5 Best Filtered Water Bottles

If you ever worry about the quality of your water while on the go, you should consider purchasing a filtered water bottle. Everyone has experienced situations where the local water doesn’t seem to taste normal. In some cases–like in Flint, Michigan–the solution is well beyond filtering water and may be caused by lead pipes, algal bloom, or some other issue. In other cases, the funny odor coming from your water may be fixed with a water filter. First, it’s important to note that there are several different types of filters or ways of filtering water: activated carbon, reverse osmosis, ion exchange and distillation.

Filtered Water Bottle Recommendations

If you’re traveling, drinking public water, or concerned about whether your water is drinkable or not, water bottles with filters will at least provide some peace of mind, and hopefully protect you from some pollutants or issues with water contamination. Below, we’ve found the highest-rated water bottles with filters on Amazon:

1. Brita Premium Filtering Water Bottle

Purchase at Amazon
Filter Type: Carbon filter
Bottle Size: 26 ounces
Noteworthy Features

• BPA-free water bottle; also available in stainless steel
  
• One water bottle filter can replace up to 300 standard 16.9 ounce single-use plastic bottles
• Removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria
• Filter should be replaced every 40 gallons or every two months
• Excellent price; comes in 7 different colors

If you’ve been reading older filtered water bottle reviews, make sure that you differentiate this newer model in Britta’s filtered water bottle line as opposed to some of the older models still sold. It’s dishwasher safe and has a nice-sized opening for filling and cleaning. Like our second choice, this is an Amazon Choice, but has even higher ratings than the Lifestraw bottle. If you can spend some more money, we highly recommend purchasing this bottle in stainless steel. Regardless of which model you purchase, it’s a popular option for removing unwanted flavors and filtering out some contaminants.

2. LifeStraw Go Water Filter Bottle

Purchase at Amazon
Filter Type: activated carbon filter (2 stage)
Bottle Size: 23 ounces
Noteworthy Features

• BPA-free water bottle
• LifeStraw hollow-fiber membrane water filter removes bacteria and protozoa from lakes, streams to ensure safe, clean drinking water
• Removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, and 99.9% of waterborne protozoan parasites without chemicals, iodine or batteries
• Sturdy integrated clip

This is the top choice on Amazon for a reason. With over 2,000 product reviews at four stars, this is a tried-and-true option in the filtered water bottle category. The manufacturer claims this bottle should filter 264 gallons of water before the filter needs to be replaced and should filter out 99.9999 percent of bacteria and 99.9 percent of parasites. We have no reason to doubt this claim, but if you use this in a location where human sewage might be present, make sure you’re also using water purification tablets or simply avoiding the water. You can find replacement carbon capsules for the filter at Amazon. You can also purchase a new replacement straw at Amazon.

3. Grayl Ultralight Filtered Water Bottle

Purchase at Amazon
Bottle Size: 24 ounces
Noteworthy Features

• Removes all pathogens
• Filters particulates (e.g. sediment, silt), many chemicals (e.g. chlorine, benzene) and heavy metals (e.g. lead, arsenic); zero aftertaste, eliminates bad odors, improves clarity and flavor
• Comes in multiple colors
• One press versatility

This is a serious filtered water bottle and is highly recommended for trips that involve the backcountry or more remote locations. This bottle isn’t inexpensive, but it’s excellent with travel and heavy-duty filtering.

Additional Features

Since there’s not a lot of moving parts with this bottle, this bottle is easy to use and maintain. However, there are really two different parts to the bottle.

It takes about 15 seconds to purify water. After removing the inner shell, fill up the outer shell with water.  The company says the GRAYL bottle can use almost any water, but they suggest using the cleanest water you can find. Even though the filter will keep sediments out, there’s no need to shorten the life of the filter.

4. KOR Nava BPA Free 650ml Filter Water Bottle

Purchase at Amazon
Filter Type: Nava filters are made from healthy carbon activated coconut shells and each one can filter up to 40 gallons of tap water
Bottle Size: 22 ounces
Noteworthy Features

• BPA-Free Eastman Triton polyester an FDA-approved, health-safe material that’s durable and clear
• Easy Flow technology eliminates squeezing, biting and excessive sucking; Perfect Fit Mouthpiece provides excellent flow and feels great on your lips

This is an excellent water bottle for the price. The filter goes into the filter straw with the plastic tab down and keep in mind that with the straw rendering the last 1/2” of water unusable it’s more like a 600ml bottle. Some users report that it periodically leaks when turned upside down.

5. Brita Hard Sided Water Filter Bottle

Purchase at Amazon
Filter Type: Carbon
Bottle Size: 34 ounces
Noteworthy Features

• Water bottle is top rack dishwasher safe and for optimum performance, filter should be replaced every 40 gallons or every two months.
• One water filter can replace up to 300 standard 16.9 ounce water bottles

This is one of the lower-cost options in the category of filtered water bottles. It does leak from time to time, so purchase only if you’re sure it won’t be jostled, turned upside down or carried.

Non-Filtered Recommendations

There are many different lower-cost options available if you’re looking for a non-filtered water bottle that is insulated and durable. You should check our our own review of water bottles for extreme weather conditions, bottles for hiking or backpacking or Bicycle New England’s review of cycling water bottles.

Water Filtering Technology

Many people buy water filters or bottled water in an often mistaken belief that tap water is dirty or harmful to drink. In fact, as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reveals, around 92 percent of US community water systems met “all applicable health-based drinking water standards” in 2018 (up from 85 percent in 2005). In England and Wales, for the year 2017, the Drinking Water Inspectorate reported that 99.96 percent of drinking water met national and European standards (involving some 40 different quality measurements). Those figures are pretty remarkable really, when you consider just how dirty we make water and some of the things (like pesticides and car oil) that people flush down their drains.