The 11 Best Lightweight Water Filters (2023 reviews)

There are several advantages of having a lightweight water filter. Let’s take you step by step, type by type, and find the best lightweight water filter for you.

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Our Top Picks:

Best Overall: Buy: Sawyer Products Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For Survival: Buy: Platypus Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For few days: Buy: Lifestraw Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For backpack: Buy: Naturenova Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For bug Out Bag: Buy: Membrane Solutions Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best With bladder: Buy: Katadyn Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For Outdoor adventures: Buy: Grayl Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For Hydration Pack: Buy: survivor Filter Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best Water Filtration System: Buy: Alexapure Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For hunting: Buy: lifesaver Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best For Travel: Buy: MSR Lightweight Water Filter READ REVIEW

Best Overall: Sawyer Products Lightweight Water Filter

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a filter. The sawyer products lightweight water filter is exactly that - it's a simple filter that hits all the right notes. These are a must have if you spend much time out in the field. It comes with a straw to attach to a filter, cleaning syringe, and a pouch with cleaning directions. The filters are easy to use and don't take much space in your bag or backpack. The filtered water can be boiled as a safety measure if you have to use pond or lake water. It will make puddle water drinkable so your tarp water will be premium.

Attaches to the included drinking pouch, standard disposable water bottles, hydration packs, or use the straw to drink directly from your water source.

• Great for camping and wilderness trail walking
• Light and comfortable in warmer climates
• Light weight, compact and essential for every bug out bag, backpack and camping trip
• Very light, easy to use, works well as an inline filter

Best For Survival: Platypus Lightweight Water Filter

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The platypus lightweight water filter should be able to handle its purpose and duties with ease. The gravityworks filter makes filtering a gallon of water a breeze. It’s lightweight and it allows you to do other things while your water is being filtered. It makes it easier to replace or flush.

This is the most flexible, hands free, lightweight water filtration option available. It is easy to use and 4 liters of clean water in less than 5 min. The water is drinkable after filtering, no boiling required. It is very easy to use, and all the attachments for water bottles/bags/etc are very handy. It is very easy to use, and all the attachments for water bottles/etc are very handy.

• Lightweight and so nice to have 8 litres of water available at camp
• Works great and takes the worry of safe water away
• Easy to use to clean large quantity of water
• Makes a lot of bacteria-free water, quickly, from pools and running water

Best For few days: Lifestraw Lightweight Water Filter

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The lifestraw lightweight water filter is suitable and reliable and fits well with your daily usage. An intricate three-chamber, four-filter purification system removes parasites, waterborne nasties such as salmonella, even the iodine taste of the straw's own cleanser. It removes parasites, waterborne nasties such as salmonella, even the iodine taste of the straw's own cleanser. This is an awesome product for your camping gear, home bag, or for traveling.

These are designed to go inside a hiking bag or survival bag. It's lightweight and has a long duty cycle once opened. It is perfect for emergency disaster packs. It will provide 4, 000 liters (1, 000 gallons) of clean and safe drinking water with proper use and maintenance. It is great for prepping and to have for any other emergency when traveling in unusual places.

• Has a string to carry around your neck or tie in a pack
• A must for hiking, camping, bug out bags and car emergency kits
• A must for your bug out bag and camping/hunting/walkabout kit
• Great for survival and emergency use

Best For backpack: Naturenova Lightweight Water Filter

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The features department is where naturenova lightweight water filter truly manages to shine. Lightweight and portable camping accessories weighs less than 3.5 ounces, which fit your hands, pocket, bag and act as a backpacking gear. It states that this filter will remove impurities, tiny organisms, sediment...founded in water. The water source can be filtered into pure water that can be drunk directly. It can also be used during destructive weather or survival in the wilderness.

This is a great addition to an emergency bug out bag. It's easy to install. It is used for emergency preparedness.

• Filtration system including activated charcoal and fiber ultrafiltration membranes
• Good product for hiking adventures and lightweight
• Turn dirty water from rivers and fields into pure drinking water

Best For bug Out Bag: Membrane Solutions Lightweight Water Filter

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The membrane solutions lightweight water filter is satisfactory and appropriate and fits well with your daily purpose. Chlorine purifies swimming pool water enough to make it drinkable enough to make it drinkable. It is great for a hiker/camper in the back country and saves so much weight when compared to dragging along water. It is used for tent camping and to have on hand if needed.

