Sawyer Water Filters

Unfortunately, the world’s water supply isn’t getting cleaner by the day. Rather, it’s going in the other direction and this pattern looks set to continue. Thankfully, there are companies like Sawyer that take it upon themselves to keep us free of illness and bacterial infections while making a few bucks. I don’t expect corporations to be magnanimous and work for free, but I’m happy to speak to Sawyer’s philanthropy and willingness to share its proprietary hollow membrane filtration system with the developing world with a rare frequency.

The two-ounce Mini Water Filter is a fantastic example of the company’s ingenuity and allows you to drink right out of a lake, river or stream. Sorry, but ocean’s are still out. While the company promises to remove 99.99999 percent of all bacteria, such as salmonella, cholera and E.coli, and remove 99.9999 percent of all protozoa, such as Giardia and Cryptosporidium, it’s still not a desalinization plant.

Additionally, the product allows you to fill the included 16-ounce squeeze pouch that is, of course, reusable. The filter also fits the threads of most supermarket-bought water bottles, so they can be filled and have the filter attached to allow you to drink straight from the bottle/lake.

The company offers a number of larger sized water filtration options as well, but the Mini is perfect for travel and more than enough to get you through your next trip.