LifeStraw products have a history of use in some of the harshest conditions around the world, from refugee camps to natural disasters to extreme back-country, our products have to work because lives depend on them. Our testing and transparency is unparalleled and we use the most trusted performance criteria based on protocols established by the World Health Organization, the US EPA, NSF International and the Water Quality Association.
The difference between membrane microfilters and membrane ultrafilters is the pore size.
For example, LifeStraw's membrane ultrafilter pores are 0.02 micron —10 times smaller than the pores of the membrane microfilter. Both technologies work via the same mechanism, but ultrafilters also block viruses due to the smaller pore size. When dirty water enters the ultrafilter, the microscopic pores block viruses, bacteria, parasites, microplastics, dirt, and other turbidity forms. Clean water passes through the pores in the membranes making the water microbiologically safe to drink. Because of the smaller pore size, ultrafilters often have a slower flow rate or require more pressure to purify water than microfilters. LifeStraw Membrane Ultrafilters are capable of removing 99.999% (log 5) of viruses (including Rotavirus), 99.999999% (log 8) of bacteria (including E. coli and Salmonella), 99.999% (log 5) of parasites (Giardia and Cryptosporidium), and 99.999% (log 5) of microplastics. We classify our products that use membrane ultrafiltration technology as purifiers because they remove virus.
I have not used the Mission yet, but have read and seen numerous reviews, closely inspected the quality of the product, studied the instructions so I am completely familiar with them, and am expecting great water if I ever have to use it.
I distance backpack. Also live on the coast of Florida working with Mass Care for the Red Cross. Hurricanes can knock out power for weeks on end. It gets bad when it's bad. I put gear in four categories. 1) "Trash", 2) "Really cool", 3) "Outstanding" and 4) "I would bet my life on this piece of kit." This is in the last category. Absolute pore size of 0.2 microns is as small as viruses get, as far as science has found. It is a specialist piece of kit though. Does nothing for bad taste, Chlorine, turbidity, etc. But there are no life forms in the water, which is key. If you are in to stoves... This is the Trangia of portable water purifiers. It's that good. This things big brother is routinely used by the ICRC in areas of Africa where ground water can be a problem, and war zones, for humanitarian relief. I would get the 12 liter over the 5 for the flexibility. It's only a couple buck and ounces more. Sweet piece of kit.
I bought it years ago if the city says you should boil water and if the power goes out or during floods basically just in case. I have 2 bottles I use every day in the city.
In this very uncertain world even in an urban setting potable water is very precious. I bought the "LifeStraw Mission", as part of our family emergency/survival kit.
I haven't tried it yet (emergency kit), but it fulfills all the requirements in weight, size, quality, reputation and water filtration capability that I need.
Thank you.
I bought a number of water purifiers and have so far only used the pitcher. I don't know how to tell when to replace the filter. It does not seem to clean the water as well as the Pur pitcher I had before they stopped selling them.
Four of us went deep into the mountains for a vacation for the last two years. We would have to make at least three to four trips a week,23 miles round trip for water.
With life straw ,that ended. Worked fantastic. Keeper up with the demand and more.
Thank you.
Jay
I love Life Straw products. The LifeStraw Mission work very well but keep in mind you must have a good bit of time on your hands as the filter comes out as a trickle. A time i'm willing to wait for for the safety of clean drinking water but if you're on the go, look into another filter. If you're just sitting around camp and need water for whenever, then it's a great product!
We bought this years ago when we were first going to Nicaragua. We have used it for the last 4ish years on all our trips. (Nica, Mexico, Costa Rica, Taiwan, and Canada.) While we primarily use it for drinking water while overseas (4 to 6 months of the year) we also use it in the airports (a bottle of water can cost $8USD in some airports) We are a family of 4. We also use it while traveling, hiking and camping at home (Canada.) We have always tried to use "blue" water and the cleanest water we can find. But it's not always real clean. As far as we know we have never gotten sick from drinking the water through this thing. We also still have the same one we originally purchased. I would recc this one more then the normal straw, as this one does Viruses as well. We hang this thing on trees, doors, cars, bars, hooks, and pretty much anywhere you can think of. Even inside our car to make water while traveling.
I used this product successfully one time, after thoroughly cleaning and storing properly, water no longer flows out of the clean water valve. I've tried everything from squeezing the backwash bulb and opening up the red valve to trying to force compressed air through the system to just get something to work. Very disappointed.
