Easy Water Filter

I was reading in a survival blog about how almost useless the lowly coffee filter was for filtering water because it was almost impossible to hold in place while filtering. As I was looking at my 32 oz. Nalgene bottle, I was wondering how to hold a coffee filter over the neck so it wouldn't slip off the bottle. I looked around my supply of containers and located a spice container with a flip up lid that I had saved for another project. As it once held onion powder and reeked of onions because of the soft plastic it wasn't going to work for what I had originally planned. Looking at the lid, I realized it was almost the same size as the opening on my Nalgene bottle and my filter was born. The threads on the spice container fit the Nalgene bottle exactly.

Supplies needed:

32 oz. Nalgene bottle

1 standard coffee filter for 12 cup brewer

Cap off a medium size spice container (see sample picture) should measure 2 1/2 inches across

Remove the lid from the Nalgene bottle, leaving it tethered. Open the coffee filter and place it over the neck of the bottle. Insert your finger into the center of the opening and push it down an inch or two into the bottle.

Spread the portion of the coffee filter sticking out of the bottle around the outside of the Nalgene bottle threads as evenly as possible.

Screw the spice bottle lid onto the Nalgene bottle over the filter.

Either pour unfiltered water into the larger opening or just dip the entire bottle into the water until it is full. Once full, remove the spice cap and carefully remove the filter. The water is now ready for boiling, chemical treatment, or drinking directly with your LifeStraw. If you boil the water, you may want to transfer the boiled water into another container to prevent recontaminating your clean water.