water filter question

hey hows it going. i had two questions about water filters. whats a good/safe way to filter water when traveling abroad? i was thinking about buying a pump filter but im not sure which one.

the other question is what method do you use to clean water when using only chemicals. should i just use a coffee filter at the top of a bottle and put it in the water source? and how about for really dirty sources?

When traveling abroad, I would use a purifier instead of a filter. Either chemicals or a First Need. Reason being, when abroad I would have more concern about viruses in addition to bacteria or protozoa. The backcountry sources I usually tap into are primarily going to carry more risk for the latter issues than for viruses. For urban use, I would consider a Steri Pen - ultraviolet light would do the job and you could easily get batteries for it or replace the unit should you have to.

Coffee filters or a bandanna will strain out large particles like leaf matter. If by 'really dirty' you mean full of silt - you may want to look at adding a flocculant to the kit. Some contaminants can be settled out of water if you have that kind of time. A flocculant can speed up the process.

ok I think im just gonna stick to the chemical method, I bought aquamira. The steripen is a good idea, I will prolly invest in that sometime soon since I am abroad a lot instead of the pump. It cost about the same anyway. The thing I like about the pump though is that it cleans the water really well.

If you do prefer the pump, look at the First Need. It's a purifier but it does so by pumping water through like most filters.

Also look at Sawyer filters and purifiers online - there are purifiers in their lineup that attach to faucets or function as a gravity filter.

I use polar pure.