LifeStraw is your best emergency personal water filter, that you can bring on any adventure. I would even carry this when I have my normal basic water filter, but carry it in my go-bag or on person. This is an easy product to use to in a pinch and could buy you time in purifying water in less-than-ideal situations.

Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF):

• Filtering 99.999% of bacteria, parasites, viruses and other impurities from water without the need of chemicals or boiling
• Amazing value for filtering 4,000L (1,000 gallons) of water
• Small (22.9 cm in length) and light weight (56 grams)
• Best for emergency usage in the back country, travelling in water boil advisory regions, low access to clean potable water
• No moving or volatile components making it safe to take on flights!

Pros:

Gosh, what didn’t the BLUF sell?

• It’s like drinking a personal tap water, from a straw
• Ease of carry for emergencies in the back country and travelling
• Easy to clean
• Robust and tough – throw it around!
• Does not require electricity (I can’t believe this is a thing…)

Cons:

• Can be a bit difficult to get the high flow rate if you don’t prime it first
• It cannot desalinate, but really, what are you expecting?
• Petro-chemicals can still get through, as it mostly filters microbiological substances

LifeStraw is Your Best Emergency Personal Water Filter

We believe that everyone deserves access to safe water when they are adventuring and in situations you may not expect. That’s why we are reviewing LifeStraw; a product that provides clean drinking water anywhere in the worldwhich cannot come more highly recommended. This innovative design filters out 99.99% of bacteria and parasites, and it’s incredibly easy to use and doesn’t take up much room in your pack, at all. LifeStraw is your best emergency personal water filter.

The LifeStraw was born out of meeting a need in water security in the harshest conditions in the world, from refugee camps to natural disasters. LifeStraw is the best emergency water filter in these situations. Since I acquired the LifeStraw (2013), it seems they made their filtration even better in their new models! Their website boasts that LifeStraw filtration technology can filter out:

• PFAS (PFAS are a large, complex group of manufactured chemicals that are ingredients in various everyday products. For example, they are used to keep food from sticking to packaging or cookware – source)
• Microplastics
• Chemicals and pesticides

On top of your normal bacteria and parasite filtration. Wow!

However, I will say, there are certain things that I feel can’t be filtered by the LifeStraw, as mentioned in the Cons, are petro-chemicals, ie oil spills, or more realistically, seepage such as engine oil into bodies of water where people would drink from. This would require very specialized equipment. Saying this, I actually don’t know if it can or not, not having access to their body of work. However, in on their website, it does say they test on the micro-biology level which leads me to believe some other petro chemical based products may not be filtered out.

If you convert 4,000 litres into 4 litres of consumption per day, it’d take 2.7 years to exhaust the filter! In my adventures, I carry my main water filter and that’s only 1,500 litres! I carry the LifeStraw on me in case something happened on a day trip away from base camp. LifeStraw is your best emergency personal water filter.

Basic Usage and Maintenance

• User Manual explains a lot and it’s very easy.
  • Prime intake end of straw for 20 seconds
  • Drink
  • Blow back through the straw when finished
  • (Too easy!)
• Long term storage includes storing it in saline solution
• Membrane must be wet to have good water flow.

LifeStraw is your best emergency personal water filter. With products like LifeStraw, we can bring a safe and reliable source of drinking water no matter where you are and no matter what activity you’re doing.