Basic Skills: How to Purify Water in the Wild

Thanks to some new technology, learning how to purify water in the wild has never been so easy.

Recently, I’ve been reading Richmond Hobson’s book Grass Beyond the Mountains. It’s a wonderful book that I would highly encourage anyone interested in wilderness living or traveling to give it a read. Hobson describes the adventures of him and his partner, Pan Phillips, as they trekked into the Canadian wilderness to establish a ranch in unexplored territory. As described in the book, it was a difficult experience that required travel through muskeg, freezing temperatures, downed timber, and armies of mosquitos. Hobson doesn’t romanticize it. He pretty much tells you it was awful. One particularly bad story had to do with their drinking water.

When it came to knowing how to purify water in the wild, this expedition didn’t really concern themselves with it much. As Hobson wrote:

“For days we’d been drinking swamp water. Now it hit us. Men as well as horses. Dysentery, chills, and fever. Our faces and necks were swollen like boils. This was a sad-looking trail outfit.”

Hobson then relates pretty much the worst wilderness experience you can imagine. Not only did they have to contend with Mother Nature, which can be ruthless, but, they had to do it while tormented by fever and chills from the stagnant water. The reality is that wilderness living can be difficult, and getting sick at the same time makes it much harder. One way to avoid this situation is knowing how to purify water in the wild.

In the past, I’ve tried lots of ways to purify water in the backcountry. I’ve used iodine, filtered water bottles, and boiling. To my knowledge, all of them have worked. I never remember getting extremely sick from bad water. On the other hand, I never really felt like I found the perfect answer for purifying water. Every method had some weakness I didn’t like. Some methods don’t have the long-term capability. Others don’t allow for high-volume purification. Other methods take too long. However, recently, I purchased a new piece of equipment that has solved all of my water purifying problems. That piece of equipment is the Survivor Water Filter Pro.

The Survivor Water Filter Pro is, in my opinion, an extremely well-thought-out product. It solves most of the problems with water purification. This system can filter water in high volume, and purify it on demand. It has a three-stage filter process that sorts out large particles, bacteria, viruses, and heavy metals. It is simple, reliable, and doesn’t require batteries. It can meet the needs of an individual or group and can do so for months without changing a filter. Basically, it has taken the guesswork out of wilderness water purification.

If I had to pick a complaint against this water filter system, it would be its size. It is not bulky or heavy, but it is big enough that you will not want to carry it on you at all times. Instead, it is something you need to put in your saddlebags or a backpack of some kind. However, in my opinion, the pros far outweigh the cons. This water filtration system definitely has a place in my pack.

Anyone interested in how to purify water in the wild reliable and conveniently might be interested in this product. I’m not getting paid to say that, and in no way make any money on purchases. It’s just a great product that has made the challenge of purifying water in the backcountry easier.

I don’t know if Hobson and his companions would have taken this product on their expedition. They were pretty spartan. However, if you want to avoid “Dysentery, chills, and fever,” you might consider adding it to your backcountry camping checklist.