Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. Isn’t that kind of how you feel while on a kayak camping trip? You’ve got water all around you, but you still need to use a water filter or water purifier to get clean drinking water while kayaking.
Gone are the days when you could just reach into the river next to your kayak, scoop up a cup of water, and take a drink.
Try that now and your kayak camping trip will likely get really uncomfortable, really fast.
So what are your options for purifying water while on an extended kayaking trip?
You can try to carry all the water you need, but that’ll weigh your kayak down, especially if you’re planning a multi-day kayaking adventure.
You need to learn how to filter water.
So let’s have a look at your options for water filtration and purification. Between filters, chemicals, purification tablets, and other possibilities, you’ll be able to find the right one for you and your boating adventures.
Let’s start by taking a look at the basics of water filtration while kayak camping (or any kind of camping for that matter). Then we’ll look at some of your water filter and purifier options you can pack on your trip.
Clean water (and no stomach cramps) are just a few minutes away!
Table of Contents
Water Purification While Kayak Camping – The Basics
Water Filters vs Water Purifiers – What’s the Difference?
We often use those two words interchangeably, but there’s actually a slight difference between water purification and filtration.
What is a water filter?
A water filter you can take kayaking can take several forms as you’ll see later. But the filter part physically removes bad things from the water like sediment, heavy metals, and some bacteria, protozoa, chemicals, and other nasty stuff.
Water is a water purifier?
Purifiers offer a higher level of protection. In addition to all the things a water filter might remove, a purifier will have a more advanced filter that can remove even smaller bacteria and viruses. Water purification can also refer to killing bacteria, viruses, and the such with some kind of chemical agent like iodine or even UV light.
A disadvantage of using just chemical or UV purification is that they doesn’t remove sediments, metals, or chemicals from the water.
Now I could get super technical with all the percentages, values, and super hard-to-pronounce names of the nasty stuff that needs to be removed from the water, but just remember…
Water filters – Good
Water purifiers – Usually Better
Water filter + purifier – Awesome!
So which do you need to take along on your next kayak camping trip?
Which Do I Need for My Kayak Camping Trip – A Purifier or a Filter?
It depends.
Are you planning on kayaking in a remote area that’s far away from towns, farms, and fellow humans? If so, then a quality water filter designed for camping should do the trick.
Now, when I say “water filter”, I’m not just talking about any old filter. Don’t think you can strap your Brita filter pitcher on the back of your kayak and be ready to head out into the wild!
Sure a filter pitcher like that can remove some heavy metals, chlorine, and other things that might make your water not taste so good.
But when kayaking and camping, you NEED to make sure you have a filter that is guaranteed to remove things like bacteria and protozoa as well. Here’s a good article that helps you decipher portable water filter standards.
Are you planning a kayak camping trip closer to civilization (and the farms, industry, and garbage that usually comes along with it)? Then it’s worth investing in a way to purify water while kayaking. As you’ll see, that can be quite simple.
So let’s look at some common water treatment options you can use while kayak camping.
Top Ways to Filter Water While Kayak Camping
Here are some of the most common methods you can use (or even combine) to keep yourself well-supplied with drinking water while kayaking.
Pre Filter – To get the big stuff
Imagine that the night before you left for your kayaking trip, it rained. Now, your only water sources are cloudy, murky, and look more like chocolate milk than drinking water.
Running water like that through a water filter can reduce its lifespan drastically or even damage it. So it’s best to prefilter it in order to remove any larger sediments and debris.
Fortunately, this is pretty simple to do.
A few ways to pre-filter your chocolate milk water are…
- Pantyhose (I mean like… for reals, you should never go anywhere without an extra pair. You never know when you’re gonna need to filter water or rob a bank.)
*Insider tip! – Clean ones work the best! 😉
- Coffee filters
- A sock or another piece of cloth
Pre-filtering your water won’t leave you with sparkling clear water, but it should help.
If you’re a patient person, you can also let your water sit for a while to let the sediments settle to the bottom. Then carefully pour the clearer water from the top into another container.
Boil Your Water
If you’d rather not bother with fancy filters and don’t mind water that doesn’t taste exactly like Sierra Springs, then you can just boil it.
Just bring your water to a rolling boil for about a minute and you’ve got water that’s completely free of protozoa, viruses, and bacteria!
While boiling water is one of the most reliable ways to purify water while kayaking, it does have two disadvantages.
- It doesn’t remove sediments, chemicals, or heavy metals. (If you’re boating in a remote area, you shouldn’t have to worry too much about the chemicals and heavy metals)
- It uses a lot of fuel. If you’re only relying on bottled fuel or fuel canisters, make sure to pack a few extra.
Chemical Water Purifiers
If you’re on a budget and want to save on weight in your kayak or canoe, chemical water purification might be the right choice for you.
A small jar of water purification tablets or drops weighs next to nothing and can last for days or even weeks.
Even if you’re using a traditional camping microfilter, it’s worth it to bring along a bit of chemical purification to kill any bacteria that happened to sneak past your filter.
For chemical water treatment while kayaking you can use…
Regular Bleach: Just a few drops of regular bleach effectively purifies water. Just add the drops and let it sit for about 30 minutes. Just make sure not to add too much. You really only need a few drops per gallon.
Want to know exactly how much?
Here’s a great article that shows exactly how much bleach you need to purify water. This is SUPER useful to know even in emergency situations.
Water Purification Tablets or Drops
Tablets are the easiest to use since they have a premeasured amount of a purification agent and are dosed according to the amount of water you need to purify.
