Purchasing Guide for Backpacking Water Filter and Treatment Systems by OutdoorGearLab

CHEYENNE, Wyo. - Sept. 23, 2014 - PRLog -- OutdoorGearLab recently set live a buying advice article for backpacking water filters and water treatment systems as part of its best in class review. This year, the company's test team spent three seasons testing seventeen different filters and treatment systems. Using this hands-on research, OutdoorGearLab gear Editor McKenzie Long composed an informational buying advice guide that explains vital points that consumers should consider before purchasing a filter or treatment system. For this review, Long tested traditional pump systems, gravity filters, filter straws, chemical drops and tablets and UV lights. Long warns that there isn't a system that is best for every situation, and that the selection process can be overwhelming, but she then reassures readers that this article will offer some advice on what they should take into consideration before choosing a product specific to their needs. Long also points out particular products that OutdoorGearLab reviewers thought were the best for specific applications, some very versatile products that work great for more than one type of situation and also a few product combinations that will work best in certain circumstances.

Long begins the article by asking the very important question of, "Why even treat water in the first place?" and after offering a few types of situations where backcountry water might not need filtering and could potentially be safe to drink, she then proceeds to explaining the list of water-borne pathogens that one risks ingesting that could cause serious discomfort in a person's intestinal tract. After writing lengthy descriptions of the various types of pathogens and the concerns involving each one, she then describes how to prevent them.

In describing how to prevent pathogen born illnesses, Long first discusses the effectiveness of each type of filter and treatment system and how efficiently they eliminate particular types of pathogens. Once this outline is explained, Long then describes the best solutions to consider for various situations, while also noting the many variables that come into consideration when making a final purchasing decision. Some of those variables include: the amount of weight that will be carried, the amount of time some treatments take in order to be effective and the durability and maintenance involved in using certain pumps.

Long next discusses filtering water for more than one person and suggests that pump systems and gravity fed filters offer the best solution for treating large amounts of water for base camp cooking or for large groups of people. Long explains in-depth the different types of materials that these types of filters are constructed of. Though the article goes into much greater detail, briefly, the different types of filter material generally consist of: ceramic, fiberglass, silica, structured matrix (a honeycombed shaped material) and hollow fiber tubes.

In conclusion, Long offers advice from experienced thru-hikers who agreed that filters were too heavy and UV options were not favored because batteries are costly and hard to find on the trail. Overall the most favorable option for very long backpacking trips was the (non iodine) water treatment drop solution.

Based out of Cheyenne, Wyoming, OutdoorGearLab, LLC strives to create world’s best outdoor gear reviews. It is a free resource dedicated to educating outdoor enthusiasts and online customers and assisting them in making their purchasing decisions. The website, outdoorgearlab.com offers a wide range of comparison reviews of outdoor equipment and apparel, such as camping, hiking, skiing, biking and climbing gear in addition to men's and women's clothing and footwear. The testing team performs rigorous head-to-head tests of top products and publishes the results in comparative reviews. Each test product is scored across a range of weighted metrics and then ranked accordingly, with awards ultimately given to the highest scoring products.