A Hiker's Best Friend: 4 Reasons You Need Portable Water Filtration

Are you an avid hiker? Have you ever been in the middle of a long hike and realized that you are low on water?

Running out of water on a hike is stressful. The better plan is to carry enough water and have a way to refill from treated tap water when you get back to a trailhead, campground, or visitor center.

A portable water filter bottle can help with that because it makes tap-water refills taste better and cuts down on bottled water.

Keep reading to learn more about portable water filtration for everyday hiking and travel.

1. Save Money Over the Long Term With Portable Water Filtration

One of the biggest benefits of a portable water filter is that you can spend less on bottled water.

Instead of buying bottle after bottle at a gas station or grocery store, you can refill from drinking fountains and municipally treated tap water.

Americans spend over $13 billion on bottled water each year. A reusable filter bottle can cut that cost.

If you drink three bottles of water a day at about $4 a day, that is around $1,460 a year. A filter bottle lets you refill tap water instead of buying new plastic bottles every time.

2. Get More Consistent Taste From Tap Water on the Go

If you are on a day hike near towns, parks, or campgrounds, you may be able to refill at a fountain, visitor center, or campground tap.

A Sport Berkey is useful for that. It is small, easy to carry, and made for municipally treated tap water.

Trail water from streams and lakes is a different category. Berkey systems are not intended for untreated wilderness water. For backcountry stream water, use a method made for that purpose and follow current outdoor-safety guidance.

For everyday hiking near tap-water refills, a portable filter bottle is about taste, convenience, and fewer plastic bottles.

3. Reduce Your Impact on the Environment

Disposable water bottles create a lot of waste. Landfills hold huge amounts of plastic water bottles that take a very long time to break down.

Using a portable filter bottle means you can refill tap water instead of buying new bottles. That reduces plastic waste and the cost of bottled water.

See also our post on why many families choose a home water filter.

4. Minimize What You Carry in Your Pack

If you're planning a short hike, carrying one reusable bottle is simpler than packing several disposable bottles.

A Sport Berkey or Travel Berkey is useful when you will have access to tap water at the start, at a campground, or when you get back to the car.

For multi-day backcountry trips with no tap water, plan your water separately. Do not treat untreated stream or lake water as a Berkey use case.

Get a Portable Water Filtration System Today

If you want to save money, carry fewer plastic bottles, and have better-tasting tap water on hikes and trips, a portable Berkey option is worth a look.

Check out our water filtration systems and choose the size that fits your household. If you have questions, email us and we’ll help you pick the right model.