up your water container, throw in a purifying-tablet and be on your way.

tabs

That being said, there are a few drawbacks to tablets as well. The first is that, for many people, they tend to leave a bit of a funky taste. This can be easily remedied by bringing along some powdered drink mix to help remove any sort of iodine taste left behind. The second drawback is that they do take about 30 minutes to work, and that time is very important. So, if you’re thirsty right away, they’re not necessarily the most timely option.

“But I’m thirsty now,” you’re saying. “How am I supposed to wait 30 minutes?” Well, with our second option, water filters, you actually don’t have to wait much time at all. The Hyperflow Microfilter from MSR is its lightest, smallest, and fastest pumping filter and it pumps out an astonishing 3 liters per minute of pure, fresh water. The Miniworks EX Microfilter, also from MSR, is another great option as well. Both will deliver clean, drinkable water in no time. The other advantage to filters like these ones is that they filter out particles or “floaters” that might be in your water source. The only real downside to a good filter like those two is the slight added weight and space taken up in your pack. Honestly though, that part is fairly negligible in the grand scheme of things.

filters

One other filter worth mentioning on its own is the MINI Water Filter from Sawyer. The MINI is quite a departure from traditional filters in that it’s very small, it only weights about 2 ounces, making it easily transportable in virtually any situation. The other unique feature of the MINI is the straw. You can actually just hook up this filter to its built-in straw device and drink directly from your water source. Talk about a great way to refresh yourself when you’re out on the trail!

Sawyer MINI

What’s the best method for your personal adventures? Well, that’s really up to you, obviously. One thing that we here at Granite Chief recommend is actually a combination of things. If there’s one thing that will help you out in the backcountry, it’s redundancy. With that in mind, grab your preferred filter and use that as your primary water-purification system. Then, pick up a package of purification tablets and throw them into your first aid kit for emergency use. That way, you’re covered no matter what happens out on the trail.