>>466127Boiling water after removing whatever macroscopic crap is floating in it is generally a pretty good way to clean it.
A filter is significantly faster and more convenient. When I'm out I'm drinking 5L+ a day, my camping pot holds ~1.3L and you want to boil the water for 5-10 minutes to kill everything. I'd just assume save 40 minutes a day and use a filter.
Not to mention the fuel required. Sure, it's possible to find natural fuel for your fires, but many national forests out in the western US have bans on open fires during the summer.
I used to live in the Willamette valley, where it rains ~160 days each year, almost all of them between October and April. I wouldn't want to need to find dry firewood there in the winter. Again, it's all about convenience.
