This is a photo essay of the homemade ultralight backpacking water filter I use.
Use What You Need
Don’t waste your breath telling me this filter isn’t enough for me – or anyone else choosing to use it – and we won’t tell you your over compensating for water filtration.
It’s a free country so leave everyone to use the filter of their choice.
I’m not a water expert so only take my advice if you’re confident it will serve your needs.
Step 1
Get a 1 Micron Singed Polyester 7″ x 16″ Filter Bag Felt Biodiesel Sock Size 1, open the sock into a flat piece of cloth, draw as many 8″ circles as you can (we fit four 8″ and one 7″), and cut them out.
Step 2
Fold them into quarters and glue the seam (I use a hot glue gun).
Step 3
Create a protective sleeve to store your filter.
These biodiesel socks will catch a lot of dirt and natural material when you lay them on the ground. To combat this I sewed fiberglass screen material to fit over the filter as protection.
You don’t have to make this cover, but it helps keep the outside of your filter clean.
Step 4
Put it all together and give a few to your cheapskate, ultralight backpacking friends!
Enjoy!
Save Money
Effective water filtration at a fraction of the price.
What are your money saving tips for ultralight backpacking?
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Resources
- OA Guide to Water Purification on Princeton.edu
- Guide to Drinking Water Treatment for Backcountry Use on CDC.gov
- PDF version of Drinking Water Treatment Methods for Backcountry on CDC.gov