Quick, Not Dirty: The Best Filtered Water Bottles of 2021

Who This is For

Anyone and everyone who wants to clean up their water act with a viable, reputable option regardless of budget constraints.

Whether you’ve come here looking for a portable, everyday solution to tap water contaminants like lead and chlorine, or a robust purifier capable of extinguishing waterborne pathogens for a week-long trek in the boonies, this guide runs the gamut.

Why You Can Trust Us & How We Chose

At our core, the Gear Hungry crew is a bunch of adventure enthusiasts. Our various backgrounds reflect exploration, competitive cycling, outdoor thrill-seeking, international travel, trail-blazing, rock climbing, primitive camping, and the like. These experiences have put each of us head-to-head, mouth to mouthpiece, against many industry-leading filters and purifiers.

We looked to bottles that we’ve used and trusted, their makers, and paired that with the best information we could find about what you lovely folks in the cloud had to say.

We wanted to present a list of filtered water bottles that would answer every need, starting at the kitchen tap and ending at some remote reservoir miles off of the grid.

The clean water product category is a burgeoning and ever-growing one, so we’ll be updating this guide as we continue to test more contenders and as newer, better bottles are released. So don’t be a stranger — check back every now a then, won’t ya?

How We Tested

Every which way we could! I personally took one filter bottle on a 5-week, hard-riding test drive that included a weekend gravel biking trip, two camping trips, multiple trips to the funkiest corners of the Austin Greenbelt, and a pull from every public faucet and spigot I could access.

Features to Look for in Filtered Water Bottles

Lead Removal Certification - Look for water filters with NSF/ANSI Standard 53 certification marks and lead particulate reduction claims (Class I). You will find each of these listed on the product packaging or the manufacturer’s website. NSF 53 certification requires ‘point of use’ filters, like water bottle filters, to reduce dissolved, soluble lead and insoluble lead particulates.

Lead is an extremely difficult contaminant to filter out, but it’s perhaps the single most common pollutant found in municipal drinking water in the developed world. If that doesn’t concern you, it ought to; according to the EPA et al., “Lead and copper enter drinking water primarily through plumbing materials. Exposure to lead and copper may cause health problems ranging from stomach distress to brain damage.”

Regulatory institutions like the EPA, Center for Disease Control, and NSF International are taking renewed action to mitigate lead contamination of tap water, and stringent filtration technologies are being developed. Despite these and other ongoing efforts, surprisingly, few bottles are capable of filtering lead.  Even fewer bottles have received NSF 53 certification. Unfortunately, it's a new, rare thing to offer.

In this guide, we’ve made it a point to include bottles that meet NSF International standards for lead reduction/removal. We’ve highlighted these capabilities in the bottle’s Key Features sections.

Until all the old, deteriorating lead plumbing lines in your municipal water system are yanked out and replaced with non-lead pipes, strongly consider using an NSF 53 filter on any tap water you intend to drink, cook with, or give to your pets. Fortunately, big household names like Brita and Pur now offer lead-reducing models of the older, classic pitcher, tank, and faucet versions at most big box stores. (An aside: both companies advertise the lead reduction models in BIG OBVIOUS LETTERING on the packages, it’s hard to miss ‘em. If a filter can handle lead, the maker generally wants buyers to know it).

If you would like to learn more about how to safeguard your drinking water from lead contamination, the US EPA’s Basic Information about Lead in Drinking Water primer is an accurate and thorough place to begin.

Filtration Capability - how you plan on using your filtered bottle — and where you plan on using it — should guide your choice of filtration.

For everyday use in domestic and urban settings, like filtering your tap water, you don’t need a lot — a simple single-stage activated carbon filter or block should do the trick. Look for the bottles in our list that we’ve flagged as “light-duty.”

Mid-duty filters typically consist of an activated carbon stage and a second stage composed of fiber-like media, which traps unpleasant tastes and odors.

Heavy-duty filters often qualify as purifiers and contain additional, specialized stages like ion exchange and/or 0.2-0.01 micron hollow-fiber membranes. These lattermost stages typically eradicate or trap waterborne pathogens. Most heavy-duty filters can also handle more organic and inorganic contaminants than their lighter-duty counterparts.