Drops work well too, but if you’re clumsy they’re much easier to spill than a pack of hard tablets.
Here are some of the best water purification treatments for kayakers.
Pump Filters and Purifiers
One of the most popular choices for serious kayakers is pump-style water filters. Most feature a hand-activated pump and one side (or hose) that you dip into the water source and another side (or hose) that you place in your water container.
They’re relatively easy to use and just a few minutes of pumping will give you a day’s worth of clean water.
Here are two quality pump filters that are perfect for kayak camping. They won’t take up a lot of space in your kayak and weigh just a pound or two.
Katadyn Hiker Microfilter Water Filter
What if you want a water purifier for a little extra peace of mind?
Try the MSR Guardian Military Grade Water Purifier. It’ll treat a whopping 10,000 liters of water! That’ll do for a ton of kayaking trips! And you can leave your purification tabs at home since its super-advanced filter removes even tiny viruses.
Bottle and Straw Filters
The idea of straw filters is pretty cool. Just sip through a straw and drink clean water, what would be easier, right?
Let me tell you, they can be harder than they look.
It can take quite a bit of effort to suck water through them, especially if it’s hot out and you’re really thirsty. Also, if all you have is the filter straw, you’re probably gonna end up lying face down in some awkward (and not very pretty) position in a river bed trying to suck up some H2O.
Do yourself a favor and get a filter straw with a bottle attachment.
Just screw the filter straw onto the end of a compatible water bottle. That’ll help you avoid having to lay in those awkward positions on the river bed.
Then squeeze the bottle to help push the water through the straw and make it easier to drink from. (That way you can avoid the sore face muscles you’ll have after a day of sucking through a filter straw.)
These filter straws and bottles are a compact and convenient option for short kayaking trips.
Insider tip! – Keep your filter bottle handy in your kayak. Anytime you’re thirsty, you can reach over the side of your boat, fill up your bottle, screw on the filter straw, and rehydrate!
Here are some nice filter bottle options for your next kayak camping trip.
Katadyn BeFree Water Filter Bottle – The bottle is easy to squeeze to help push the water through the filter and out the mouthpiece.
LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottles
LifeStraw Flex Multi-Function Water Filter – The straw filter even has threads that let you screw it on the top of most standard water bottles.
What if I want the convenience of a filter bottle with the peace of mind of a purifier?
Check out the GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier. Fill the bottle with water, push the filter down, and BAM! You’ve filtered everything from heavy metals to viruses.
Gravity Filters and Purifiers
What if you’re kayaking with a large group of people? Sure you could get in your workout of the day and hand pump your filter for an hour.
But why not let gravity do the work?
Simply fill the reservoir with water, hang it from a tree, and gravity does the rest.
The flow rate isn’t quite as fast as a pump filter, but while it’s filtering you can be doing something else! Just paddle into camp, hang up the gravity filter, and then you can start setting up your campsite.
Wanna try a gravity filter system on your next group kayaking trip?
Here’s a great choice.
Katadyn Gravity BeFree 3.0L Water Filter
If you’d prefer a purification system, try this gravity-fed purifier. Its large reservoir lets you purify up to 3 gallons at once so it’s perfect for large groups and families.
LifeStraw Mission Water Purification System
A Few Final Tips for Filtering Water While Kayaking
Keep your bottles clean. Wash your water bottles daily and rinse them with purified water.
Dirty Hands = Dirty Water. Wash your hands before handling your purifier.
Follow the directions on your filter or purifier. Not all water filters work the same. Filters have different lifespans and some need to be rinsed at specific intervals to ensure optimum filtration, so be sure to follow the directions on whatever water treatment system you go with.
Be mindful of your toilet areas. I know it’s pretty obvious, but water (and pee) flows downstream. Take care of business downstream and/or well away from any place you’re getting water.
What if my filter breaks? If you’re filter breaks while kayaking, hopefully you’ve planned ahead and packed a few backup purification tablets or a small vial of bleach. If you don’t have chemical purification, then just pre-filter the water if needed and then boil it.
Choose your water wisely. Although your filter will remove all the nasty stuff, it’s still best to choose water from as clean of a source as you can get. Be sure to avoid collecting water from…
- Lakes, streams, and rivers right after it’s rained.
- Water directly downstream from waterside farms, towns, and factories
- Water with animal droppings nearby
- Water with foam and scum or that just looks plain nasty
Just for reference… this is not a good place to get water.
However, sometimes you have no other choice than to collect water from one of these sources (hopefully minus the dog). In that case, it’s best to throw everything in your purification arsenal at it… filter, purifying tablets, and even the pantyhose!
Now That You Can Filter Water, You’re Ready for Your First Overnight Kayaking Trip!
Being able to filter water while kayak camping means you can plan some longer kayaking trips!
If you want some help planning your kayak camping trip, don’t miss my article THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO YOUR FIRST KAYAK CAMPING TRIP (+PACKING LIST)
You even get one of my famous PRINTABLES to help you plan!
And don’t forget to connect on Instagram and Facebook. I always love swapping crazy camping stories!
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KAYAK CAMPING DESTINATIONS – 5 OF THE BEST PLACES FOR YOUR FIRST OVERNIGHT KAYAK TRIP
HOW TO PACK YOUR KAYAK FOR A CAMPING TRIP – COMPLETE GUIDE + BONUS PACKING LIST
8 BEST KAYAKS FOR YOUR FIRST KAYAK CAMPING TRIP – COMPLETE GUIDE
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