Very Quick
"had I put my trust in this product and needed water I would have been in trouble and Lifestraw or vestergaard were more concerned with passing the buck than to show any real concern with a failed product or standing behind warranties."
"This probably doesn't matter to many people, and it certainly doesn't matter in a survival situation, but the lifestraw can't be used to filter water for coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or sports drinks like a pump filter or a sawyer squeeze."
"Honestly I cannot believe there are so many lame reviewers out there who rate this product highly and say they haven't actually used it but think it's a great idea."
"I drank a liter of water in the car on the way there then took this with me because I was familiar with the hike and knew I had plenty of water sources along the way."
"2 microns Filters up to 1000 liters of contaminated water WITHOUT iodine, chlorine, or other chemicals Comes in a sealed bag, perfect for storing for emergencies I have no reason to doubt that information, as I say, I have used similar (different brand) products and the technology is sound, the quality of this is excellent."
"I had filled a water bottle with some spring water, and once I had run through all my boiled water I pulled out the Lifestraw to use with the spring water in my backup Nalgene."
"You can't just stick it in the water and start sucking though, you have to let the water slowly seep through the layers of filter first before you can just drink from it."
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter (Compare Deals from $19.75)
Quick
"after several days i got this email: (Eartheasy is the master wholesale distributor of the LifeStraw, and Vestergaard forwarded your email to us... Cudos for Amazon that they had to deal with warranty work that neither of the other companies were willing to do more than reply to suck it 5 times and if that dont help call the other guy. had I put my trust in this product and needed water I would have been in trouble and Lifestraw or vestergaard were more concerned with passing the buck than to show any real concern with a failed product or standing behind warranties."
"In fact, in some situations where there is very little water, it can be really difficult to fill a bottle with water... This probably doesn't matter to many people, and it certainly doesn't matter in a survival situation, but the lifestraw can't be used to filter water for coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or sports drinks like a pump filter or a sawyer squeeze... A good way to get the flow going fast again is to submerge the end of the lifestraw in a water source and then alternate between sucking and blowing, such that water is moving back and forth inside the lifestraw."
"Honestly I cannot believe there are so many lame reviewers out there who rate this product highly and say they haven't actually used it but think it's a great idea... It states it will filter 1000 liters of water and that it filters down to 2 microns... I'll probably use it mostly for backpacking trips to easily and safely drink water from a stream or other source that isn't pure, fresh snow melt meaning 99."
"I drank a liter of water in the car on the way there then took this with me because I was familiar with the hike and knew I had plenty of water sources along the way. I didn't take a drop of water in with me but stopped along the way with the Lifestraw and was able to stay hydrated just fine on a humid low-80-degree day... As long as you know you have plenty of water sources around, this item will probably shave more weight from your pack than anything else you can take."
"You can drink bottled water or bottled products, but you get paranoid (after getting sick one time) and wash the lids of the bottle... I have used these before in rivers and lakes --in mountains---where the water was clear but unknown quality... 2 microns Filters up to 1000 liters of contaminated water WITHOUT iodine, chlorine, or other chemicals Comes in a sealed bag, perfect for storing for emergencies I have no reason to doubt that information, as I say, I have used similar (different brand) products and the technology is sound, the quality of this is excellent."
"It was cool to be able to drink straight through the straw, but it did seem like you had to put a lot of effort in to get any water out of it... I had filled a water bottle with some spring water, and once I had run through all my boiled water I pulled out the Lifestraw to use with the spring water in my backup Nalgene... However, as something that you would generally use in a last-case scenario (as I did when I had run out of water on my traverse), I don't think a product should be this delicate."
"This is also not a filter for refilling your water supply on long wilderness backpacking trips... I haven't actually scientifically tested how well this filter is blocking pathogens and all but I've tested it in several rivers and stagnant pools of water and I haven't gotten sick so I guess that means it's working... You can't just stick it in the water and start sucking though, you have to let the water slowly seep through the layers of filter first before you can just drink from it."
Less Quick
"after several days i got this email: (Eartheasy is the master wholesale distributor of the LifeStraw, and Vestergaard forwarded your email to us... Alternatively, you can allow the straw to stand upright in water with the caps off and the water will creep up the inside of the straw and it should flow fine then... They set up the return stating that they could not send a replacement due to the sales agreement with vestergaard and could only refund when the return was received. Cudos for Amazon that they had to deal with warranty work that neither of the other companies were willing to do more than reply to suck it 5 times and if that dont help call the other guy. had I put my trust in this product and needed water I would have been in trouble and Lifestraw or vestergaard were more concerned with passing the buck than to show any real concern with a failed product or standing behind warranties... I have found that third world abuse to sell products is not quite the type of company I will ever do business with... In my opinion, you should avoid lifestraw and get your lifechanging water filter from Sawyer."