Whatever your needs, it’s crucial that you find a filter that has been independently tested against and certified to meet the corresponding ANSI/NSF Standards. You can find this information on the bottle’s packaging or, at the very least, on the manufacturer’s website. You can also access the NSF database, which lists every manufacturer and filter model that meets the ANSI/NSF standards.

Filter Lifespan - Manufacturers can’t anticipate exactly how, where, or when customers will use a filter  —  it’s too variable from person to person. So ‘lifespan’ of most filters is measured by the total water volume that a single filter can adequately process. The range of filter lifespans included in this guide is broad, starting at about 30 gallons (114 liters) on the low end and up to 1000 gallons (3800 liters) at the upper limit.

It’s important to keep a record — or at least have a sound estimate — of how many gallons/liters your filter has processed (especially if you’re braving unpotable conditions with it). I recommend this method because a filter’s flow rate does not reliably indicate its performance on a micro-level. Just because water comes out on the other side doesn’t mean that your cartridge has fettered out the bad stuff.

When water filters and water purifiers reach maximum accumulation of impurities, they can no longer produce safe, healthy water.

Water-Holding Capacity - Bottle capacity varies a little, but not by a lot. A filter bottle should be fully functional but easy to carry. As such, most filtered water bottles and purifiers have a capacity between 16 and 48 ounces.

Benefits of Using Filtered Water Bottles

Environmental Impact - When you ditch mass-marketed bottled water for a reusable filtered bottle, you actively reduce the number of single-use plastic bottles that end up in landfills and waterways. Most expandable plastics today take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

According to recent data, Americans alone toss 35 billion plastic bottles in the trash every year. Not only does single-use plastic directly harm vital ecosystems, but the amount of energy (oil and coal) used to manage plastic bottle waste and the space (landfills) dedicated to containing it is immense - an estimated 1 billion gallons and 44 million cubic yards annually.

Harmful Contaminant Reduction/Removal - The filter you choose determines which various gnarlies you'll be protected from. Modern filtration tech mitigates contamination from volatile organic compounds (VOCs), dissolved pharmaceutical compounds, steroidal hormones, heavy metals like lead and mercury, microplastics, and harmful waterborne pathogens like bacteria and cysts -- even viruses if you're using a purifier.

While most filters only offer protection against some contaminant classes, there are quite a few filter bottles that nearly do it all, including purification of certain viruses. You'll find that we've included several maverick-level bottles in this guide. 

Improved Taste and Smell - Removing pollutants from your drinking water carries the nice fringe benefit that it removes the unappealing tastes and odors that accompany them. Activated carbon filters excel at sequestering many (not all) of the most common flavor/fragrance offenders.  

Light-duty filters remove unpleasant flavor/odors like chlorine from tap water; heavy-duty filtration systems mitigate harmful, foul-smelling pathogens from the swampiest backcountry, and everything in between.

Cost - On average, one single-use bottle of water contains $0.04 of water. And with the typical 20-ounce bottle costing around $1.50, that equates to a 3,750% markup. With that math, a gallon of water in 20 oz. bottles costs $10. The same simple math displays the cost-benefit of investing in a self-filtering bottle.

Convenience  -  Dexterous filtered water bottles or purifiers make it possible to travel further and deeper without depending on traditional infrastructure. The human individual's potential for outdoor adventure has never been more physically accessible. With the advent of modern filtration and purification technologies, waterborne illness has never been so surmountable.  This means more opportunities to explore and experience remote and unpopulated regions the world over.

Q: Is a water filter the same as a water purifier?

A: Short answer: Not quite.

Long answer: Portable water filters and purifiers use different types of technology to remove water-borne pathogens. Portable water purifiers can eradicate or otherwise remove viruses from polluted water, whereas most portable water filters cannot.

But, unless you're traveling to areas where untreated human or animal waste impacts your source of water, a dexterous two- or three-stage filter will (probably) be all you need to hack it.

