Portable water filters are the ideal solution for anyone who values the taste and quality of their water on the go. Allowing for freshly filtered water to be enjoyed in systems that require no plumbing or electricity, or travel-size bottles, they can be used in a variety of locations. From setting up by your desk in your at-home office to being a companion for countryside walks or outdoor adventures, portable water filters are a versatile option for all walks of life.
What is the best portable water filter? This all depends on your lifestyle and preferences! There are a range of options available to increase hydration and reduce reliance on plastic water bottle usage. Which one you choose completely depends on your lifestyle and needs.
What is a Portable Water Filter?
A portable water filter is exactly what it sounds like! A way to provide filtered water in a compact, transportable way, that can be taken to a variety of locations.
There are many types of portable water filters available, each designed for different needs and lifestyles. Doulton’s water bottle with filter, for example, offers a convenient way to reduce reliance on single-use plastic while improving the taste and quality of your water by reducing sediment, chlorine, and heavy metals.
For greater versatility, our larger British Berkefeld gravity water filter systems are fully portable and require no plumbing or electricity, making them ideal for home, travel, or emergency use. These systems help improve water quality by reducing contaminants such as PFAS (when paired with a filter such as the Ultra Sterasyl), microplastics, and heavy metals, and some can also reduce fluoride when used with the British Berkefeld Ultra Fluoride water filters.
There are, of course, other brands and solutions available too. Some are designed for drinking direct from water sources whilst others, like the solutions from Doulton, are specifically tested for treated drinking water supplies.
Common types of portable water filters include:
Straw filters – these were originally developed for humanitarian and public health reasons, not outdoor recreation purposes. They have been a vital tool in parts of Africa in enabling safer drinking directly from contaminated water, without the need for electricity, chemicals, or extensive training.
Bottle filters – Offering convenience, reducing reliance on plastic bottles and saving money in the long-term, water bottles with a built-in filter are fantastic for improving the taste and quality of treated drinking water for all walks of life.
Gravity filters – Gravity water filter systems offer a versatile solution for travellers, preppers, or people looking to move home frequently. They require no plumbing or electricity which means they can be simply packed up and placed where ever required easily.
Inline filters – Inline filters are designed for trail runners, cyclists and outdoor enthusiasts that need filtered water that fits directly into their hydration packs, allowing users to safely drink filtered water on the move without interrupting their activity.
When you use a portable water filter system, they generally don’t need plumbing or electricity to function. They can come with a variety of different filtering mediums too – these can range from a simple mesh filter that offers physically filtration of anything which is a particle such as dirt or sediment. Some portable filtering systems can use activated carbon to absorb odours or remove chlorine. We are also seeing newer technologies emerging that utilise UV light to kill microbiological contamination such as bacteria.
Each type of filtration will be designed to fit the vessel it is in the best, and which one you choose would depend on what you are looking to reduce. Another factor to consider is credibility of the company and their test data. For example, if you were to choose a UV light filtering option, that is from a relatively new company with no visible test data, you may not be able to trust this as much as an established brand using techniques that can gone through rigorous testing for decades.
Comparison with other water filter system methods
Portable water filters are generally designed to act as a solution for drinking water away from the home. Chosen for either convenience or for problems such as lack of access to safe drinking water. However, some people do use them at home for the convenience of moving from room to room or to different accommodations.
For example, the straw water filters are very much designed as a solution to protect vulnerable communities in countries where access to water is sparse. Therefore, most countries or lifestyles with access to treated drinking water would not require them.
However, portable water filters can still have their uses when you need to drink water out of home in other situations. For example, if you want your children to drink more water at school, but they complain about the taste of the water available, a water bottle with filter would be a fantastic way to make it taste better and encourage hydration throughout the day.
Compared with under sink, tap-mounted countertop or more permanent at-home water filter systems, they can perform equally well – especially if you look at a Gravity Water Filter system such as the British Berkefeld Ultra Sterasyl.
With so many water filters available on the market, you need to consider the usage, the frequency and other factors before making a decision on whether you need a portable water filter system or another system fitted at home.
Using a portable water filter system is also great for the environment, as you are actively reducing your plastic water bottle usage. By having something reusable that can be used in any location, you can leave the branded plastic water bottles on the shelf and choose an option that protects our planet now and for future generations. Not only that, but by choosing a British Berkefeld gravity filter system that uses ceramic water filters, any waste created by filtering your water can go straight back into the compost heap instead of the landfill. Using minimal plastic in the filter cartridges themselves, the beauty of ceramic water filters being made from natural materials is that they can be broken down after use and added back into your garden.
Alongside the positive impact on the environment, switching from plastic water bottles to a reusable portable water filter will also save you money. Whilst the set-up costs may be an investment, you will soon see the savings – especially if you are a family all looking for access to better-tasting water! You can read more about the potential cost savings on our blog.
Lifespan of a Portable Water Filter
Water filter systems, both portable and otherwise, are usually designed to last. With their core goals to provide safer, better-tasting drinking water, they are usually reusable and help to reduce plastic waste. The portable water filters from Doulton and British Berkefeld have two lifespans as a general rule: In the Doulton Water Bottle with Filter we recommend replacing the filter cartridge every 3 months and in the British Berkefeld Gravity System it is every 6 months. You can make it even easier by signing up to our subscription service.
Factors to Consider When Investing in a Portable Water Filter
Of course, the first factor to consider is why you want to filter your water in the first place. Are you concerned about contaminants in your water?
Do you not like the taste of water?
Is it something you’re looking to have in case of an emergency situation?
Whatever your reasons, you can take a look at types of water filters available and the system in which they are placed.
You also need to consider how many people may need to use or have access to the water filter system itself. If you are looking for something your family can use on an individual level such as at school, sports clubs or work, then you can opt for something such as a water bottle with filter, or a 1 litre gravity can from our British Berkefeld range.
However, if you are looking for filtration for the whole family in one place than the British Berkefeld systems in a range of sizes could the perfect way to provide multiple people filtered water on tap.
Best Uses of Different Types of Portable Water Filter Systems
The use of a portable water filter system can generally boil down to a few key reasons for use, including taste, contaminants, the number of people using them and the location you would like to use it. For ease, we have broken down a few examples using the Doulton and British Berkefeld range below.
| Concern | Number of People | Option |
|---|---|---|
| Contaminants and Taste | 2-6 for at home, or caravan, camping use | British Berkefeld Gravity System Range |
| Taste | 1-2 people using individually for out of home or office use | Doulton Water Bottle with Filter |
| Taste and Contaminants | 1-2 people using individually for home or office use | 1 litre British Berkefeld Gravity System |