Water Filtration & Purification - What is the Difference?

Planning an offgrid adventure? Water filters are a great addition to every hiking kit, allowing you to collect water on the go and save carrying excess water. What most people don't know is that there is a difference between a filter and a purifier and depending on where you are collecting water, a filter might not be sufficient protection.

So what's the difference?

The difference is the level of protection they provide from harmful microorganisms. A water filter is designed to remove protezoa and bacteria, but not viruses. A water purifier goes a step further and removes protezoa,bacteria and viruses.Therefore, offering a superior level of defence. On the microscopic scale, viruses are far smaller than protozoa and bacteria. Because of this, they are ususally too small for filters to catch and can slip through the filter media. While purifiers are great when you need them, it isn't always considererd necessary on every trip. 

When should you use a filter?

A filter is quite often enough. if you are going to a pristine environment with low human trafic, protezoa and bacteria will be the main threat. Viruses are generally specific to a species, meaning to be harmful to humans, they are transferred by human fecal matter.

So less humans = lower risk of viruses.

When should you use a purifier?

Purifiers are important in areas of high human traffic and when travelling in less developed countries where sanitisation and water treatment is poor. If you are travelling to busy spots, for example near a busy lake where good hygene is not being practiced it is more likely to find viruses in the water.

If you already have a water filter only, chemical purifying tablets are a good back up against viruses.

It used to be that a purifier would only purify the water from viruses and not filter the water. It would remain cloudy or silty. However, over the past few years some great devices have come into the market that both filter and purify at the same time. 

Introducing Rapidpure ...

Drink any water confidently wherever you go. RapidPure removes viruses, bacteria, parasites, and more using electroadsorption to reduce pathogens 100 times smaller than pathogens caught by 0.2 micron hollow fiber filters. RapidPure features activated carbons that instantly remove odors and improve taste, for a water purifier you'll enjoy using. Its purification and filtration process kills 99.9% of parasites, bacteria, and viruses you may get from drinking unfiltered water. Its OpenPore technology provides fresh and safe water as you traverse the longest paths and complete the longest hikes.