LifeStraw, as of 2023, is a plastic tube that you can use for filtering for drinking or filling a bottle, which is crucial when hiking. It does not include water viruses or chemicals but is effective against common bacteria. It is very convenient due to its size and weight. Read our review to learn more and decide if you want to buy one on Amazon or elsewhere.
Thirst is the sense all of us have ever felt. The pleasant news is that you probably have never had a real thirst. If you have ever been in a situation without drinking clean water for 24 hours or do not want to be in such conditions, you will be interested in this report.
The dehydration process of our body begins after the day without a sip of drinking water. It means that your organism will be destroyed quickly, and every following hour will ruin it more and more.
Fortunately, we live in conditions with an endless supply of clear water. You can visit the shop or filter water you have to quench your thirst. It is easy to get water in modern society, but what will you do in wild nature without water access? Sometimes you will have a dirty stream as one available water source. How to get clean H2O and save your life in this situation?
Let’s explore the problem of water absence and how this challenge can be solved with the help of this report.
Place of Water in Our Life
Scientists proved that a person could survive without food much longer than without clean water. The body will break down after three weeks without food and three days without water. Access to H2O is an essential condition for successful survival.
For this reason, you should pay attention to the cleaning tools you pack in your survival bag. Of course, there are other things to be concerned about but do not forget to care about water filters.
Surviving stores offer a huge number of purification tools nowadays, but most of them are massive and heavy for survival bags.
Filters have different features and construction, but the most important one is the quality of purification. You will need to cope with some technical issues using water filters on your trip.
For example, there are new purification systems that can work using UV rays, but the problem is that you need to keep it charged for the whole duration of outdoor activities.
Remember that any challenges in getting a water source could cost you your life.
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LifeStraw Water Filtration System
The LifeStraw filter is a portable and lightweight tool that is easy to use. It does not include any mechanical parts, chemical substances, and batteries and can purify up to 1000 liters of water.
Its size allows you to put it in every bag you have to be confident in your security. It is a plastic tube with a size of 1,25″ diameter and 8″ length. It is even less than a drinking water bottle that you will take with you.
The price of the LifeStraw is affordable for every traveler. You will need to pay $20 for the safety of your life.
It was constructed for humanitarian assistance in 2005. The LifeStraw was distributed around the world as support for people without access to water. Then it was supplied to the commercial stores in 2011 and became a popular element of equipment for hunting and camping lovers.
You can use a LifeStraw for drinking spoiled with parasites spring water.
LifeStraw Water Filter Construction
It is stated above that it is a compact tube with the intake filter on one side and a mouthpiece on another one. Both of these sides are covered with caps protecting your body from dangerous elements. You can be sure that you will not intake dirty water with this device, and it will not be polluted by raw water.
There is a membrane microfilter in the center of the tube which passes only substances less than 0.2 microns. Such a property of hollow-fiber membrane pipes can fight almost all dangerous bacteria and protozoa. Also, the intake of suspended solids will be blocked.
The LifeStraw water filter’s weight is equal to two ounces before the application and 3 ounces after the first usage. The filter is the lightest one among all available purification systems on the market, even with the growth of the weight after application.
Guide to Using the LifeStraw Membrane Water Microfilter
The using process of this filter is so simple that every new to survival person will handle it.
It will purify water while you are drinking. You can use water directly from the water sources or collect it into the drinking water bottle (as Nalgene) and put the filter in it as shown in the picture.
A personal water bottle makes it easier to drink as you do not need to bend down to the lake or other natural reservoir. Also, you can take collected water for long trails and hiking.
To make the LifeStraw work, you should remove the caps from both sides and place the tube into the water with the mouthpiece up. Suck a small amount of liquid to absorb the hollow-fiber membrane. A few seconds later, you will be able to drink water without any effort.
Don’t be afraid of the chemical taste — it will evaporate after a while.
There is no resistance during the sucking up the water. So, the LifeStraw will be an irreplaceable device in any traveling for you.
We tested the LifeStraw water filter in real-life conditions, and it showed an excellent performance. Watch the video about the life straw from the experienced survivalist to get tips on the proper usage of it. You can use any water container for the experiment in domestic conditions.
LifeStraw Water Filter in Freezing Places
The usage of the straw filter can be complicated during freezing temperatures. You will need to care about it when the temperature is below zero.
If you doubt this water filter’s quality now, just know that all purification systems are exposed to break when frozen.
Care about mechanical water filters if you decide to use them in the winter.
Firstly, clean the water filter inside before the storage. You will need to control water residues in the tube as they can cause fault of the filter in low temperatures.
Secondly, keep the straw filter in a warm place, for example, in a jacket or other clothes.
If you follow these rules, the life span of your filter will increase.
Water Filter Care
Even in normal weather conditions, you should control your straw filter’s stay to use it for five years or more.
Clear the tube from the surplus moisture through the blowing to get rid of excess water as it can damage the filter. Then shake the straw and put on the caps.
The speed of water flow will decrease over some period of time. The blowing and shaking will help you to solve this issue.
However, the LifeStraw filter users notice that the flow rate slows down after three or four years of usage, and no procedures will help.
The limit of filtration is not strict. You will be able to use it with some challenges to filter more than 1000 liters.
Select the purest water source close to you to decrease the load on the filter. Besides, make a “pre-filtration” to enhance the service life of this tool. As we know, every mechanical filtration system will get the benefit from the pre-filter process.
You can also make filtration easier for the device by wrapping the downside of the straw into the coffee filter or survival bandana.
The paper or fabric will filter such large substances as sand or mud and will leave smaller ones for the Life Straw.
There are no perfect systems, and the Life Straw is not an exception. Even though the LifeStraw can clean water from bacteria and protozoa, It will not save you from chemical poisoning. This device cannot filter minerals, salts, and viruses as they are so tiny that a 0.2-micron threshold will not stop them.
So, escape presumably infected water sources or find another purification system to consume this one.
Conclusion
Your body cannot live without drinking water, but not all water sources are healthy. Invest in the compact purification tool — the LifeStraw Water Filter, to be saved in emergencies and wild conditions.
This small device copes with its duties successfully. Moreover, the money you will spend on it is much lower than the price of your life.
The Life Straw definitely deserves the place in your get home bag, bug out bag, or other types of survival backpacks.
FAQ
Does Lifestraws really work?
We conducted a field test of the LifeStraw and can assure you of its high-quality work. It generates healthy filtered water without any bacteria and protozoa from polluted sources perfectly. However, make sure the reservoir is not spoiled with chemicals because almost all filters will not completely purify such water.
How long will a LifeStraw last?
Manufacturers set 5 years of shelf life for this purification system, but it will work even more in proper conditions. Some people managed to exceed this period with the correct care about a device. Follow the advice we gave you in this report to prolong the life of your water filters.
What is the best life straw?
There are several models of the LifeStraw. Choose the one which is affordable and convenient for you. All of them are good in their work and will serve you for many years.