Lifestraw Personal Water Filter

I was given the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter to test as it’s a great item for outdoor use as well as your 72 hour kit.  Vestergaard Frandsen is an international company from Europe that has made a business dedicated to the concept of “profit for a purpose”, to try and help the underprivileged of this world, and the Lifestraw is the result of that sort of thinking. It was developed for use in disaster areas as well as many areas of the world that don‘t have clean water access. In areas with unreliable sources for clean water, whatever water supply is available can sometimes be a major vector for disease.

The LifeStraw is a lightweight (2.5 oz), inexpensive disposable water filter that can filter out organisms down to 0.2 microns. It removes 99.99% of waterborne pathogens like giardia and cryptosporidium. This makes it suitable for use in North America where virus are generally not a problem. Only a water purifier can take viruses out of the water. Our evaluation LifeStraw came from Eartheasy.com, and you can find them on their site as well as other online retailers. Expect to pay about $19.95, regardless of where you purchase it.

I took the  LifeStraw Personal Water Filter with me fishing the other day, as I love getting out and alone on the water. When I am out and about, I carry minimal gear, usually not even taking drinking water. But I know better than to drink the water I am standing in, no matter how thirsty and inviting it is. Untreated, that can be a recipe for disaster. Since the LifeStraw is about 12 x 1 inch, it’s compact and very easy to transport, especially for a light traveler like myself. It even comes with a nifty necklace attachment that just clips on and off.  This nicely fits into my fishing bag which is the size of a medium fanny pack and the weight isn‘t even noticeable. Using the straw, I was able to get clean cool drinking water whenever I wanted without having to carry a heavy water bottle that I would need to ration for the duration of my trip. In use it was very easy to suck water through. You do need to get down to the water or use a container to draw water through, but that to me is a minor thing considering the nature of what I was using. The effort required to get water through was surprisingly easy, and I was happily surprised. I have been using water battles with built in filters for years and have gotten used to having to squeeze and suck pretty hard to get a drink but this was nothing like what I have experienced with bottles in the past. On finishing with the straw the instructions say to blow back through it to clear the straw. This was a bit harder but not really troublesome, you are “going against the flow” so it‘s to be expected.  Each LifeStraw is good for 1000 liters of water and will clog and become unusable when it has reached this limit.

I’m glad I got to review the LifeStraw, as I’ll be carrying it in my bag from now on. Not having to worry about water will free me up for longer fishing/hiking trips thanks to a little less weight. It’s really too convenient to not carry, so I have no excuse now. Of course, I’ll probably order one for my emergency kit as well.

– Rob

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the Lifestraw Personal Water Filter for free from eartheasy.com, in consideration for review publication. Check out their website for more info on the LifeStraw, as well as other solutions for sustainable living.