My sensitive tummy reacts to water that is dirty, so I can't afford to drink from rivers or who knows what like my friends do. Have any backpacking friendly solutions for my little water problem? Any suggestions are welcome.

Many good filter options out there. Learn to search out this topic here and you’ll be reading a long long time. From filter squeeze bottles to elaborate gravity systems. Good luck!

Yep, agree. Get a good filter system and the water will be cleaner than what comes out of your tap.

I've used a Katadyn Hiker for years and it's worked well, but it's certainly not the most current design. There are better options as far as filter replacement and use for a larger group goes.

Get a filter.

We haven't been drinking from the lakes since the late 70's. For a while we used the iodine tablets (ugh!) or boiled all of our drinking water. Getting a filter (ours is a Katadyn) made water much better quality and it tasted fine. No problems.

All good suggestions above! A lot of folks love the Katadyn gravity filter system. I have the MSR version which works well. A squeeze filter for on-the-go is a good option to keep you hydrated. I have this and it is a lifesaver for filling a water bottle during the day.

HighnDry: "All good suggestions above! A lot of folks love the Katadyn gravity filter system. I have the MSR version which works well. A squeeze filter for on-the-go is a good option to keep you hydrated. I have this and it is a lifesaver for filling a water bottle during the day."

I'll second this choice, very light and compact, a fairly fast pumping-squeeze action. It is also available in a Base Camp version gravity/pump solution.

butthead

I like my Sawyer filters. Both the regular and the mini.

We've been very happy with a gravity system rigged with Sawyer filters. It does seem like more and more companies are making good gravity systems. For the BW, make sure you can back flush and clean in the field.

I would suggest you getting a first need pump filter. Not only does it filter the water but it also purify the water too. It has a membrane and a carbon area to filter the water.

My two cents on the topic. I tired of the lake water taste so I added a carbon filter element to my gravity system. If you go that route you might want to do the same. I added a Platypus GravityWorks carbon filter to my Sawyer water gravity system.

There are many options to chose from for water filter. Just so you have some options I listed out the gear I have used and my thoughts.

KATADYN BASE CAMP PRO 10L
Very nice bag. Easy to set up and take down. The down side is the filter. It worked great but it clogged quickly and had to be back flushed more and more often. Sometimes a few times for each bag of filtered water.

MSR MINIWORKS EX MICROFILTER
Awesome little pump. If it is just you and perhaps one other person this thing is great. However, pumping water takes time. If you are okay with sitting down for 10-minutes to fill up a water bottle then this is a go to. I still use this when I am hiking the Superior Trail.

MSR AUTOFLOW XL GRAVITY FILTER 10 L
Love this bag filter. It uses one of the MSR AutoFlow cartridges. It flows great and is super easy to back flush to clean it out. When in the BW, if the group is 4 people or less, this is the bag and filter I use. The major downside is the filter cost. They are over $50 for a replacement.

HOME MADE BAG WITH SAWYER MINI WATER FILTRATION
Far and away the best thing I found for the BWCA. A buddy in my group bought a 20L dry bag off of amazon and modified it to have a quick release valve in the bottom. Then we just run some rubber tubing into a Sawyer filter and into one of those collapsible water jugs. Saywer in-line filters are only $20. There are youtube videos and tutorials online for how to make this.

Hope this helps.

Platypus gravity filter.

Gravity Filter is the only way to fly. Get a sawyer squeeze bag filter system to use for smaller quantities.