LifeStraw Filter – User Experience?

I don't have it but I see several issues.

1. It does not have a fitting on the input side. There isn't any easy way to connect a a hydration bladder tube to it.

2. The other end is just a mouth piece. YOU might or might not be able to connect a hose to it.

3. Like all filters it will not filter off viruses. Filters don't work against Viruses. To kill viruses you need to scoop up water into a container, treat it to kill the viruses and then drink the water through the filter.

I have The Sawyer 3 in 1 filter (the Sawyer squeese is a newer version of the filter). I have the filter attached to my bladder. I fill the bladder with dirty water, add one chlorine monoxide tablet to kill the viruses. The filter takes care of the rest really nasty stuff. If I wanted to I could use UV instead of Chemicals. Chemicals work quickly on viruses and bacteria. The Katadyn tablets I use will kill viruses and bacteria in 15 minutes according to a Katadyn document I found on line.

The Sawyer 'Point ZeroTWO' physically filters out viruses. I have one and it works great. You can set it up as a gravity system, or hook it up to a tough bladder that you can sit on to force water through it faster. I will never use anything else.

Link: http://www.sawyer.com/tech-water.html

and if you need more convincing, here's a great reason to throw your business their way: http://www.sawyer.com/sawyersaves/

I thought viruses weren't much of an issue in most of the U.S. and most parts of Europe, at least? Is this an off assumption?

(btw, i'm not assuming that people here don't hike in other places where virus's are more of a realistic issue, but i doubt the majority of us do, or most of us enough to warrant a specialized filter system for same beyond some chlorine dioxide, etc hence why i was speaking more generally).

I used this a few times in conjunction with Aqua Mira. When I hit the water source I could just drink out of it saving some time for the chemical to work. If water sources were available I didn't have to carry water at all. If I had to carry water, I would tank up at the water source then fill my containers and treat with chemical. That would give the chemical enough time to treat the water before I drank again. When I hit camp I would tank up again and treat the water I was going to drink later with the chemical. I don't treat the water I boil for food. The only negative I experienced was the effort it takes to draw the water through the straw. This was minimal however and you could down a litre fairly quickly. I saw no good way to make a gravity setup out of it.

Marc:

Thanks for your feedback. What kind of chemicals do you use? Bleach? Chlorine dioxide? I have a feel that the LifeStraw does not improve water taste and does not remove any chlorine taste — am I correct?

If you avoid drinking from streams near farm animals or sewage in the Northeastern US, you will never likely run into a virus. Obviously, I haven't tested every stream in the Northeast, since geologically speaking there are probably billions. However, I would bet my personal health on it.

I'm confident enough in streams at many higher-altitude areas of VT, NH, and ME that I would drink straight from streams without hesitation in the backcountry if my filter broke.

About taste:

If it doesn't have any carbon in it, then no it won't. I just looked up a brief description and it says it won't filter chemicals, heavy metals, etc and that means in all likelihood it does not have any carbon in it and so won't improve taste at all.

I couldn't see in the literature anywhere that they use a carbon element. This would preclude any benefit for making the water taste better. I now use the Squeeze. A little more fussy but more utilitarian.

"To kill viruses you need to scoop up water into a container, treat it to kill the viruses and then drink the water through the filter."

Or use a purifier that doesn't use chemicals but filters chemicals and viruses out. Yes, they exist as inline (or gravity) systems.

If it were just for camping and backpacking, the Sawyer PointZeroTWO would certainly be excessive. And honestly, I'll probably get a PointONE eventually and enjoy an improved flow rate for those pursuits. However, the filter is also part of my disaster/zombie survival kit. After Katrina, I started to think about more long-term survival scenarios. What if you run out of chemical treatment options? What if there's no fuel with which to boil water? What if all the water in an area is fouled by backed up sewage systems? I'll be glad to have a small filter that takes care of all threats quickly and simply, won't break down on me, and doesn't wear out for a long time.

I know none of this really addresses the OPs question, but it's something to think about.