{"id":2968,"date":"2022-11-29T14:43:58","date_gmt":"2022-11-29T14:43:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.naturetravels.co.uk\/blog\/?p=2968"},"modified":"2025-10-09T09:24:46","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T08:24:46","slug":"review-of-waki-waki-travel-water-filters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.naturetravels.co.uk\/blog\/review-of-waki-waki-travel-water-filters\/","title":{"rendered":"Review of Waki Waki Travel Water Filters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We review three personal travel water filter products from Waki Waki – the Water Filter Bottle, Water Filter Straw and Upgraded Water Filter Straw.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most of the outdoor experiences we offer in summertime \u2013 whether it\u2019s canoeing<\/a>, kayaking<\/a>* or packrafting<\/a> – are based on wild camping, where you\u2019ll often need to be taking your drinking water from wild sources along the route. And while the water from flowing sources in many of these areas is often perfectly fine to drink untreated, it\u2019s always a good idea to err on the side of caution when it comes to drinking water \u2013 why spoil your trip with an upset tummy when this can be so easily avoided?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(*You can\u2019t use the products reviewed here on sea water, so this does not apply to our sea kayaking experiences!)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boiling your water before drinking is one option, but this is time consuming and wastes fuel. Purification tablets are another, but tend to have an unpleasant taste (since my experience of 9 weeks backpacking around India as a teenager using iodine tablets, the smell of iodine turns my stomach now!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Portable water filters offer a convenient, lightweight, long-lasting and environmentally friendly solution. So when the nice people at Waki Waki offered to send us some of their travel water filter products for review, we were keen to take a look.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Testing
Taking the personal water filters for a day on Dartmoor. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Waki Waki Water Filter Bottle:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Current price: $22.99 or $33.99 with spare filter cartridge<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Water Filter Bottle comes supplied with a carabiner to attach the bottle to your pack, a syringe (which is labelled \u201cdiscard after use\u201d, but I see no reason why it can\u2019t be cleaned and used multiple times) for backwashing the filter when it becomes clogged or dirty, or at the end of a trip. Instructions for backwashing and cleaning are included.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Waki
Water Filter Bottle. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The bottle holds 650ml of water, and has an integral filter which uses activated carbon and a hollow fibre membrane. The stated lifespan of the filter cartridge is 1500L, though in practice will probably be less than this, depending on how dirty the water you are filtering is and on your cleaning regime (it\u2019s a good idea to give any water filter a good clean after any trip and dry it out properly).<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Waki
Water Filter Bottle with backwashing syringe. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Replacement cartridges are available from Waki Waki (currently $13.99) and the cartridges simply pull on and off. When cleaning the unit or changing the cartridge, ensure the filter is pushed in securely to the tube on the lid so there\u2019s a tight fit.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Waki
One-hand operated catch holding Water Filter Bottle drinking spout in place. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Operation is very simple \u2013 remove the top, fill the main bottle with \u201cdirty\u201d water (being careful not to contaminate any parts you will touch with your mouth), replace the top, and drink. On first use, when the filter is dry, you\u2019ll need to suck hard a few times before water begins passing through the filter.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Waki
Water Filter Bottle with compass. Photo: Nature Travels.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

The Water Filter Bottle has some handy features which I really like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n