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LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
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LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
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Product Description
If you’re traveling solo and want a safe and simple way to squat down and get your fill of lake or river water, use the LifeStraw Personal Water Filter. Weighing only 2 ounces and compact enough to place in your pocket, the LifeStraw removes 99.9999% of bacteria and 99.9% of protozoa to instantly raise your water source to US EPA drinking standards Read More
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keyboard_arrow_downGonzoTGreat
756
Jul 16, 2015
This is not a post about which "straw filter" system is better or less expensive. I was purusing Massdrop - probably something I ought to do less frequently - and saw this Drop. Many folks have already joined and I have absolutely no expertise in this area.
Then why am I even writing this post?
Former President Carter was on The Daily Show not too long ago. During the interview, he showed Jon Stewart this strange looking pip/straw-type device. The end with the filter goes in stagnant water and the other end goes in the person's mouth. Okay, that's simple enough. Other than to say that people are wearing these around their necks in certain parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, he doesn't talk about the technical details of the filter or the straw or anything like that.
Why is he proclaiming the miracle of this device?
Guinea worm. Apparently, through massive efforts in community health education, dstribution of these "filtering" straws and diligent care of those who are afflicted, the incidence of new cases and the number of cases has dropped significantly. Sure, that's not surprising. Good public health practices lower disease. Then the kicker ...
This parasite used to affect millions of people each year. Apparently, in 2014 there were fewer than 200 cases reported. In Ghana, a coutry previously seriously affected by the disease, the parasite has been eradicated. Gone.
If you'd like more info about what I'm talking about here's the link:
http://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/index.html
So I don't know anything about this device and how it compares to others available in the developed world. I don't know how it compares to those being distributed in Africa. But I do know that in certain disease ravaged parts of the world, a simple straw like this is making a huge difference in public health.
Absolutely amazing.
Having contributed little to the discussion about this Drop, I hope this post was an interesting read at least.
Cheers.
Then why am I even writing this post?
Former President Carter was on The Daily Show not too long ago. During the interview, he showed Jon Stewart this strange looking pip/straw-type device. The end with the filter goes in stagnant water and the other end goes in the person's mouth. Okay, that's simple enough. Other than to say that people are wearing these around their necks in certain parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, he doesn't talk about the technical details of the filter or the straw or anything like that.
Why is he proclaiming the miracle of this device?
Guinea worm. Apparently, through massive efforts in community health education, dstribution of these "filtering" straws and diligent care of those who are afflicted, the incidence of new cases and the number of cases has dropped significantly. Sure, that's not surprising. Good public health practices lower disease. Then the kicker ...
This parasite used to affect millions of people each year. Apparently, in 2014 there were fewer than 200 cases reported. In Ghana, a coutry previously seriously affected by the disease, the parasite has been eradicated. Gone.
If you'd like more info about what I'm talking about here's the link:
http://www.cartercenter.org/health/guinea_worm/index.html
So I don't know anything about this device and how it compares to others available in the developed world. I don't know how it compares to those being distributed in Africa. But I do know that in certain disease ravaged parts of the world, a simple straw like this is making a huge difference in public health.
Absolutely amazing.
Having contributed little to the discussion about this Drop, I hope this post was an interesting read at least.
Cheers.
Mujin
106
Jul 20, 2015
GonzoTGreatthanks for the thoughtful post, I had been trying to place who was championing it but had forgotten about that episode of the Daily Show until you mentioned it. Funny as I'm about to head to a taping of said show right now.
chrise524
93
Jul 13, 2015
Why not a Sawyer? They are much more versatile than a LifeStraw. I have the mini and it works great.
adeadhead
49
Oct 12, 2016
Just to repeat, for anyone considering getting a lifestraw- don't. It's a gimmicky piece of garbage. Filters 250 gallons of water, compared to a sawyer filter which filters 100,000 gallons, has twice as fine a filter, and actually allows you to produce potable water, as opposed to the lifestraw where you sucking through it is the filtration, meaning you're only making water to drink as you need it, not water for your pet, not water to cook, to give to those who need it, to store for later.
adeadhead
49
Oct 13, 2016
Off the top of my head, certainly not, though there may be some. However, lasting 250 gallons versus 100,000 gallons and no ability to actually produce clean water?
