Update 28 June 2019: LifeStraw water bottles are on sale right now on Amazon.
And back to the original article.
I love hiking by water. Creeks, streams, rivers, waterfalls, ponds, lakes, ocean…well, you probably know what water is.
The bummer about water today, even in the mountains of Montana, is that you can’t drink it straight. Who knows what cow or person has defecated near that pristine-looking stream? Not me. Giardia and other nasty critters are impossible to see without your handy backcountry microscope.
I’ve known enough people who’ve had giardia to know I do not want it. You can’t take a chance drinking water, no matter how clear and clean-looking. So, I carry my own, boil it, or use a filter. Until now.
Vestergaard sent me a LifeStraw to test out. It’s just what you think it is. A straw you stick directly into a body of water (do you want me to list them again?), and start drinking. That’s it. As my kids say, “easy peasey lemon squeezey.” I don’t know where they got that, but not from me.
They do get clean water from me, however. We all used the LifeStraw on a couple different hikes and all liked it. For the kids, it’s a fun and novel way to play in a creek. For me, it’s less water to carry.
I prefer to fill my water bottle and drink from there. The kids like getting into the stream. In addition to the straw we have, Vestergaard also makes LifeStraw Go, which is a straw/water bottle combination. That seems like the most practical approach for hikers or other backcountry users.
Here are the details from the company:
· Anyone who can use a drinking straw can use a LifeStraw®. LifeStraw® uses hollow fiber microfiltration technology to remove up to 99.99999 percent of waterborne bacteria and 99.9 percent of waterborne protozoan cysts to provide clean, safe potable water.
· At only 2 oz., Lifestraw is ideal for hiking, camping, running, traveling, working out, sporting events and more, all the while ensuring youll have 1,000 liters of clean water right in your pocket.
· LifeStraw® has been designed to last. The filter is made of durable plastic, is chemical-free, and does not require electrical power, batteries or replacement parts; it is powered by user-generated suction
· It removes virtually all bacteria and protozoa parasites that can contaminate water, and it reduces muddiness by filtering out particulate matter.
· Swiss-based company Vestergaard originally introduced LifeStraw® as an emergency response tool and it has been used by millions of victims of floods and earthquakes. LifeStraw® has also been used to fill the need for safe water in non-emergency situations in developing countries.
Here is something really cool:
When you purchase any type of LifeStraw® filter, they use part of the funds to distribute LifeStraw® Community institutional water purifiers to schools in Africa. LifeStraw® Community is specifically designed to deliver clean, safe water to school children by removing waterborne pathogens and dirt commonly found in source water.
Win a LifeStraw
Brenda is the winner of the LifeStraw! She entered on the Facebook post and selected via a random number generator.
The LifeStraw® product and information have been provided by Vestergaard.