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  1. #1
    Registered User tawa's Avatar
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    Default LifeStraw water filter

    Just purchased a lifeStraw water filter and plan on using it this weekend.
    Would like to hear the pros and cons from others that have used this method.
    Please share your thoughts and experiences with me.
    Thank you.

  2. #2
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Will it do cooking water?
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  3. #3
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    Will it do cooking water?
    Wayne


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    How long would it take to fill my 2 liter Hoser?
    Wayne


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  4. #4
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    I actually used a Lifestraw on the Superior Hiking Trail this summer and was pretty pleased with it. I mean, you can literally stop, dip the end into questionable water, and suck clean water through it. Was glad to have it. Minnesota doesn't have the high elevation streams and springs of the Southern Appalachians. Lots of standing water and wider creeks.
    Last edited by 10-K; 03-16-2017 at 14:08.

  5. #5
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    I have just purchased one myself, I love the idea of just stopping and drinking straight from the stream. I also have a gravity filter that I could use as well but for the quick stops on the go I will keep the life straw handy

  6. #6
    Registered User Venchka's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    I actually used a Lifestraw on the Superior Hiking Trail this summer and was pretty pleased with it. I mean, you can literally stop, dip the end into questionable water, and suck clean water through it.
    Thanks. I get the instant drink of clean water. I can't picture it working for bulk needs. I use a 1 liter Platypus soft bottle and hose on trail and fill it in the morning for hiking and the evening for dinner and breakfast. I suppose I would still need a pump or gravity filter for bulk storage needs. Or will the Straw work?
    Wayne


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  7. #7
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Yeah, it's not a replacement for a something like a pump, UV light, or chemicals. It's a "stop, drink, go" thing.

  8. #8
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    If used solely for drinking it has a long lifespan, convenient and safe

  9. #9
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TTT View Post
    If used solely for drinking it has a long lifespan, convenient and safe
    What else would you use it for?

    (maybe don't answer that... lol)

  10. #10
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    You can manually filter large quantities of water for cooking

  11. #11
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    LOL - maybe a flute

  12. #12
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    I have one and have used it on a small 24 mile thru hike of the PMT in south Georgia. It worked really well for us. We actually have the Lifestraw water bottles with the filter in the lid/mouth. Perfect. I have since gotten Katadyn pump filter, but we haven't tried it out yet.
    " Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt. "

  13. #13
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    The Sawyer mini, which incidentally also comes with a straw, does all the same things, but has less back pressure (easier to suck through), lasts longer, weighs less, is smaller, and can also be used easily as a squeeze filter, a gravity filter, or an in-line filter. I'm kinda at a loss as to how LifeStraw keeps selling filters when you can buy something else so vastly superior, in pretty much every way, for only $5 more.

    Just my two cents . . .
    I'm not lost. I'm exploring.

  14. #14
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    Quote Originally Posted by nsherry61 View Post
    The Sawyer mini, which incidentally also comes with a straw, does all the same things, but has less back pressure (easier to suck through), lasts longer, weighs less, is smaller, and can also be used easily as a squeeze filter, a gravity filter, or an in-line filter. I'm kinda at a loss as to how LifeStraw keeps selling filters when you can buy something else so vastly superior, in pretty much every way, for only $5 more.

    Just my two cents . . .
    The LifeStraw was the bet option out there for a while, but everything I've seen how's the Sawyer has surpassed it: more compact, better flow rate, a little less expensive.

    That being said, the LifeStraw will serve you well. I've seen it set up for gravity filtration, just takes a little more space and time.


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    Lifestraw began operation with a humanitarian mission, and I think that is still their primary focus. If you buy a Lifestraw, they donate one to an area of the world that doesn't have potable water. At least that was the model when I bought mine a few years ago. It can be a lifesaver for someone in that situation, but you're right, its flow rate is only one quart in eight minutes. And it can only filter 1000 liters of water before it craps out. Even the Lifestraw family, which is a gravity filter version, only has a useable life of 18,000 filtered gallons. A Sawyer Squeeze exceeds that, and has a faster flow rate. My Lifestraw is in my "go bag" now in case I have to bug out with my vehicle in a disaster. My Sawyer is with my hiking gear.




  16. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by 10-K View Post
    I actually used a Lifestraw on the Superior Hiking Trail this summer and was pretty pleased with it. I mean, you can literally stop, dip the end into questionable water, and suck clean water through it. Was glad to have it. Minnesota doesn't have the high elevation streams and springs of the Southern Appalachians. Lots of standing water and wider creeks.
    This to me seems like a CON. Who would want to lay on their stomachs on the ground and try to get as close to the water as possible, just before falling in, to drink the water. Pump seems like a more applicable solution.

  17. #17
    PCT, Sheltowee, Pinhoti, LT , BMT, AT, SHT, CDT, TRT 10-K's Avatar
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    Default LifeStraw water filter

    If you're that uncoordinated, yeah.

    Worked great for me. It's not something I would routinely carry but I thought it was interesting enough to try. I'm pretty sure I didn't hurt anyone.

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    Last edited by 10-K; 03-27-2017 at 17:17.

  18. #18
    Registered User Dawg's Avatar
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    I know I’m late to the game, but one use of the Lifestraw is as an adjunct to chemical filtration. When reaching a water source, fill a bottle and drink your fill with the lifestraw, then fill it again, treat it, and drink it along the way after the wait time. Adds a little weight, but has worked nicely for me.

  19. #19
    Some days, it's not worth chewing through the restraints.
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    Quote Originally Posted by Venchka View Post
    Will it do cooking water?
    Do you treat your cooking water? I don't - boiling takes care of it.

  20. #20
    Registered User eyewall's Avatar
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    Great idea. Consider it stolen

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