My only problem is that even following the instructions, I can no longer get the water out of the blue valve, filtered water. I only used it once and I struggled that too. Why???
The system is quick to set up, easy to fill and filters quickly. It packs up well in the bag that is supplied. Great for camping, road trips and emergencies.
I got this to use on a family camping trip with 14 people and it was able to provide good clean drinking water for us for an entire weekend. I was a little worried that this would be complicated to use or I would mess something up and we would be hurting for water but it was so easy to set up and use. No one should be worried about their ability to use this product.
I had a couple of family members who came into the trip saying they weren't comfortable drinking the water that came out of this filter so they brought some of their own water with them. By the end of the weekend Lifestraw had won them over and they were using and drinking the water just like everyone else.
This is such a great product for camping trips but it also gives me peace of mind to know that I could have access to good clean drinking water in case of an emergency. I will recommend this product to anyone and everyone.
I was just getting ready for a camping trip with my son and his boys scout troop and this came in just the neck of time! We camp a lot actually and this is made of really good quality materials too! I would totally recommend this to friends and family!
My husband and I use the LifeStraw water purifier when we went camping. The 12 Liter bag just enough drinking water for the day. The water tastes just like normal purified water. It's super easy to change the filter when it needs to be. I love my lifestraw
This is a handy, well made water purifier. It will be indispensable for frequent campers and adventurers. It's easy to use and has the instructions printed on the bag to guide you until you have it all figured out. The wide mouth of the bag makes it easy to fill, and there's an area on the side of the bag where you can see how much water is int he bag at a glance. It filters slowly, but this makes me more confident that the water I will be drinking is safe to drink. The bag is quite large and holds a good amount of water (12 liters) so it will be great for a group of people. A little patience is required for filling your drinking container - it's a trickle, so it's not going to come through the filter as quickly as filling your cup from a kitchen faucet. Ultimately though it's more convenient to me to use this than to lug water bottles around or boil water. You could also place a large container underneath the tube for collecting water while you're off doing other things. We actually brought water bottles with us as a back up, just in case we weren't happy with the performance of the filter or the flavor of the water, but we never used them. It's easy to snap the strap around a tree branch for hanging. The bag empties and rolls up quickly and easily and has a carrying bag to store it in. When empty, it's extremely lightweight, and when full you will be able to carry it around easily from your water source to your campsite with the carrying strap. As far as the flavor of the water goes, it's pretty good! I was pleasantly surprised by how flavorless it was, and it came out crystal clear. It's not as good as tap or bottled water, but it's not bad at all.
I got LifeStraw Mission to use on multiple day camping trips where I would have access to lakes or rivers. It's concept is easy, but this filter is not as intuitive as others. Anyone using it should first understand the two valves and method to flush. The filter does claim to have a long lifespan which is one of the best in its category. The included bag neatly packages everything for travel when not in use but it is not a filter I would take on multiple day hikes due to its overall size and weight. Hanging it in camp will require a high position due to it's tube length. The biggest downside of the filter is that it is slower than most gravity based versions. You're likely not in a hurry camping, but you will be standing a while to fill a container.
I received this item for my my son and husband to try out while out adventuring. This product can hold upto 12 Liters of water plus has the filtration straw to filter out any harmful bacteria, viruses, and protozoa from the water. It does also come with the hook to hang it from a tree branch or around your shoulder. This amazing product also comes with a bag so you can roll it up after use and put in the storage back to place in a backpack or away. This product is wonderful for summer adventures with the heat and staying hydrated.
We took this camping with us this summer and it is a game changer! It is so wonderful to be able to have fresh clean water at all times while camping and this allows me to skip bringing water bottles along. The set up was a breeze and I had it working in no time. I will be getting another of these for my father in law for Christmas!
I received the LifeStraw hanging 12L filteration Water container to test & review. This is a great product for camping or if you're in the military to use while you're on missions. This is easy to carry & hangs from anywhere. You can have "Fresh" tasting water from any water source.
Very easy to set up and easy to use. Clearly printed instructions on the back of the packaging. The bag and strap seem super durable. I have had crystal clear water every time I have used this camping. It is so much simpler than bringing along all those heavy cumbersome plastic bottles!
