Firstly, we want to talk about the importance of filtering your water and elaborating on the risks involved when it comes to protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Secondly, we want to emphasize the difference(s) between filtering and purifying, as it has everything to do with what is taken out of your soon-to-be drinking water.
Here is a small hint to start with; get yourself a purifier for maximum safety!
Why do we filter or purify water?
Safe drinking water is a priority for everyone. Although many parts of Europe and the US have drinkable water straight from the tap, the majority of the world doesn’t have this luxury. Oftentimes the main source of water might be a stream or a well, or in partially developed situations there’s a tap providing water that isn’t drinkable per se. When traveling around the world, you need to be prepared for all of those options. You need to know where to find water, as well as if it’s safe to drink. And when it doubt, treat it!
Treatment is paramount to protecting yourself from contamination by disease-causing microorganisms such as protozoa, bacteria, and viruses. Whilst the risk varies between bodies of water and regions, you never want to risk an infection. Especially not when traveling through remote regions without access to healthcare. So what are the risks involved?
Infections from water
In developing countries and the tropics, you are prone to fall ill by drinking unsafe water. Hot weather, waste dumping, less-optimal sewage systems, and animal contact are a few vectors causing higher levels of contamination. Especially still standing water is dangerous, as it isn’t being refreshed, and rising temperatures cause the contamination to grow more easily and rapidly. However, even a clear stream running through farmland or a city can be very risky. Knowing where your water originates is vital in determining the risks involved. Protozoa, bacteria, and viruses might have infected your freshly looking water source.
Infection by protozoa
Protozoan parasites are a likely source of infection when drinking untreated water. Giardia and cryptosporidium are two of these parasites, causing diarrhea, cramps, and in some cases a high fever. The cysts and oocysts from these parasites, which form a part of their lifecycle, are very resistant to chemical treatment. Good mechanical filtering is therefore preferred.
Infection by bacteria
Besides protozoa, certain bacteria are infamous for causing diseases in humans. You might know a few of them, as they’ve been on the news quite regularly. We are talking about E. Coli, Salmonella, Leptospira, campylobacter, and shigella. Causing symptoms like diarrhea, cramps and vomiting. When looking at the infection risk, it might be nice to know that bacteria have a much harder time reproducing in water compared to protozoa, often just lasting a few weeks. However, bacteria don’t need a host to reproduce and are therefore able to quickly grow in numbers once a water source is contaminated. The higher the levels of bacteria in the water, the more likely you will fall terribly ill. Bacteria are known to be spread by humans and animals, therefore bodies of water near agricultural areas are often infected with one or more species. Cross-contamination between animals and humans is real, making them very present and dangerous, especially in developing nations.
Infection by viruses
Lastly, we want to talk about viruses as these pose a real risk, especially in remote tropical regions and urban areas. Unlike bacteria, viruses can survive for months in harsh conditions, being very resilient to environmental factors. Once a source of water is contaminated, it can take months for it to become safe again. Luckily for us, viruses in general are species-specific and cross-contamination from agricultural animals or wildlife is therefore less likely. However, contamination from open-air or leaking sewage systems is a large concern. In areas where garbage and human waste are dumped, viruses thrive. It is often in developing countries that viruses are widespread because of this. With antibiotics being ineffective against viruses, preventing infection is key. A few well-known viruses are norovirus, hepatitis A, cholera, and adenovirus, causing diarrhea, cramps, and possibly severe dehydration and fever.
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What is the difference between a water filter and a purifier
With an extra understanding of the disease risk involved it’s time to talk filtration capabilities. While both filters and purifiers are designed to remove sediments and microbial contaminants, the difference lies in the level of protection they provide.
Whilst both of them will filter out protozoa and bacteria, only a purifier will take out viruses. A purifier is superior in capabilities, stopping or inactivating all three classes of microbes, instead of just the first two.
When diving deeper into the technique of portable water filters, they (almost) all work on the same principle. They rely on a certain type of physical barrier that stops contaminants from passing through. Oftentimes, that will be a ceramic structure or a certain membrane. Filters will stop sediments, protozoa, and bacteria from passing through, providing clean drinking water in the process.
A purifier, however, can work on different principles, as it deploys a variety of techniques to make water drinkable. This can range from physically blocking contaminants (on a smaller scale than a filter), to chemically killing microbes. Some portable purifiers even work with UV light, inactivating microbes by destroying their DNA. All have their pros and cons, but in general, the purifier that physically blocks contaminants is the most reliable, especially when traveling. Why? Cause you don’t want to live off chemically treated water, or rely on UV light to reach all microbes in murky water. A physical barrier will always work and will prevent dirty water from coming through once its lifespan is over.
On our travels we’ve relied on the LifeSaver Jerrycan, MSR Guardian and LifeSaver Wayfarer to purify our water, physically blocking contaminants from passing through hollow tubes. However, we’ve also used purifiers that disinfect water by using UV light or chemicals, which we didn’t fully rely on or like.
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What do I need?
What you need all depends on the water source and susceptibility. Is your water source contaminated, and if so, are you likely to get sick?
Water source contamination risk
In general, large parts of Europe are considered low-risk for virus infections, and so are large parts of North America. Often, a water filter will be sufficient to provide you with safe drinking water in these areas. Nevertheless, recent research has shown a growing number of virus-contaminated waters close to urban areas. So be wary about just filtering from a natural source, fully believing you are safe.
As soon as you start traveling to more tropical regions, regions with more water-human interaction, or regions where sanitation systems are poor, virus infections become more likely. In these cases, a water purifier is the better choice.
A general rule of thumb is that in a remote area with fewer people, a water filter will suffice, whereas well-visited areas with human presence require a water purifier. When visiting remote regions in developing nations, there’s also the risk of cross-contamination due to poor sanitation upstream. In that case, a purifier will always be the safest choice.
Susceptibility and access to health care
Coming back to susceptibility, it is important to emphasize that young children or the elderly are more susceptible to catching an infection than healthy adults. Due to a larger risk for them, it might be wise to invest in a purifier even if the water contamination risk is low.
Another factor, often overlooked, is access to healthcare. If you start to travel remotely you have to think it through. What happens if the contamination risk is low, but you still catch a disease? Can you reach a hospital to receive treatment or care if necessary? Especially when overlanding in remote regions you want to minimize the risk of infection. If you ask us, a purifier is the only thing worth considering.
Filter | Purifier | |
| Capabilities | Sediments, protozoa and bacteria | Sediments, protozoa, bacteria and viruses |
| Areas of use | Developed countries, northern hemisphere | Developing countries, tropics and southern hemisphere |
| Flow rate | Often very good | Somewhat limited in physical filtration purifiers |
| Price | €€ | €€ – €€€ |
That’s it for now. Hopefully, this blog helps you to make the right choice. There’s a huge range of filters and purifiers out there, so feel free to reach out if you want our opinion when it comes to practical use in the field.
Don’t forget to check out the reviews below:
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