Access to clean water is vital when you’re camping or backpacking. Unfortunately, you can only carry so much of it with you. You’re going to have to filter more drinking water eventually—if only you had a camp companion to do the filtration work for you.
Handheld electric water filtration.
That’s where the Survivor Filter PRO X shines. The Survivor Filter PRO X is the world’s first handheld electric water filter. With the push of a single button, this ultra-powerful water filter will clean and pump your water for you. Plus, it’s compact and portable—that means you can take it anywhere.
The Survivor Filter PRO X makes water filtration easy.
The three-stage filtration process removes virtually all bacteria, viruses, and parasites, and it does a great job at removing sediment, odors, and even heavy metals, too! Read on to discover all there is to learn about the Survivor Filter PRO X.
There’s no creek too grimy for this filter!
Survivor Filter PRO X Specifications
| Feature Type | Feature Specs | What This Means |
| Weight | 13.75 ounces | This is the weight of the entire Survivor Filter PRO X kit. Though not ultralight, this water filter is practical for backpackers due to its compact size, and it is an excellent choice for car campers. |
| Filter or Purifier? | Both | The Survivor Filter is a three-layered filtration system. An inner Carbon Filter removes odors and tastes. |
| Treatment Type | Electric operation | Automated water filtration at the push of a button. Requires USB power or 2 AA batteries. A manual backup is also available. |
| Effective Against | Protozoa, Bacteria, Viruses, Sediments, and Heavy Metals | The three-stage filtration system removes over 99% of tested bacteria, viruses, parasites, and mercury. |
| Filter Pore Size (Microns) | 0.01 microns | This is the rated filtration size of the third stage internal Ultra Filter. Many other outdoor water filters are rated at a less effective 0.1-micron filtration size. |
| Filter Media | Dual fiber membrane layers and a carbon filter mid-layer | Fiber membranes are the most common filter media for backpacking. They allow a decent flow rate and clean easily but suffer in extreme cold. The carbon filter reduces heavy metals, unpleasant odors, and foul tastes. Read more on filter media in our Water Filtration Guide. |
| Flow Rate | ~500ml per minute | The beauty of an electric water filter is that you can set it and let it do the work for you. Though it will take you about a minute to fill a 16-ounce water bottle, you can let this filter do its thing while you work on something else or kick back and relax. |
| Filter Life | 2000 liters for the carbon filter 100,000 liters for the others | The outer Pre-Filter and inner Ultra Filter will last up to 100,000 liters as long as they are cleaned regularly. The Carbon Filter, on the other hand, should be replaced every couple thousand liters. |
| Filters Particulate? | Yes | You’ll still want to source your water where it is as clean as you can find it, but these filters do a good job of filtering particulates. |
| Components |
| This kit comes with everything you need to get started, including a pair of AA Rayovac batteries and a back-washing syringe to keep those filters clean. You can also order a separate Manual Backup Kit that includes a manual pump and its own tubing if you want to operate the filter without an electric energy source. |
| Environmental Requirements | Keep above freezing temperatures | Operating ambient temperature: 5° to 25° C (41° to 77° F) Non-operating temperature: 0° to 27° C (32° to 80° F) |
| Manufacturer Warranty | Lifetime Replacement Warranty | If your Survivor Filter is or becomes defective through no fault of your own, Survivor Filter provides a lifetime replacement warranty against manufacturing defects. |
| Retail Price | $125.00/$30.00 | The Survivor Filter PRO X currently costs $125. The Manual Backup Kit costs $30. |
See the Survivor Filter PRO X See the Survivor Filter PRO X Manual Backup Kit
The inner filter compartment easily swaps between the PRO X and the Manual Backup Kit.
Unique Features of the Survivor Filter PRO X
There’s not much out there that’s quite like the Survivor Filter PRO X. It’s a portable, handheld electric water filter that can be powered by AA batteries or through a USB connection to anything from an external battery to a solar panel or even an AC wall outlet.
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- The Power Button.
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- Battery and USB Behind Water Tight Seals.
When powered by AA batteries alone, the electric filter will last for roughly six hours of operation, or about 400 liters of active water filtration—and that should be plenty for nearly any backpacking trip short of a gargantuan thru-hike. Bring along an external battery brick, or backup batteries, if you want enough power to filter for a group of campers.
Portable and Practical
Though the electric power is the primary selling point of this filter, its size is a part of what makes it truly unique. All in all, the Survivor Filter PRO X weighs less than a pound, and when it’s packed into its smartly designed carrying case, it is barely larger than a pack of Ramen.
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- All included with the PRO X.
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- The Manual Backup Kit.
The filter has the power and output (~500ml per minute) to work as a camp water filter for you and some friends at a campground or a backwoods boondocking site, but it’s also a great choice for backpackers. The convenience will be well worth the weight for all but the most diehard ultralight backcountry travelers.
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- Pre-Filter and floatie.
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- Back-wash cleaning syringe.
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- Hose clip.
Manual Backup Kit
The Manual Backup Kit does require a separate purchase, but it is relatively inexpensive, and the flow rate is equal to that of the primary electrically powered system. The manual backup is a must-have if the Survivor Filter PRO X is your only source of clean water during far-out explorations.
