The best water backpack water filters of 2025, tested and reviewed

Favorite of ultra -ranked tourists, backpacks, motorcyclists and travelers, the Sawyer cooling filter is the gold standard in water filters for anyone, concerned about weight and universal compatibility. The squeeze weighs only 3 ounces, has a filtration level of 0.1 microns (which gets rid of E. Coli, Salmonella, Giardia, Cryptosporidium and other common problems) and claims to filter 100,000 gallons of water before it needs to be replaced. Squeezing is also associated with each 28 mm soda bottle (for example, your main bottle of 20 oz bun), which means that you should never worry about damaging the bottle, as replacement can be easily found anywhere in the world.

You can buy Swyer Squeeze as a filter alone or as a set with several water bubbles and connecting hoses. The bubbles included from the set work well, but I usually jump over and filter them in an intelligent water bottle. As the name implies, the pressure is designed to squeeze, although it works well as a gravity filter, just more slow.

After years of testing and tuning, my soyer squeezing setting is 2l Cnoc Vectox Water Bubble ($ 25) For dirty water that connects directly to the pressure, then two intelligent water bottles for my clean water, which connect directly to the outlet of the filter. For journeys with rare water sources I wear extra 2L bladder Hydrapaac ($ 25)S This setting allows me to get two liters of clean drinking water for about 4 minutes if I get out, and more like 6 to 8 liters, if I hook it and leaves the gravity to do the job. The speed fluctuates well based on how clean the filter is and these numbers are based on a freshly cleaned filter.

Cleaning is the one that is a disadvantage of soyer. To give it a good cleaning, you will need the included reverse syringe, which unfortunately is bulky. My attempt was that if you could find good, clean sources of water, without a ton of silt or debris, the press easily goes seven days without needing cleaning. For longer trips, I pack the syringe. Also worth noting that there is Sawyer Mini ($ 17) is even easier, but less healthy. With my testing, saving weight of mini is a tube of faster pressure flow rate, but if you are at the cutting stage-grip-free tone, mini is a better choice.