LifeStraw Water Filter -
Ideal for Hiking, Fishing, Hunting and Emergency Preparedness
by Nancy Hearn, CNC

The LifeStraw water filter is ideal for hiking, fishing, hunting, camping backpacking, travel and emergency preparedness.  

The innovative straw-style filter lets you drink directly from streams and lakes or from containers of water.

It uses an innovate hollow fiber membrane technology that will filter up to 4,000 liters (1,000 gallons) of contaminated water to 0.2 microns.

Original Design

The original LifeStraw water filter was introduced in 2005 and was designed for use in developing countries where people don’t have access to safe water from municipal sources.

It was also designed to provide access to safe drinking water after natural disasters or other emergency situations when water becomes contaminated. 

The LifeStraw has been used in the harshest conditions in developing countries since 2005.

The LifeStraw water filter technology has won several awards, such as the Well-Tech Innovation Technology Award in 2011, Saatchi and Saatchi Award for World Changing Ideas in 2008, Time magazine invention of the year 2005. And it has been featured by Fast Company, Time, CNN and the New York Times.

Specifications

The LifeStraw water filter is ultra light, easy to use, and portable.  It weighs just 2 ounces and is 9 inches long and about 1 inch in diameter.

It requires no electrical power, batteries, or moving parts. And it is made with BPA-free plastic and contains no chemicals.

The contaminant removal rate meets the EPA standards of water filtrations for safe drinking water. 

Filtration benefits include the following:

• Removes 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria, including Shigella Salmonella, E. coli, Campylobacter, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Vibrio cholerae.
• Removes 99.9% of waterborne protozoa, including Cryptosporidium Parvum, Giardia Lamblia, and Entamoeba histolytica.
• Leaves no aftertaste since the LifeStraw does not use iodine or iodinated resin chemicals like many other portable water filters.

Note:  The LifeStraw filter does not desalinate water and it will not filter heavy metals, chemicals (such as chlorine in tap or pool water), or viruses. LifeStraw does have higher capacity filters that do remove 99.999% of viruses.

Usage and Filter Replacement

The LifeStraw water filter is easy to use, but you might find these user tips helpful:

• When using the LifeStraw for the time or when the filter is dry (after storage), uncap both ends of the filter and hold it vertically in about 5 inches of water for 10-15 seconds to moisten the filter membranes.  This will make it easier to pull water through the filter.
• After drinking through the LifeStraw, blow through the straw to clean the filter and prevent it from clogging. 
• After each use, be sure to dry off the mouthpiece so that it does not become contaminated.
• When storing the filter, take the caps off so that the filter can dry out.
• It’s good to know that you can never drink contaminated water with a LifeStraw. When the filtration capacity is done, water will simply stop flowing through it.  That’s when it’s time to buy a new one.

Of course, one of the best things about the LifeStraw water filter is that it is relatively inexpensive, considering what it does!

Reference

LifeStraw.com; LifeStraw Personal Water Filter.

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