The mini and lightweight filtering system are ideal for recreation, hiking, and camping. It weighs just 2 ounces and fits in the palm of your hand, pocket, gym bag, backpacks, survival packs and purses. The straw is lightweight and comes with a cap for each end to keep things tidy and clean so it can last a long time on a shelf. It does not come with a sack to carry water.

• Easy to use and handy for the weight
• A must for camping and hikes
• Lot of satisfied buyers

Best With bladder: Katadyn Lightweight Water Filter

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Katadyn line of filter come in a pretty wide variety of styles, so you can definitely find one that suits your individual preferences and needs. If you want fresh water, this device will make it for you, no questions asked. It is made for outdoor picnic and camping by the streams and waterfalls. The filter has silver impregnated ceramic element is effective against bacteria and protozoa, using a micro filtration method. The filter does not crack as the other person makes up, so it can only crack if you drop it or freeze it.

The unit filters at 1 liter per minute. It can be used anywhere it is needed. It is generally good until it cracks during cleaning.

• Including traveling, camping, backpacking, sailing, paddling, fishing, and biking
• Very durable design and overall use very simplistic
• Great option for a bug out kit
• Easy to use, easy to clean, easy to store

Best For Outdoor adventures: Grayl Lightweight Water Filter

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The grayl lightweight water filter's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. This filter brings back that “flavor” and refreshing feel to every sip. The GRAYL Purifier + Filter cartridge incorporates activated carbon, removing many chemicals and heavy metals, and improving taste and odor. It is used to offer a green ultralight compact purifier. It makes the fresh water shower water perfect on hot days. It is pressed through the purifier media, and electroadsorption permanently binds any waterborne pathogens.

This is a great water purifier and is super sturdy. It's a very simple bottle. It's great for outdoor hiking or fishing.

• Minerals and salts like potassium and sodium pass through
• Convenient, easy to use and efficient
• Very convenient and quick to drinking water

Best For Hydration Pack: survivor Filter Lightweight Water Filter

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The survivor filter lightweight water filter's material feels more premium than its price would suggest. It takes a lot of time to pump for more than one person. It can seriously fit into camping gear easily and it's not cumbersome. This part has a floating foam device around tubing to keep it afloat while filtering and away from direct contact with the sediment. The survival filter pro removes all the sediment and much of the tannin count. The small size also affects how much volume of water can be pushed through the system.

The product works great and will filter murky water until clear. It can be used on the inlet side colapses under vacuum and restricts the flow of water until clear. The kids were able to manage it just as easily as the adults.

• Super good and portable water filter
• Good brand reputation

Best Water Filtration System: Alexapure Lightweight Water Filter

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Best part: alexapure lightweight water filter costs comparatively low and it is available to ship in 24 hours. This provides the perfect clean tasting water ever. It is slower and the spigot leaks and is slow to pour. It speeds up after the first few tankful's. It is supposed to fit in one of the filter slots and is good quality. The pure stainless steel components are easy to use and assemble. The water filters well and is good quality. It is low maintenance and the filters last a long time. It makes it much easier to fill as well.

• Takes bad city tasting water and makes it taste good
• Is an environmental plus, less impact on many levels
• Electricity and the water tastes clean and fresh

Best For hunting: lifesaver Lightweight Water Filter

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If you often find yourself confused about convenient and suitable filter, lifesaver lightweight water filter should be your first option for buying. This life saver water filtering system could be a lifesaver. The Activated Carbon Taps fit both the LIFESAVER 10, 000UF and the LIFESAVER 20, 000UF jerrycans. The unit is effective against 99.9% of all bacteria, virus and even claimed to be effective against chemical and radiological hazards. The water does taste off in any way and its very easy to dump out the water and fill elsewhere with better tasting water.

The Lifesaver makes a shower attachment and the dark blue color of the 20, 000 liter unit is dark enough to heat the water significantly when left in the sun. This will provide plenty of clean water and you don't have to stack plastic bottles that are bad for the environment if single use. There is an added benefit to a camp shower when desired. This life saver water filtering system could be a lifesaver in the event of any disaster.

• Military grade foil sealed for 15 years shelf life if unused
• Good investment for long term

Best For Travel: MSR Lightweight Water Filter

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We know from years of feedback from readers, customers and amazon sellers, what most people want in a convenient and appropriate filter. The msr lightweight water filter is exactly that - it's a simple filter that hits all the right notes. The ceramic miniworks filter and hollow fiber Guardian Purifier filters are two very different products. The replacement filter comes in a box, no air tight packaging.

• Restores the msr guardian water purifier’s flow rate of 2.5 liters per minute
• Good brand reputation