Stepbystep
549
Oct 13, 2016
adeadheadThat's because there isn't really. The things that can slip past 0.2 can also slip past 0.1, which is primarily viruses although there are some odd shaped bacteria with dimensions that theoretically could go through the 0.1 but in practicality they either don't or they get destroyed in the process. Years ago the filter models moved back up to 0.2 in favor of faster flow other than a few purifiers that remained, and MSR discontinued their add-on downstream filter for their pumps. It wasn't until Sawyer started up their bullshit marketing and 0.1 that it started to become a "thing" again, and then the market exploded with all these little straw filters and such. There's some consideration to be taken into account for membrane media vs. depth media but for all practical purposes there really is no advantage to 0.1 over 0.2 for drinking water filtering, in terms of pathology. It's less of an issue with single layer membranes, but 0.1 can be a disadvantage when it comes to clogging and that comes at the expense of extra filtration that is unnecessary...so it's a good thing that they are fairly easy to back flush and clean, but even then most people will never ever realize the ridiculous volume/lifespan claims that Sawyer perpetuates. You look at every other manufacturer and they are all vastly lower in their lifespan statements. There's a good reason for that. Life Straw is what it is, but it is not gimmicky garbage with a less effective filtration media. Like I said, I'm not a fan of it or similar products myself, but I have owned one (still have it) and it fills a little niche in the market for many users. Certainly not a good choice for campers and backpackers, but one could. If it isn't your cup of tea, that's cool, but to tell people to not buy it along with info that isn't really accurate...nah. Some people really like these - day hikers, mountain bikers, preppers, people vacationing in other countries that want to filter a glass of tap or restaurant water, etc., etc.
packeteer
25
Mar 14, 2016
I don't understand why people buy this when the Sawyer mini is better and same retail price?!?
Bigrig
3
Mar 20, 2016
packeteerI purchased one several years ago for one specific purpose. To add to my motorcycle emergency kit. It takes up almost no space and is about as foolproof as you can get. I did not intend for it to be a "week long hike" item. It is there in case I do something stupid and get stranded for a day or three.
Dr.McCoy
345
Jul 18, 2015
It should be noted that neither the LifeStraw NOR the Sawyer have carbon filters. These devices are for filtering out non-dissolved particulate NOT chemicals. Do not use either of these products to drink from sources with chemical contamination without a carbon filter system of some kind. These products are meant for dire emergencies and not simply an excuse to plan a trip poorly.
Strumm
132
Jul 14, 2015
Another_Overpriced_DropNot all Massdrop customers are from CONUS. Factor in the shipping cost.
Tasselhoff
523
Jul 20, 2015
Another_Overpriced_DropNot everyone gets that kind of a deal on Ebay or Amazon. Both are insanely expensive to ship internationally. Amazon is normally about $40USD regardless of the size and weight, so I never buy there, and Ebay is normally around $16USD shipping for something like this. So this is a sweet Deal for a lot of Internationals.
paintballbob
33
Feb 10, 2017
$15 would be a deal, but $3 shipping makes it not. For $1.78 more I could have as many as I want today from Amazon.
adeadhead
49
Sep 24, 2015
Guys, don't get a life straw. It's a neat gadget, but it's not actually useful. Check out the sawyer mini, it's smaller, costs the same, more efficient, more useful (you can use it to fill something with clean water so you don't need to suck water through a filter when thirsty) and lasts 100x longer in terms of liters filtered.
Tasselhoff
523
Jul 20, 2015
bpw87NO NO NO, this is not a desalination device of any sort. If you drink salt water you will firstly go insane and then die. This is only for fresh water filtration.
Cilantro
21
Mar 14, 2016
I'm not going to get into the "politics" of the lifestraw, but after a summer of hiking and camping in the Kananaskis/Rocky mountains with a Lifestraw, I figure I should add my 2 cents. Most of what I'll say is just repeating what others have said.
The Lifestraw is one of the most fun items I have in my backpack. Any time I go up to a mountain stream or a lake, I can just perch and take a drink. It's always fun, the water tastes great after a few litres have run through the Lifestraw, and it's easy to use. If it gets hard to draw in water, just blow out the system and try again, it doesn't take as much effort as you'd imagine to bring in water. That said, I do always have my camelbak/nalgene and iodine tablets because I don't really want to be in a position where I absolutely MUST use the Lifestraw. I know I could, but it is a hassle for anything more than a quick drink, as you'd need a dedicated bottle to carry "dirty" water to use it effectively and there are much better options for that route. But again; it's cheap, light and great for a quick taste of delicious glacial lakes and streams so get one if you want.
The Lifestraw is one of the most fun items I have in my backpack. Any time I go up to a mountain stream or a lake, I can just perch and take a drink. It's always fun, the water tastes great after a few litres have run through the Lifestraw, and it's easy to use. If it gets hard to draw in water, just blow out the system and try again, it doesn't take as much effort as you'd imagine to bring in water. That said, I do always have my camelbak/nalgene and iodine tablets because I don't really want to be in a position where I absolutely MUST use the Lifestraw. I know I could, but it is a hassle for anything more than a quick drink, as you'd need a dedicated bottle to carry "dirty" water to use it effectively and there are much better options for that route. But again; it's cheap, light and great for a quick taste of delicious glacial lakes and streams so get one if you want.
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