Best Filtered Water Bottles of 2024 [CNET]

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• Carl R. Greer/Andrew D. Hepburn Award for Best Nonfiction Essay (Miami University, 2020)

$85 at Amazon

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$19 at Amazon

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$25 at Amazon

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The natural water I tested in the bottles already looked relatively clean, but when I poured a bit from the Geopress water purification bottle, I was shocked at how crystal-clear it looked. Although I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised, as Grayl’s heavy-duty filtering and water purification system is designed to filter out protozoa, chemicals, particulates (like dirt and sand), heavy metals and bacteria and viruses.

The Geopress water purifier is made of BPA-free polypropylene, a durable type of plastic. The wide base diameter of the water purifier gives it a sturdy feel, and it’s designed to withstand 10-foot drops onto concrete while it’s full of water. Without a doubt, the Geopress is the best-filtered water bottle to keep you hydrated with pure water on a backpacking trip due to its intense filtering mechanism and durability.

• Price: $$$
• Material: Polypropylene
• Capacity: 24 ounces
• Filter replacements: $30 for one filter
• Dishwasher safe?: Outer refill, inner press, cap

Pros:

• Relatively easy to clean
• Wide enough opening to fit ice cubes
• Filters out particulates, heavy meals and germs

Cons:

• Expensive
• Inner portion and outer portions can suction together if stored when wet

The Lifestraw Go is made of BPA-free plastic throughout and has three simple parts (bottle, cap and filter; four parts if you count the carbon capsule inside the filter). Overall, the Lifestraw Go feels pretty sturdy. I prefer the durability of stainless steel, but it’s lightweight and comes with a carabiner, so it would make a good backpacking water bottle. Any time you use the bottle, let the water sit for a few moments to prime the hollow-fiber membrane filter.

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Despite being one of the most popular water-filtering products on the market, the Lifestraw Go did not meet my expectations for filtering. The double-stage filtration includes a hollow-fiber membrane and a carbon capsule, yet this is the only bottle that produces water with particles after passing through the Lifestraw filter. That’s not to say the Lifestraw Go isn’t safe to drink from. The particles were probably just sediment, but it did produce a relatively strong mineral taste compared to the other bottles on this list.

The Lifestraw Go is made of BPA-free plastic throughout and has three simple parts (bottle, cap and filter; four parts if you count the carbon capsule inside the filter). Overall, the Lifestraw Go feels pretty sturdy. I prefer the durability of stainless steel, but it’s lightweight and comes with a carabiner, so it would make a good backpacking water bottle. Any time you use the bottle, let the water sit for a few moments to prime the hollow-fiber membrane filter.

The bottle and cap are made from BPA-free plastic and feel just as sturdy as a plastic bottle should. The filter is attached to the straw by a flimsy rubber tube, which could be the culprit behind the poor filtering. The water tasted sour, but I couldn’t quite place the taste (sulfur, maybe). Despite its poor filter attachment and sour taste, the Waterwell is easy to use, with the same setup as most of the other bottles on the list: bottle, cap and filter. The water bottle filter detaches easily and the bottle opening is large enough to insert a standard dish scrubber.

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Waterwell claims its double-stage filtration system removes 99.9% of waterborne pathogens, but based on the taste of the water that came from this bottle, I wouldn’t be so sure. I didn’t feel or see any particles like I did with the Lifestraw Go, but the taste alone was enough to make me wary of bringing this bottle into the backcountry for clean water.

The bottle and cap are made from BPA-free plastic and feel just as sturdy as a plastic bottle should. The filter is attached to the straw by a flimsy rubber tube, which could be the culprit behind the poor filtering. The water tasted sour, but I couldn’t quite place the taste (sulfur, maybe). Despite its poor filter attachment and sour taste, the Waterwell is easy to use, with the same setup as most of the other bottles on the list: bottle, cap and filter. The water bottle filter detaches easily and the bottle opening is large enough to insert a standard dish scrubber.

For the sake of safe drinkable water, two friends and I ventured out to a freshwater source in Southern California. We were lucky to find a tiny trickle of a waterfall in the Rancho Sierra Vista/Satwiwa Wilderness area in the Santa Monica Mountains, which culminated in a series of four tiny pools of water. Of the four water holes, we settled on testing the bottles in the one that looked the least stagnant (and had the fewest bugs and tadpoles).

The day before the hike, I cleaned and prepped each water filtration bottle on my list according to their instructions. I filled each bottle from the same water hole and tasted the water from each bottle on site. I then drank from the bottles one by one and poured some water from each to see how clean it looked. I was ready to drink gallons of water if need be and keep drinking until I determined the best reusable water bottle.

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