Guide 3 min
Water filter or tablets: how much does your treatment weigh?
From 30 g for tablets to 550 g for a pump: 13 water treatment systems weighed, and the share each takes of the 8 kg wild camp target.
In the WildKit catalogue, treating water weighs from 30 g to 550 g. The lightest is a box of tablets, the heaviest a pump filter: a 520 g gap for the same item. In between, five light filters sit from 57 g to 85 g. Before you choose, check which family yours falls into.
How much does a hiking water filter weigh?
From 57 g to 85 g for a light filter, from 310 g to 550 g for a pump. The catalogue lists 13 water treatment systems: two boxes of tablets, six light or pocket filters, and five heavy systems.
| System | Type | Weight | Share of 8 kg (wild camp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Katadyn Micropur MP1 | tablets, box of 30 | 30 g | 0.4 % |
| Sawyer Mini | filter | 57 g | 0.7 % |
| Katadyn BeFree | filter and 0.6 L pouch | 59 g | 0.7 % |
| Katadyn Micropur Forte | tablets, x100 | 60 g | 0.75 % |
| LifeStraw Peak Series Squeeze | filter and 1 L pouch | 76 g | 0.95 % |
| Forclaz MT500 | filter bottle | 80 g | 1 % |
| Sawyer Squeeze | filter | 85 g | 1.1 % |
| MSR TrailShot | pocket pump filter | 142 g | 1.8 % |
| Katadyn Hiker | pump filter | 310 g | 3.9 % |
| Platypus GravityWorks | gravity filter, 4 L pouch | 326 g | 4.1 % |
| Grayl GeoPress | press purifier | 450 g | 5.6 % |
| MSR Guardian | pump purifier | 490 g | 6.1 % |
| Katadyn Pocket | pump filter | 550 g | 6.9 % |
The five light filters sit within 28 g of each other. The two boxes of tablets stay low too: 30 g and 60 g, a 30 g gap. This guide compares weight, not what each system removes from the water.
Tablets, light filter or pump: which weighs least?
Tablets, by a little: 30 g, against 57 g for the lightest filter. The gap that matters is elsewhere: the lightest pump, the Katadyn Hiker, weighs 310 g, 253 g more than the Sawyer Mini.
The MSR TrailShot, a one-handed pocket pump filter, sits in between: 142 g, 85 g more than the Sawyer Mini. Above it, the lightest pump weighs 225 g more than the heaviest light filter. And the Katadyn Pocket weighs 240 g more than the Katadyn Hiker, two pumps from the same brand.
What share of your bag does water treatment take?
From 0.4 % to 6.9 % of the 8 kg wild camp target. A light filter takes 1.1 % at most, a heavy system from 3.9 % to 6.9 %.
WildKit counts only one per trip: a filter or tablets stay at 1, however long you go. To know from when to treat, see should you filter water.
A filter doesn't replace the bottle
For WildKit, only containers fill the water item: a pump filter doesn't carry a litre. Even when they come with a pouch, like the BeFree or the LifeStraw, these filters stay filed under treatment in the catalogue. So add the weight of your bottle or bladder to the filter's (see the weight per litre of containers).
What to remember
- Treating water weighs from 30 g (tablets) to 550 g (pump filter): a 520 g gap for the same item.
- A light filter weighs 57 g to 85 g; the lightest pump, 225 g more than the heaviest of them.
- Against the 8 kg wild camp target, treatment takes 0.4 % to 6.9 %. Count the container on top.
As soon as your trip includes a night, the configurator adds a way to treat water to your list, and its weight to your total. You see straight away whether your bag stays on target (see how much your bag should weigh).
Written by Thanaël Fontaine. Published .