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Product Description
The LifeStraw Steel is a personal and portable water filter that can filter 264 gallons of water, making it handy for use while hiking, backpacking, and camping. The durable 9-inch tube works to purify water in a two-stage process Read More
Total newb question, but how do you know when the time on a filter like this is up? Like, how do you keep track of however many litres you've used it for?
SwayneIt gets hard to suck water through when it’s time to replace it. Nothing in it expires, it just gets clogged. How many liters it lasts for depends on how dirty the water is.
http://engearment.com/camping/hydration/lifestraw-steel-water-filter/
@westcoast pretty much covered it below. I find the Sawyer Squeeze bottles to be hard to fill in still water like an alpine lake. I like Platypus's Meta bottle and Vapur's filter that screws into any of their bladders. Lifestraw, to me, seems like something you'd carry as a backpacking backup. In that sense, the Steel is heavy and expensive. The regular Lifestraw makes more sense.
On the other hand, I think it has a nice niche for fly fishing. No need to carry a bladder while on the river.
@Support team: I ordered 3 items and only got 2 in a shipping. Sent several requests through support and **ZERO** answer back. Annoying. Can someone please get back to me?
AtwystPros - Lifestraw has always been easier to use ( not that a Sawyer is complicated just more steps ) and is a great company who has a great track record of charity. This particular item adds carbon filtration and is made of steel.
Cons - It weigh nearly three times as much as the original Lifestraw. Both versions of the Lifestraw are good for 1000 liters of filtration only. The Sawyer Mini/Squeeze lasts a lot longer and allows you to pre-filter not just filter as you drink.
A community member
Nov 12, 2017
Atwystexactly, you can use the mini- sawyer like a straw. suck up the water from any source without collecting it in a bag first.
hutch4of4To be fair it actually does not filter viruses which I think was his main point. As a non-american and someone who doesnt want to search the EPA website for a bunch of different certification standards I can't say whether that means it can't use the word "purifier"
For most people backpacking in North America viruses are a fairly low risk and if they are adding sodium dichloroisocyanurate tablets ( Aquatabs ) or a SteriPen to your water purification regime will solve the problem.
All that being said I think the general consensus is Lifestraw is not really a backpackers first choice as things like the Sawyer Mini/Squeeze or Katadyn BeFree just perform similar jobs better. Plus not really sure carrying the extra weight of steel is ever the "Ultralight" choice lol
However for an Emergency Preparedness Kit for things such as Earthquake/Flood this a pretty good choice since it requires no additional parts and is stupidly easy to use even for children. In those situation viruses tend to be more common though so you should also include sodium dichloroisocyanurate.