The 6 Best Filtered Water Bottles for Cleaner Hydration

The trail is getting steeper and the sun is beating down on your skin, draining your energy with each aching step you take. Your head starts to feel cloudy and light, so you take a knee and try to regain your equilibrium. Unfortunately, your throat is dry and you’ve never felt more thirsty in your entire life. Luckily, you have your purifying water bottle to turn cool stream water into a refreshing drinkable liquid.

Roaming through nature’s landscapes is therapeutic, but in order to enjoy the full experience of being unplugged, you have to be prepared for the worst. Getting a standard water bottle isn’t enough, especially for longer trips in the backcountry. With a filtration water bottle, you can scoop up a tall drink anywhere there’s still or moving water and hydrate without fear of getting sick. It’s a simple piece of gear, but it’s a must-have if you spend most of your free time outdoors because it can save your life. We’ve analyzed a heaping number of decontamination containers and filtered out the mediocre offerings to build this list of the best purifying water bottles available.

Why Buy a Filtered Water Bottle?

The obvious reason to get a purifying water bottle is to have the convenience of turning dirty water into healthy, drinkable water for your adventure. In addition, it’s also beneficial for the environment. With a purifying water bottle in your hiking backpack, you won’t need to purchase cases of plastic water bottles, helping to preserve our environment. And you’ll also benefit financially so you can invest your money in more EDC treats for your loadout. If you’re a pure adventurer who practically lives outdoors, or a weekend warrior addicted to getting your fix of backcountry exploration, a filtration water bottle is a must-have item.

How Filtration Works

Before we get to the list, we’ll briefly go over how purifying water bottles work. The water decontaminating bottle has its own built-in filter system. A typical purifying bottle will utilize a filter made with activated charcoal with an electron-positive charge. When the water passes through the filter system, it removes bacteria, chlorine, metals, and also any weird tastes for your convenience. The design of water bottle filters varies, as some will remove the contaminants from the water as you’re drinking it and others will filter the liquid as it enters the container. There’s also been an uptick in recent years of UV sterilization bottles, which use powerful UV light to remove unwanted germs and bacteria.

There are also water bottle filtration systems that remove undesirable substances and sediment, but many do not work well for backcountry use. Although these types of water bottles will remove certain contaminants, they are not built to remove bacteria and viruses, so they shouldn’t be used for filtering open-source water. We have included some filtration water bottles made just for tap water to provide you with further options for your convenience. Think about which type aligns with your preferences before committing to a particular model.

Hydros Water Filter Bottle

Best Plastic Bottle: On-the-go water bottles are pricey enough, so adding a filtration system inside of them can make it hard for you to pull the trigger on a purchase. Luckily, Hydros made an option that’s both affordable and high-quality. It sheds some of its price on its construction, which features BPA-free plastic, which may prevent you from keeping anything cold, but many of you won’t see that as a deal breaker if you prefer room-temperature water anyway.

The 20-ounce bottle utilizes a carbon filter made entirely of coconut shell carbon which is good for the environment and can fill up the tank over 600 times before needing to be replaced. Meeting the NSF 42/Class 1 Standard, the filter also does its job faster than its competitors, filling the entire bottle in just 20 seconds. Available in four different colors, the Hydros also has a secure lid that audibly lets you know it’s closed and can open back up with just one hand.

Sawyer Mini Water Filter

Best Filtration Converter: There’s a good chance you don’t want to just ditch your favorite water bottle just because it doesn’t act as a filter as well. Well, Sawyer offers a solution with its Mini Water Filter. Instead of buying a whole new water bottle, you can turn your current container into a purification machine. The device weighs just 2oz and can fit in the palm of your hand. Rated up to 100,000 gallons of usage, it’s made with a hollow fiber membrane for a high flow rate and can be used to drink straight from a stream if you happen to lose your bottle on a hike. 

