I was on the bepreparedtosurvive.com and saw a survival water system they offer (http://bepreparedtosurvive.com/The%20Aqua-Pouch%20Plus%20Water%20Purification%20Kit.htm). They made a pre-filter from heat-bonded plastic to hold a #4 Melita water filter. I have a Seal-A-Meal and I thought I would try knocking one off.

I traced out a #4 filter, heat sealed the diagonals, punched a row of holes in the bottom with a paper punch and trimmed to suit. 4.7 grams!

Works best with containers with a large opening, but you can scrunch it into a Nalgene. It is fine once you get a little water and weight to settle it down. I made another to fit #2 filters.

Great idea! How does the coffee filter handle sediment/muddy water? That's just about all I have in my neck of the woods.

Not my idea, but I'm good at adapting.

That's the idea, to get the sediment out-- I use a Steripen, not to mention using chemicals is better without the crud. And you can make coffee with it too :)

How many uses do you think you could get out of a filter? I woul dthink 1 or 2. I guess you could carry a bunch of them. Seems like a metal coffee filter would be more reusable. The paper filter would be really good at removing silt though.

I have a little fuel filter, funnel thing I use, has a screen in it.

Pretty slick! Let us know how it works.

How many sessions for filtering water? I'm sure it depends on the amount of silt. The wet filters are a little fragile too. I have used a #2 cone and filter and they do a good job of cleaning up the water, but the cone takes up nearly as much room as a cook pot and it does add a couple ounces.

I thought this was a clever design and I couldn't resist making a Seal-A-Meal copy. I have tried to work compact water carrying methods into my survival kit and this little zip-top bag and pre-filter system is the best I have seen so far. A one liter Platypus works great but for the neck and cap making it less compact.

I don't do a lot of multi-day trips, so the holder and a few filters are more than enough for weekenders. Most of the water I encounter is clear, but you do need to have some methods for pre-filtering; of course, a bandana or micro towel will do the job too. This is so light and compact it can just be part of my regular cook kit. I use instant coffee most of the time, as the wet grounds are a pain, but it is nice to have real coffee. When we car camp, a Melita cone and a thermos are our primary coffee making kit.