We had a recent situation where our city's water treatment plant was not able to keep up with the floods and increased turbidity in the water lead to a no-drink warning. Perfect scenario for this system, as it will filter out parasites and viruses and anything that may have slipped through the treatment plant.
It is important to know what this system will and will not do. It will not filter out chemicals, but it will remove parasites, viruses, and things that will make you immediately sick. As long as you know that the upstream source of water has not been contaminated with chemicals, then this will filter and make it safe to drink. Love having this as a backup safety net for the entire family.
LifeStraw - Online store - LifeStraw Mission is great when the family is spending their weekends camping. I was impressd with the ease of use and great tasting water we got. I would highly recommend the LifeStraw - Online store - LifeStraw Mission.
I took this on my weekend camping trip with my sons. We only brought minimal supplies to simulate emergency situations. This water filter preformed amazingly well! It holds a large amount of water, and filters it at a fast rate. The water that we collected from the stream came out crystal clear and tasteless! I have added this to my bug-out bag, and I look forward to using it again!
I got this last week and I absolutely love it, gives us fresh clean water convenient for outdoor activities or emergencies I cannot be anymore impressed and thankful for this product. Will be purchasing more to have on hand we never know when we may need
Easy to use and set up. The filtering was slow at first but sped up after the first few minutes. It's a great quality product that can be used for every situation. I'm just in awe of this products performance, Highly recommend!
I used a personal water filter before and found this product really works well. This time, our family and friends 6 people went camping for three days during the vacation. This Lifestraw successfully kept around 5-gallon water coolers and drinkable water for these days. We used the water to cook and drink, and did not get diarrhea or stomach flu. It's very convenient and easy to use and with no pumping or boiling. We do not need to buy a lot of bottles of waters. Pre-filter was really good and you see all of the particles out of the filter, but some smaller ones will stick to the pre-filter, and you have to clean. I tried several times and found you have to rinse the bag several times to clean the prefilter first. You have to make sure the red tap with the highest flow and flush the red bulb and then pour the muddy water. I repeated these steps five times, and the water became clear and clear. The process only took a few minutes, and then you can drink the water. I plan to purchase more to send to my friends who like to go mountain climbing. One drawback is the bag, and sometimes I am worried if the bag will be broken.
I haven't used the Mission in an actual need situation but I have tried it out with creek water. I used other Lifestraw products and love them but this larger one is more appropriate for our family and could come in very handy since we are in a flood prone area. Plus I love that it also kills viruses. It does not filter chemicals but in doing some research I read it filters herbisides and pesticides, those are chemicals so I'm a little confused about that. At first try I was getting a very slow drip, after reading more I primed it and started getting a more constant drip but I cant see getting 2-3 gallons an hour as it states. What I liked the least about the Mission is the taste. I'm not sure if it requires something different to filter viruses but the taste is different from other Lifestraws. I even back flushed it. The way I see it though, in emergency situations beggars cant be choosers so it still is an awesome product to have around. Maybe it just needs to be used more, not really sure. When I use it more if I get a different result I'll be sure to update my review
This life straw with the bag is great for camping, hiking or if things go south! It turns dirty water into clean drinking water and I am absolutely in love with it and the concept! Great great product!
I am impressed on how great this works. The set up is easy to do. I like that a visual manual is printed on the bag and it also comes with a paper manual in many languages. The LifeStraw Mission is ideal for camping, traveling to a different country or for an emergency situation. In any situation that you use this product in you can rest ensured knowing that you'll have clean, safe drinking water. It also comes with 4 filters and a storage bag to put away when not in use.
This arrived just in time. My daughter attended hippiefest this last weekend and her and her friends went camping . They took this with them to their campsite and it worked great . They collected water from the river and with just one fill it lasted them the weekend with clean water and no need to travel with multiple plastic containers of water
How amazing!! This kept three 5 gallon water coolers full for 18 people for 5 days. Pre-filter was great at keeping sand out of the filter, but some smaller particles got past the pre filter.
Besides that this was perfect. We met a few people and I recommend they get one.
I have been satisfied with LifeStraw products in the past, but this purifying system did not even come close to living up to my expectations. The design is extremely cumbersome, requiring the user to stand next to the bag and hold a bottle beneath the spout as the water SLOWLY drips. I was worried of dying of dehydration waiting for my water to purify. I wish I would have spent the $120 on a better, quicker product instead of this one. I would not recommend.