The Manual Backup Kit.
It’s extremely easy to use, much easier than many other manual water filtration systems. In fact, it works so well that you may want to leave the primary electric filter at basecamp and only take the lightweight Manual Backup Kit with you on extended backpacking trips.
Pumping it yourself is nearly as effortless as the automatic electric operation.
How Does the Survivor Filter PRO X Compare to other Water Filters?
The gamut of water filtration and purification options is seemingly endless. There is a vast array of products for you to choose from. Here is how the Survivor Filter PRO X compares to a few of the best-selling water filters on the market.
Survivor Filter PRO X vs. Sawyer Squeeze
The Sawyer Squeeze has become a backpacking staple. It’s among the most popular water filtration options for those seeking a lightweight and effective water filter for wandering the wilderness.
With a flow rate of 1.7 liters per minute, the Sawyer Squeeze can fill your bottle faster than the Survivor Filter PRO X. However, you’ll need some burly forearm muscles to achieve that rate, especially once the Sawyer Squeeze starts to slow after some use. Plus, you can only attach the Sawyer Squeeze to certain compatible water bottles and bladders.
Take it from someone with experience: pumping is much easier than squeezing.
The Survivor Filter PRO X is easier to use whether you’re using the electric pump or the manual backup. What’s more, any water container will do—you don’t need to source a bottle with specific threading to make it work.
Most will find the ease-of-use to be the biggest reason they choose the Survivor Filter PRO X over the Sawyer Squeeze for backpacking. However, it’s also worth noting that the Sawyer Squeeze is rated to 0.1-micron absolute filtration, whereas the Survivor Filter PRO X is rated to 0.01-micron filtration. This means the PRO X can filter out viruses, sediment, and heavy metals that the Sawyer Squeeze simply can’t.
Survivor Filter PRO X vs. Platypus GravityWorks
The Platypus GravityWorks is a gravity filter that can be used at camp or on the trail. It weighs about the same as the PRO X, and its water flow output matches that of the Sawyer Squeeze. It’s a set-it-and-forget-it gravity system that works best when you’re at camp and want to let gravity do the work for you. The electric power of the Survivor Filter PRO X provides that same convenience.
One-button automatic operation.
However, the Platypus GravityWorks is rated to 0.2-microns of absolute filtration, which is worse than both the Survivor Filter PRO X and the Sawyer Squeeze. The GravityWorks filters out protozoa and bacteria such as giardia and salmonella, but it can’t filter out smaller contaminants like norovirus, rotavirus, or hepatitis A.
The Survivor Filter PRO X can filter out all of that and then some. The PRO X also contains a carbon filter that eliminates foul odors and tastes, allowing you to actually enjoy the water you’re drinking, no matter its source.
Survivor Filter PRO X vs. Katadyn Hiker Microfilter
The design of the Katadyn Hiker Microfilter is similar to that of the Manual Backup Kit of the Survivor Filter PRO X—it functions in much the same way.
Again, though, the Katadyn Hiker Microfilter is rated to 0.2-microns of filtration. While this does allow for faster water output, it also lets a host of microscopic creepy crawlies slip through into your “clean” drinking water.
The three-stage filtration of the PRO X makes all the difference.
For the utmost in water purity and filtration, choose the Survivor Filter PRO X.
See the Survivor Filter PRO X See the Survivor Filter PRO X Manual Backup Kit
Who Is Survivor Filter?
Survivor Filter considers access to clean drinking water to be the most pressing issue facing humanity. As such, Survivor Filter is dedicated to providing every person with clean water no matter their environment. The company seeks to educate and support everyone who is searching for ways to purify their drinking water.
The included carry bags are made of mesh. This helps the filter equipment dry out faster.
See the Survivor Filter PRO X, and learn more about Survivor Filter.
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How in the world would any serious hiker even consider a water filter that weighs almost a pound. I can see the extra hoses and all might be fine for a car camper but that it’s too much crap and too heavy for my consideration.
Different strokes for different folks! This water filter can pump enough for a group of backpackers on a multi-day adventure with a pair of AA batteries. Besides, I personally don’t think its weight is much of a factor for most backpackers. Would I have taken it on my PCT thru-hike? No. But for a few nights out in the Cascades with some friends? Heck yeah.
Very easily:
In the warm and dry part of the world my family and I live, the default amount of water I hike with is 6 litres per day.
Maybe only 4.5 litres in the winter but up to 8 litres in the summer.
Although water can be found in the wilderness, it is usually still and stagnant and I never even considered drinking it.
With this product I could carry only 1.5-3 litres max and rely on filtration, which even including the weight of the product is a HUGE difference.
Of course, this is when filtration is for a whole family.
If it was just for me I would probably go with the Survivor straw which is almost as good and weighs a lot less.
World first? Clearly you’ve never seen the Gosun Flow, which has been doing this for about a year!
Hey Robert. Thanks for pointing out the Gosun Flow. The Survivor Filter PRO X isn’t brand new—it’s been out for a while. And as a “world-first” the company is claiming to be the first portable/handheld electric water filter. This can be subjective, depending on your perspective, but it does weigh much less than the Gosun Flow.