A filter removes contaminants according to the filter's porosity. Basically, if a contaminant is larger than the filter's pore size, that contaminant becomes trapped in the filter media as the water is pushed through it. This simple mechanical function is largely what enables filters to trap bacteria, chemicals, heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, dissolved solids, particulates, sediment, and protists like Giardia and Cryptosporidium. Viruses, however, are close to one-tenth the size of most bacteria and significantly smaller than the pores of most filter media.

Water purifier bottles available today feature either a hollow-fiber filtering membrane with 0.02-micron pore size (virus-catching) or UV-C light technology, which eradicates viruses by scrambling their DNA.

That said, most purifiers are highly specialized at removing harmful microorganisms but come up short in areas like heavy metal or chemical removal, where filters traditionally shine. For this reason, some manufacturers have developed portable options that combine filter and purifier capabilities.  

Think of it this way: All purified water has been filtered in some way, but not all filtered water is purified.

Q: Can a filtered water bottle be put in a fridge or a freezer?

A: Refrigeration is fine for filtered bottles. Freezing  —  in most cases  —  is not, as it can corrupt the more sensitive materials that make up a water filter. Water that gets frozen inside a filter expands, and can shred the mechanism beyond repair.

Some filter types are unaffected by icing (UV lights, for instance), but the options are limited and often very expensive.

Q: How does a filtered water bottle work?

A: A filtered water bottle works just like any other water bottle. You fill it with water, and you drink from it throughout the day, refilling when necessary. Filtered water bottles can come in handy whether you fill them with tap water from your kitchen, visit a location with subpar drinking water, or rely on natural water sources.

Q: How long do filters last?

A: This varies substantially from model to model. For a more precise estimate, look into each filter’s technical information.

A filter’s useful life also depends heavily on the frequency of use, the severity of pollutants in the water being processed, and how well you maintain and store your filtered water bottle between uses.

To give you an idea of how disparate one type of filter’s lifespan can be from another, take the bottle with the shortest lifecycle in this guide (30 gallons) and compare that to the one with the longest lifecycle (1000 gallons).

Generally speaking, sequestering more contaminants shortens a filter/purifier's life cycle.

Q: Does the filter deplete important minerals and nutrients from the water?

A: It can. If a filter is certified to remove TDS and VOCs, it likely extracts nonharmful minerals and solids.

Some filter makers also offer enriched filters or add-on units to remineralize clean, filtered water with only the good essentials.  

Q: Are filtered water bottles dishwasher safe?

A: For the most part, the bottles, NOT the filter/purifiers, are dishwasher safe. Look to the manufacturer’s specifications before committing your filtered water bottle to the dishwasher. And never put a filter or purifier element in the dishwasher.

Most filters and purifiers (except for UV light purifiers) can withstand mild rinses under clean, room-temperature water. Any excessive heat, cold, or force can destroy the filter's delicate elements and ruin its functionality altogether.

Q: How do you clean a filtered water bottle?

A: Cleaning most filtered water bottles is as easy as cleaning most normal water bottles. But, since the materials used both in the bottle and in the filtering/purifying elements vary so greatly from one model to another, always consult the manufacturer’s recommendations for your specific bottle.

Never place a filtering or purifying assembly in a dishwasher, freezer, or submerge it in liquids that are extremely hot or extremely cold (including clear water). Avoid exposing your water filter/purifier to chemical treatment except as approved by the manufacturer.

Sources:

1. Standards Development - NSF
2. NSF Standards For Water Treatment Systems - NSF
3. NSF Certified vs. Tested To NSF Standards - NSF
4. Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants - NSF
5. Search for NSF Certified Drinking Water Treatment Units, Water Filters - NSF
6. Understanding a Microns Role in Your Whole House Water Filter - Aquasana
7. How Much Water Should You Drink per Day - Healthline
8. When And How To Change A Water Bottle Filter - Brita
9. 3 Ways To Clean Water Bottles - WikiHow
10. What is the Difference Between Water Filters and Water Purifiers? - SpringWell