Recommended for Home Emergency Kit
Clean water is the first thing you run short of in an emergency, and tap water can't be relied on after flooding or a mains failure. A good filter lets you safely drink from streams, water butts or questionable taps.
Our picks below range from a pocket personal straw to a versatile squeeze system and an all-in-one filter bottle — so there's a sensible option whether you're building a grab bag or kitting out the whole household.
Portable water filtration for safe drinking water from any freshwater source. Removes 99.99% of bacteria and parasites.
Removes bacteria and protozoa. Look for NSF/ANSI certifications.
Higher flow rates mean less waiting. Look for at least 1 litre per minute.
Good filters last 1,000–4,000 litres before replacement.
For hiking kits, choose filters under 100g that pack flat.
Dirty water clogs filters fast. Use a bandana or cloth as a pre-filter.
Most portable filters don’t remove viruses. In developing countries, pair with purification tablets.
Ice crystals damage filter membranes. Sleep with your filter in your sleeping bag in winter.
A pocket-sized straw filter that lets you drink directly from streams, rivers and lakes. No batteries, no chemicals and no moving parts — one of the simplest ways to make untreated water safe when the tap stops running.
A versatile squeeze filter you can use with its pouches, a water bottle or inline on a hydration pack. A refillable workhorse for treating larger volumes than a personal straw.
An all-in-one filter bottle you fill from a tap, river or lake and drink straight from. The simplest option for everyday carry and travel.
A rugged 18.5-litre jerrycan with a built-in ultrafiltration cartridge that removes viruses, bacteria and cysts as you pour. Fill it from a rain butt, stream or standpipe and it delivers clean drinking water for a household — up to 20,000 litres per cartridge, with no power or chemicals.
LifeStraw's Peak Series straw is a rugged update to the classic personal filter: sip straight from a stream, puddle or water butt, or thread it onto a standard bottle or an inline hydration line. It removes bacteria, parasites and microplastics down to 0.2 microns with no batteries, chemicals or waiting. A sensible last-line backup to keep in a grab bag or the car for when the taps or your main filter let you down.
The original suck-through survival straw: dip it in a stream, puddle or water butt and drink directly through the hollow-fibre membrane, which filters out bacteria, parasites and microplastics down to 0.2 microns. It needs no batteries, chemicals or pumping, and one filter is rated for around 4,000 litres, so it earns its place in a grab bag or car for when the mains supply fails or you're caught out on the hills.
A stainless-steel personal filter straw that lets you drink safely straight from a stream, water butt or a tap you do not trust. It removes bacteria, parasites and microplastics, so it is a sensible thing to keep in a grab bag or the car for when mains water fails or you are caught out on the hills. Reusable with a replaceable membrane rather than a throwaway design.
A lightweight straw-style filter with a 0.01-micron hollow-fibre membrane, meant for drinking directly from streams, lakes or an untreated tap when the mains supply can't be trusted. It's a personal, single-user tool for hikes and grab bags rather than a way to treat water for a whole household. Rinse-to-clean design keeps flow reasonable over its stated lifespan.
A replacement filter cartridge for Water-to-Go bottles that removes viruses, bacteria, protozoa, microplastics and many chemicals from questionable water. It's designed as a consumable, so keeping a spare means your filter bottle stays usable well past the first cartridge. Note this is the filter only and needs a compatible Water-to-Go bottle.
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