The filter removes 100% of microplastics, 99.99999% of all bacteria including cholera and salmonella, and 99.9999% of all protozoa. Available in a handful of colors, the filter fits the threads of most water bottles, but it can also be used with the included 16-ounce reusable pouch.

Brita Insulated Filtered Water Bottle with Straw

Best Budget-Friendly Steel Bottle: Brita’s popularity and ubiquity in the home water filter industry is so widespread that it’s nearly become a proprietary eponym. And for good reason; the brand’s filtration tech balances performance, longevity, and price better than almost anyone. But many may not know that Brita also makes an efficient filtration water bottle, available in several colorways.

Made of double-wall stainless steel, the 20-ounce bottle will help dilute the odor and taste of chlorine, in addition to getting rid of everyday contaminants found in tap water — although its exact percentages aren’t provided by the brand. Replaced after 40 gallons, the filter replaces up to 1,800 plastic bottles every year so you can enjoy water anywhere while helping to preserve our planet’s health. Affordable and cup holder-friendly, the bottle also has a vacuum-insulated construction to keep your water cold for up to 24 hours and a leak-proof lid.

LifeStraw Go Series Stainless Steel 24oz

Best Overall: LifeStraw has revolutionized the way we access clean water when in the wilderness or even off-grid with its eponymous advanced filtration straws that allow you to sip from any water source while removing 99.999999% of all bacteria and 99.999% of parasites, microplastics, silt, and sand. A few years back, the brand decided to put its tech inside actual water bottles, which were just given a big update a few months ago.

Still protecting you from things harmful to your body, this double-wall vacuum-insulated stainless steel container will keep you hydrated throughout your arduous journey. For this update, a leak-proof lid was added, as was an actual grab handle, and a drinking spout replaced the fold-in straw. The microbiological filter housed inside the bottle is made to provide you with 1,000 gallons of drinkable water, while a secondary replaceable filter lasts for 26 gallons. The bottle will even get rid of any bad odor or taste from the contaminated water you scoop up for your enjoyment. 

Larq PureVis

Best UV Water Sanitizer: If you’re looking for arguably the most stylish water bottle, filter or no filter, then just look at LARQ. The brand’s PureVis sports a sleek aesthetic that blends minimalism with a stunning and memorable design.

Available in 24- and 32-ounce sizes and a handful of colorways with interchangeable colored silicone sleeves, the bottle doesn’t use a typical carbon filter but instead taps UV sanitation technology. Thanks to its super-powerful UV-C LED light that’s built into the cap, the unit can eliminate 99.9999% of germs and bacteria like E.coli from the water inside with the touch of a button. Lasting up to a month on a single charge, the light can also clean the inside of the bottle when empty and only takes 60 seconds to get the job done. Featuring stainless steel construction, the bottle is single-walled so that it doesn’t have to weigh as much as its competitors (there is an insulated version available as well). 

GRAYL UltraPress

Best Upgrade: Made for global use, the Grayl Ultralight Purifier can turn any sample from a freshwater source into drinkable H20 by pressing the 16.9-ounce bottle on the ground for just 10 seconds to activate its ceramic fibers and carbon filtration. Like the LifeStraw bottle, it will protect you from harmful waterborne pathogens that could enter your body. It removes 99.9% of viruses including norovirus and hepatitis, 99.9999% of bacteria like E. Coli and salmonella, and 99.9% of protozoan cysts. The replaceable purifier cartridge will be efficient for 300 cycles or a total of 40 gallons. 

Other features include a non-slip bottom, a small twist cap that ventilates the air during purification, and a lid with a 90-degree handle for carrying. With a simple design, the purifying water bottle will fit most backpacking packs so you can keep it close when you’re out in the wild. And it’s tested to NSF Standards 42+53 to ensure high-quality performance.

The Best Insulated Water Bottles

If you’re looking for some more options for keeping your beverages cold, check out our guide to the best vacuum-insulated water bottles.