"I've used it to drink from some pretty nasty water sources along the way and it works great... - it fits in the top of a gatorade bottle (an all around handy backcountry bottle--durable, widemouthed, and the orange lid helps save you from losing it when dropped)... Just fill up your bottle right from the source, stick the straw in, and suck... In fact, in some situations where there is very little water, it can be really difficult to fill a bottle with water... Even in just muddy ground, you could dig a small seep hole and suck the water out with the lifestraw.... This probably doesn't matter to many people, and it certainly doesn't matter in a survival situation, but the lifestraw can't be used to filter water for coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or sports drinks like a pump filter or a sawyer squeeze... A good way to get the flow going fast again is to submerge the end of the lifestraw in a water source and then alternate between sucking and blowing, such that water is moving back and forth inside the lifestraw."
"Unlike so many of the 4 and 5 star reviews I actually opened the package, read the instructions and tested the product. Honestly I cannot believe there are so many lame reviewers out there who rate this product highly and say they haven't actually used it but think it's a great idea... It states it will filter 1000 liters of water and that it filters down to 2 microns... I'll probably use it mostly for backpacking trips to easily and safely drink water from a stream or other source that isn't pure, fresh snow melt meaning 99... For survivors or for home emergency supplies I will keep a gallon of bleach and 2% iodine solution on hand as well as the means to boil water... Perfect for your Bug Out Bag or for day hikes or backpacking... You just might have received a defective product and you don't want to find out in an emergency!"
"I drank a liter of water in the car on the way there then took this with me because I was familiar with the hike and knew I had plenty of water sources along the way. I didn't take a drop of water in with me but stopped along the way with the Lifestraw and was able to stay hydrated just fine on a humid low-80-degree day. Better yet, the water I was drinking was fresh and cold; my buddies' water had sat around in their packs several hours and I'm sure wasn't nearly as refreshing. As long as you know you have plenty of water sources around, this item will probably shave more weight from your pack than anything else you can take. Just lug along an empty plastic bottle as well so you can use the LifeStraw in the jug if you have to... It's more like trying to siphon water by mouth out of a hose from well above the source than drinking out of a straw. But if you're thirsty from a good hike, other than a general lack of breath, it's not that hard to draw the water through it."
"Once you get sick like that --call it "la Tourista or montezumas revenge, or whatever, ---You will take every possible step to avoid it again... You can drink bottled water or bottled products, but you get paranoid (after getting sick one time) and wash the lids of the bottle. However you worry about the rim of the bottle, or how you can wash it without being infected, its gets crazy... I have used these before in rivers and lakes --in mountains---where the water was clear but unknown quality. They work well, and I feel 100% confident in drinking the water after its been through this... 2 microns Filters up to 1000 liters of contaminated water WITHOUT iodine, chlorine, or other chemicals Comes in a sealed bag, perfect for storing for emergencies I have no reason to doubt that information, as I say, I have used similar (different brand) products and the technology is sound, the quality of this is excellent. Its a good idea to have in your emergency kit or as I do, a travel bag--anytime you go anywhere outside of the US/Canada/Europe."
"I bought the lifestraw about a year ago after researching around a bit and deciding that I liked the design of it the best over any other gravity filtration or inline filtration systems... It was cool to be able to drink straight through the straw, but it did seem like you had to put a lot of effort in to get any water out of it... I then used it again while backpacking a couple days in Southern California... I had filled a water bottle with some spring water, and once I had run through all my boiled water I pulled out the Lifestraw to use with the spring water in my backup Nalgene... I thought that maybe it had frozen, though there should have been no water in there to freeze, prior to attempting to use it. Once I got home from the trip I let it sit, then cleared it and tried to drink through it again... However, as something that you would generally use in a last-case scenario (as I did when I had run out of water on my traverse), I don't think a product should be this delicate."
"This is also not a filter for refilling your water supply on long wilderness backpacking trips... Having clean fresh water is probably the most important thing you can have when you're outdoors... Many natural sources of water are not safe to drink without filtering or treating. I haven't actually scientifically tested how well this filter is blocking pathogens and all but I've tested it in several rivers and stagnant pools of water and I haven't gotten sick so I guess that means it's working. I used one in multiple water sources on different days so you can keep reusing it for a while. It's light, you can chuck it in any backpack and forget it's even there until you need it. You can't just stick it in the water and start sucking though, you have to let the water slowly seep through the layers of filter first before you can just drink from it."
